RICHARD Booth, founding father of the world-wide ''booktown'' movement, officially opened Booth's Books in Lowmains Street, Dalmellington, yesterday.
It is the only branch outside Hay-on-Wye - the Welsh border town he rescued from economic decay 21 years ago and turned into a mecca for bibliophiles.
Invited to join a panel of judges charged with designating a Scottish booktown, Booth baulked at the task: he claims he was lobbied to back Wigton - the official choice launched last Saturday. ''I felt there should have a dozen Scottish booktowns but I discovered there was to be only one. We're much better off without the advice of quangos.''
In any event Booth maintains Dalmellington has more of what it takes - a strong community which has spruced up the town; a profusion of vacant properties; and a useful point on the map for Glasgow and Ayr.
Then there's the historic angle. Booth explains: ''I live in Powys where the sixth-century Welsh poet Taliesin was born. But he died in Glasgow. Also, Alpin, first king of Scotland, was buried near Dalmellington in 843AD. It's a very romantic place.''
Let no-one doubt the man's instincts. At 60 and having survived a brain tumour, he has knowledge of the second-hand book business and a capacity for buying - half-a-million volumes per annum - which is second to none.
David Swinscoe, formerly responsible for 50,000 books at Booth's massive shop in Hay-on-Wye (with a total stock of 350,000) has been drafted in to manage the Dalmellington branch.
''If Richard's a success so is everyone else,'' he enthuses. ''Dealers watch and then they follow. I've got 10,000 books here already and we're expecting a 40ft container load of 30,000 more from the USA.''
It is Booth's unrivalled knowledge of the US market which could give Dalmellington the edge. The American consignment is to include 1000 books on Scottish medieval history plus a substantial collection of books in the Norwegian language from the Scandinavian enclave in Minnesota. The Mayor of Fjerland, the leading Norwegian booktown, has promised an official visit.
Booth's vision for Dalmellington includes the prospect of 100 more bookshops before too long.
''Booktowns depend on books,'' he says. ''Prosperity depends on gold mines not gold miners.''
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