Everyone involved in farming in Great Britain will have come across Landsmans. They ran a mobile bookshop which visited ag and hort colleges on their 'college round'. They had stands at the major agricultural shows. At some shows, like Smithfield, it was difficult to get near the stand for the number of customers. They also had a mail-order side with a comprehensive annual catalogue.
Landsmans was founded in the 1940s by Mrs Young, in her back bedroom. After the war she was joined by her cousin, Ken Stewart, who supplied the ex-RAF trucks which was the basis of their travelling units. Latterly the company was run by Ken's son, Peter, and Mrs Young's son, Keith.
Perhaps they should have seen the writing on the wall when milk quotas were introduced in the early 1980s. This was the sign that agricultural production for its own sake was no longer going to be supported. The number of agricultural students began to fall rapidly, and this was Landsmans' prime market. Their stock of horticultural, gardening and countryside books was also wide - but here they were competing against major high-street booksellers.
So, it was a sad moment today when we received notice of Landsmans' liquidation. The UK needs to have a specialised bookseller that is able to offer any agricultural title and able to give a customer personal advice on what is available. We no longer have one.
Update on the future of Landsmans - see blog 2 May
