As soon as Hollywood decides to make a movie that features a bookstore in the plot, the perfect model for the lead role would be Douglas Harding, owner of Harding Books & Maps store in Wells.
Harding has the looks and demeanor you’d expect for a book store owner. Earnest, with a no-nonsense approach to his vast collection of more than 200,000 volumes, Harding makes the point that he runs a difficult business. Yet, he is ready to flash a grin when amused and eager to offer an astute observation on all manner of topics – many he gleaned from the books that surround him and the customers he has helped over the years.
Casting Harding in a film about books should come as no surprise. In a labor of love, he has devoted a colorful life to the collection, displaying and sale of books, maps and prints for 45 years.