Not only are the staff of PUP’s European office fortunate enough to have an office right outside the grounds of Blenheim Palace, but since May 2008 we’ve had the excellent Woodstock Bookshop right across the road.

The building itself is reassuringly old and creaky, as all good bookshops should be, unlike the purpose-built industrial estate warehouses that typify the big chains these days. The interior is newly fitted to take full advantage of the limited floorspace, so with wall-to-wall books, there’s always something interesting on offer. The shop is rightly devoted to books rather than coffee and trinkets, and is so tiny that only one chair could be crammed into a corner for those who like to try before they buy.

The packed children’s section in the back occupies about a third of the shop, and the shop’s owner Rachael Phipps is as happy to dispense advice on kid’s titles as she is on Birdscapes and Hezbollah (both of which she’s placed in the window, presumably to keep the Press staff happy as we wait at the bus stop outside).

What I really like about this tiny bookshop, though, is the fact that there’s rarely more than one copy of any given book on the shelves. Browsing through the titles, you frequently feel as if you’ve spotted a rare gem, and – canny sales technique, this – I usually end up with a stack of books to take home because I can’t bear the feeling that I might be missing something brilliant. This is really where Rachael has the advantage over the giant bookshops in Oxford, where multiple copies will be heaped up all over the place on 3-for-2. And besides, if you really need a coffee, there’s always Blenheim Palace round the corner.