Until today.

After finally finding out of how to make book barcodes (for aMap), and buying the software to create them, I then discovered that there are two types of barcode, and wasn’t quite sure which one to use.

Given that we’re surrounded by bookshops on the Charing Cross Road I thought it would be a good idea to pop along to one of them and ask them which was the correct barcode to use for books.

Having been initially failed by the sales desk lady at Foyles, I headed across the road to the Soho Bookshop (one of the last independent bookshops in Soho – which sells mainstream books on one level, and then has a porn section in the basement). The sales lady in the Soho Bookshop didn’t know anything about barcodes, but said her manager might – who worked in the basement (obviously).  So I boldly descended into the basement, passed walls of porn mags and a carefully constructed butt-plug display, to find the manager standing at the sales desk.  Carefully putting my example barcodes on the till desk – adorned by a montage of giant cocks and the like – I explained my barcode dilemma to discover he knew nothing about barcodes (again)- but that if I wanted a porno, they had a great 2-4-1 offer . . .

So emerging from the basement barcode in hand (and porn free), I headed over to Borders to see if they knew their barcodes.  And thankfully they did.  Without a cock or butt-plug in sight, the nice Borders lady advised me on which was the correct barcode for books – which was a relief.