Bob Gould, of Gould's Bookshop in Newtown, appeared on the Channel Seven News (6.00) tonight. It was a 'colour' story aimed at the broader population. It wasn't about books but, rather, a book thief.
In fact, it was about the bus driver who crash-tackled the thief as he ran from the shop down King Street.
Seems like Bob, sensing something odd about a customer, asked him to open his bag. The man shot out the door and the bus driver got up from his seat behind the wheel and gave chase.
The transport authority, Sydney Buses, is considering whether to award the driver a bravery award for his actions.
Gould's is legendary among book enthusiasts. The stock is not cheap, but the shop is absolutely chaotic. Finding a book you want there is almost impossible.
4 comments:
Just as well the thief didn't have a gun. I think chasing a thief for small time theft probably shouldn't earn a bravery award but a stern lecture on the danger of tangling unnecessarily with criminals.
I spent many years working in bookstores and lots of very strange things happened, including my own run-in with a thief. See:
http://kimbofo.typepad.com/readingmatters/
2005/08/weird_things_th.html
There's something Kafkaesque about a bookshop where it's impossible to find what you want. I went into Gould's 15 years ago, was horrified, and have never been back.
I wish that bus driver was around when I was working at Gould's and was held up by three blokes.
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