Well, bugger!
22 April 2005 19:46![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandragoraSo, I was just about to leave the office tonight to meet a friend when he rang me. No can do on the meeting-up front because he has to arrest a ship.
How do you arrest a ship I (possibly) hear you ask. Why, by nailing the warrant to the mast, of course. Well, actually, not that many ships have wooden masts nowadays, so the warrant has to be 'afixed' to the mast. Yeah, I have heard Sellotape mentioned...
The thing is, when it comes to ships you have to move *fast* because if you don't nab the ship whilst it's in port it will sail out of the jurisdiction of the court and you've missed your chance. And why arrest the ship? Oh, it's all to do with money, of course, often over cargo disputes. Suffice it to say, my friend's weekend has just gone walkies.
Instead I decided to wander over to the West End, where we were going to meet anyway and go to Forbidden Planet as it's been a while since I've visited. Thepilgrimage visit was successful, bought a few (only half a dozen or so) books. Then back to Leicester Square, via Murder One, which is the *other* science-fiction orientated bookshop in London.
Only to find - oh woe! - that Murder One is closing down. And soon. Alas, alack. The crime section is moving to a new location but the science-fiction section is closing for good. Which is a real pity, seeing as they often got the new books before Forbidden Planet. Even if they did charge more for them.
The only plus point is they're having a 30% off all books closing down sale. The sale started on 16 April, so a lot has gone already but they still have all the shelves and tables stacked full of books. There were some bloody good books there, too, although some of my favourites had completely sold out. But I did get a new Judith Tarr and a couple of other books I fancied giving a try. So, get yourselves down there this weekend - otherwise it will be too late - if you want to make a last visit and save 30% off all of their books.
How do you arrest a ship I (possibly) hear you ask. Why, by nailing the warrant to the mast, of course. Well, actually, not that many ships have wooden masts nowadays, so the warrant has to be 'afixed' to the mast. Yeah, I have heard Sellotape mentioned...
The thing is, when it comes to ships you have to move *fast* because if you don't nab the ship whilst it's in port it will sail out of the jurisdiction of the court and you've missed your chance. And why arrest the ship? Oh, it's all to do with money, of course, often over cargo disputes. Suffice it to say, my friend's weekend has just gone walkies.
Instead I decided to wander over to the West End, where we were going to meet anyway and go to Forbidden Planet as it's been a while since I've visited. The
Only to find - oh woe! - that Murder One is closing down. And soon. Alas, alack. The crime section is moving to a new location but the science-fiction section is closing for good. Which is a real pity, seeing as they often got the new books before Forbidden Planet. Even if they did charge more for them.
The only plus point is they're having a 30% off all books closing down sale. The sale started on 16 April, so a lot has gone already but they still have all the shelves and tables stacked full of books. There were some bloody good books there, too, although some of my favourites had completely sold out. But I did get a new Judith Tarr and a couple of other books I fancied giving a try. So, get yourselves down there this weekend - otherwise it will be too late - if you want to make a last visit and save 30% off all of their books.
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no subject
Date: 23 April 2005 01:27 (UTC)It sucks when a favourite bookstore with character closes down. In the US we only seem to have the chains left, like "Borders" and "Barnes & Noble", and the odd second hander that's struggling along.
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Date: 23 April 2005 10:06 (UTC)*g* I think it's more a matter of the terminology applied - arresting a ship - than there being any actual glamour involved. What shipping lawyers call arresting a ship the rest of us used to call obtaining a 'Mareva injuction', or 'Marevaring'. Alas, the Civil Court Procedure was reformed in 1999 and we're meant to call them 'freezing orders' now, which is much less fun.
Can one also arrest an airplane?
Oh, certainly, but I can't remember whether we actually *call* it arresting an airplane. Which is frustrating considering that about 15 years ago I was involved in a case where we had to do just that - prevent an airplane from flying off because the US airline that owned it had just gone into Chapter 11 in the US and there were concerns that our client wouldn't get paid.
On the bookshop front, it's located on Charing Cross Road which is the most famous street for bookshops in Britain (there was even a film called 84 Charing Cross Road concerning a love affair started in a bookshop) and many independent bookshops still survive there but it's becoming harder and harder because of rising rental costs. Alas.