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I met Jane Fonda in 2006 at a book signing session. She was in England promoting her autobiography, and in view of the fact that she would be appearing less than ten miles from where I live, I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity of meeting her; besides the shop also boasted a rather nice coffee area. Sadly, the Chesterfield branch of the Peak Bookshop would close in 2007, just one year after being voted runner-up in The Sunday Times’s ‘Bookshop of the Year’ poll. At the time, the owners, Kate and Jonathan Spencer-Payne, blamed internet and supermarket rivals for the closure. Whilst I do make purchases from Amazon, my conscience is clear over the demise of this shop as I would buy at least four titles a year from the outlet; a shame really that others couldn’t follow my lead.

The queue to meet Ms Fonda was orderly and patient, allowing me the opportunity to spend ten minutes with her. She included within her signed dedication a love heart, a rather personalised entry absent from other signed copies I was able to surreptitiously view. ‘The old charm’s worked again I see’, my wife affectionately teased me afterwards.