Never found at Waterstones...

I can walk into Waterstones in any corner of the blessed isle, and never be satisfied. A vaccuum between, at one end of the scale, Penguin classics and the latest chick-lit at the other. They say books should not be judged by their covers... yet in Waterstones, this is the evident parade. There must be some kind of Marketing science to a Waterstones book display, where paperbacks with enticing covers lie side-by-side, innocent like newborns.

In France, Editions Gallimard are in a standardised white, cream with a red motif and title, and this is an instant symbol of quality. Attention is drawn not to a tell-tale jacket, but to the prospect of a miraculous text...

Anyhow, a short list of books that often aren't in Waterstones (and should be):

Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau
The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon
Incomparable World by S.I. Martin
Eau de Cafe by Raphael Confiant