If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

“From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay home.”

On the 23^rd of March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a speech telling the nation it was time to pull together, do the right thing, and stay home. That is exactly what the majority did, working from home and only leaving for essentials or for a once-a-day outdoor exercise break. Society contracted in an unprecedented way and our lives suddenly revolved around our homes.

In the weeks before lockdown British people began stockpiling, and it was not just jumbo packets of toilet rolls flying off the shelves. People were buying books. Continue reading →