One Tree Books

One Tree Books is an award-winning independent bookshop established by Tim O’Kelly in 1994 situated in the market town of Petersfield in the heart of the South Downs. As you would expect, we are passionate about all things literary and if you can’t find something to tempt you from our extensive selection in the shop, we can order in just about anything. Come and browse our shelves, and then relax with a coffee from Ginger’s café to complete your visit – we look forward to welcoming you!

Bookshop Opening Hours

9:00 – 5pm Monday to Saturday

Cafe – Ginger’s Catering

9:00 – 4pm Monday to Saturday

Contact us on 01730 261199 / mail@onetreebooks.com

Listen to Tim and Suzie Wilde talking all things books on Petersfield’s very own Shine Radio!

https://shineradio.uk/talkingbooks

 

 

 

 

Book Club

BOOK CLUB: Treacle Walker – Alan Garner

Wednesday 17th June 2023 – 7:15 for :7:30pm

An introspective young boy, Joseph Coppock, squints at the world with his lazy eye. Living alone in an old house, he reads comics, collects birds’ eggs and plays with his marbles. When, one day, a rag-and-bone man called Treacle Walker appears, exchanging an empty jar of a cure-all medicine and a donkey stone for a pair of Joseph’s pyjamas and a lamb’s shoulder blade, a mysterious friendship develops between them. A fusion of myth, magic and the stories we make for ourselves, Treacle Walker is an extraordinary novel from one of our greatest living writers.

The discussion will be led by Tim O’Kelly

 


CLASSIC BOOK CLUB: The Beginning of Spring – Penelope Fitzgerald

Wednesday 26th July 2023 – 7:15 for :7:30pm

It is March 1913, and the grand old city of Moscow is stirring herself to meet the beginning of spring. Change is in the air, and nowhere more so than at 22 Lipka Street, the home of English printer Frank Reid.

One day Frank’s wife Nellie takes the train back to England, with no explanation, leaving him with their three young children. Into his life comes Lisa Ivanovna, a country girl, untroubled to the point of seeming simple. But is she? And why has Frank’s accountant Selwyn, gone to such lengths to bring them together? And who is the passionate Volodya, who breaks into the press at night? Frank sees, but only dimly, that he is a rational man in Moscow, a city where love, and friendship, power and politics, are at their most unfathomable.

The discussion will be led by Elizabeth Griffiths


Everyone is welcome – either let us know beforehand or just turn up on the night. If you would like to be added to the emailing list just go to our contacts page and put  your details in with ‘Book Club’ in the Subject line.  Our book club meetings cost £5 which includes a glass of wine.

 

 

Events

Welcome to our events page. Below is a list of our current programme – please contact us for more information or if you would like to hold an event in the shop.

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Wednesday 31st May, 6pm: Book launch: Homage to Bangladesh – Rupert Grey

When Rupert Grey arrived in Dhaka in 1992, a sign announced that arrivals were ‘Welcome to Bangladesh before the tourists get here’. They still haven’t. Grey first came to Bangladesh as a London lawyer armed with three FM2 cameras. Many journeys and 30 years later he is a photographer armed with a useful legal background. The catalysts were Chobi Mela, the festival of photography, and its founder Shahidul Alam, an acclaimed photographer, human rights activist and Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2018. This book charts Grey’s love affair with Bangladesh, including an epic transcontinental journey through India to Chobi Mela in a vintage Rolls-Royce, later portrayed in the award-winning, Sharon Stone produced film Romantic Road.

His photographs, mostly taken on film, speak powerfully of the cultural vitality and energy which Kissinger missed, and which inspired Grey’s Homage to Bangladesh. As a libel and copyright lawyer Rupert has represented national papers, politicians, bankers, celebrities and explorers. He serves on the board of a number of front-line charities in the arts, education, photography and marine exploration.

He has travelled on foot and horseback, by dug-out canoe, dog sledge, camel, elephant, bush-plane and Land Rover to the wild places of the earth. His photographs have been exhibited in several countries including Bangladesh, and his articles have been widely published. He lives with his wife Jan in a remote thatched cottage in Sussex, England, with their three daughters nearby.


Thursday 25th May, 7:30pm: An Evening with James Naughtie (in association with Chichester Children’s Bookfest)

We will be the bookseller for this event in Chichester Cathedral when Jim Naughtie will be in conversation with Colin Heber-Percy about his latest novel The Spy Across the Water, his third in the Will Flemyng series. Tickets for this event cost £15 and can be purchased via this link: https://v2tickets.co.uk/event/an-evening-with-james-naughtie/#


Monday 12th June, 6pm: Book launch: The Mystery of the Homeless Man by Gina Cheyne

We are delighted to welcome back Gina Cheyne to launch the third book in her crime series – The Mystery of the Homeless Man, following the success of her previous books The Mystery of the Lost Husbands and Murder in the Cards.


One Tree Writers

Do you write? Have you always wanted to write? We’re a small friendly group who have been meeting for over ten years. We take turns to read out whatever we are currently working on and offer each other advice and support. Over time we have had writers working on short stories, novels (adult, YA and children’s), poetry, memoir, blogs and even academic essays! We have met at various venues and now, at Tim’s invitation, we will be based at One Tree books – hence our new name. We meet upstairs at 2.30 on Tuesday afternoons. If you think you might be interested, why not come along and say hello?


MAH-JONG at One Tree Books

Taking bookings now!

Mah-Jong expert Sheila Lucas is running a 4 week course from March 1st on a Tuesday afternoon for up to 12 people. Sessions cost £10 and start at 2pm and are suitable for beginners and intermediate players. Why not come and have lunch in Ginger’s café beforehand, or stay on for tea afterwards. For more details please ask in the shop or contact Sheila directly: sheilalucasme@icloud.com


Ginger’s Café

A vegetarian and plant-based friendly catering company, with a seating area at the back of the shop and takeaway service from the front.

Breakfast is served from 9 - 11.30am, and lunch between 11am - 2:30pm. Menu includes sandwiches and toasties, soup of the day, a selection of quiches, frittatas and salad and locally baked cakes. Our speciality coffee is Luna blend from a local roasting company - Moon Roast Coffee in Alresford.

We try our best to use products and suppliers that are at least one of the golden 4: Organic; Local; Reduced plastic; Reduced carbon imprint.

Book Doctor

An appointment with our book doctor makes a great gift - for a birthday or a wedding, or just to treat yourself or a friend.  Our personal service begins with a consultation usually lasting 30 minutes or so which includes coffee and a welcome pack, discussing your reading tastes and getting an idea of what you love most about books. We then send out a monthly book choice to any address in the UK (other destinations available on request).

Prices start at £75 for 6 months, or £150 for 12 months.