Dorothy Whipple's work was one of the overarching themes of the weekend, not only because of the range and humanity of her writing, but also because of the sheer reading pleasure it gives. We have now published her eight novels, two volumes of her short stories, and two volumes of her memoirs. We hope that the many lively, appreciative discussions and conversations about her at the Festival were a fitting tribute.

The Persephone Festival created a temporary but powerful network of individual readers, and an opportunity to discuss shared literary passions. The three days of talks and conversations were a reminder of the range and importance of the 'domestic feminism' which underpins our list of 150 titles. (The article which explains this can be found and read online in the latest Persephone Biannually.) 

The Festival took place against the backdrop of the glorious architecture of Bath built with pale Bath stone which has weathered beautifully; this is The Circus (1754-69), designed by John Wood the Elder. Jane Austen lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806, but there are many more literary connections to be enjoyed here. Many Festival-goers followed the recently updated Persephone Map which details forty-seven writers who at some point lived in Bath.

Dotted around the Persephone Tea Room and the various Festival locations were examples of the textiles which feature on our endpapers (indeed, the endpapers themselves were subjects of several discussions). Domestic textiles are, to use a well-worn metaphor, woven into the fabric of Persephone Books, and this was an opportunity to examine them closely and to see, for example, the neat hand-stitching on the dress (above) which was used on the endpapers of Every Good Deed.

On the Post this week it's the Persephone Festival which we hope everyone who came to Bath enjoyed. The hub of the three days was the Persephone Tea Room at the Assembly Rooms where tea and cake and brief encounters with fellow readers were enjoyed between events. (A clip of the tea room scene at Milford Junction in Brief Encounter (1945) played on a loop in the background.)

Fashion City also considers the Swingin' Sixties and Seventies in the context of the hugely successful high street labels and names created by London's Jewish entrepreneurs. It features businesses such as Marks & Spencer, Moss Bros., Wallis, and Chelsea Girl (later River Island). This is the Manchester branch with its ultra-modern steel facade in 1971, which definitely made many older shoppers feel that It's Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty.

One of the fascinating elements of Fashion City is the number of stories of successful female clothes designers, makers, and businesswomen. Sophie Rabin was was born in Poland in 1902 and came to London in 1914. She used her skills and creativity to work as a bespoke dressmaker, and made cleverly constructed garments for herself, such as this evening dress with matching jacket from the early 1950s.