During the 1960s, Hay-on-Wye resembled many towns which dot the countryside in England and Wales: Population hovering at about one thousand, quaint brick homes, small shops--Hay sits near the English border, nestled on the leeward side of the Black Mountains, on a bend of the Wye river at the northern peak of Brecon Beacons National Park. Also like many towns who have seen their prime come and go, Hay was in a state of decline, and revitalization for this little market town did not seem likely. But Richard Booth, who had come to Hay-on-Wye in 1961, decided that there was potential here. He purchased the ruined Norman castle and on April 1, 1977, declared Hay-on-Wye's independence from the United Kingdom--and crowned himself the emperor-king.
The move generated a great deal of publicity. Booth believed that the central government has little interest in helping to revitalize the town's economy, and felt that making it an "independent nation" would help uplift the town's spirit--and as for uplifting the town's economy, he declared Hay-on-Wye to be "booktown."
Being a good four-hour drive from London, Hay- on-Wye was an unlikely candidate for becoming Britain's most famous literary center. But in the 21 years since "independence" Hay-on-Wye has indeed, become a renowned booktown, with Richard Booth, alias King Richard, as its founding father. Hay-on-Wye is once again a flourishing lively town, and the booktown movement has spread internationally to other towns across Europe.
Today there are 25 dealers resident in the town, operating over 30 retail outlets. Second hand books is the name of the game, and their combined stock is well over one million volumes. The Old Cinema , which opened on the premises of a former movie theater, is by far the largest in town, housing about 200,000 volumes covering a wide variety of subjects. This is where booktown began, where Richard Booth started a tiny secondhand bookshop in the early 1960s, and now is considered one of the largest in the world.
