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Co-owner of Hudderfield's Children's Bookshop Barry Benster has passed away at the age of 84, following an illness.
A long-serving bookseller and stalwart member of the Booksellers' Association (BA), he opened the shop in 1975 with his wife Sonia Benster.
"He was the quiet backbone of the original Huddersfield Children’s Bookshop," Sonia Benster told The Bookseller. "Always friendly, kind and interested in all aspects of the book trade, he was also astute, recognised the wider picture and believed giving books a good home was of paramount importance. Sometimes more book collector than bookseller, he nevertheless struck a chord with many in the trade and was duly elected to the BA Council twice."
She added: "Despite a cruel and unrelenting illness, which as a doctor he fully understood, to the end he retained his humour, dignity and, of course, his love of books."