Obituary: Elizabeth Haslam

Elizabeth Haslam, who with her husband, Charles "the Bookman" Haslam, was the second generation to run Haslam's in St. Petersburg, Florida, died on Saturday, July 14. She was 94.

After the Second World War, Elizabeth and Charles Haslam took over the store founded by his parents, John and Mary Haslam, in 1933. The store continues to be run by the third and fourth generations of Haslams, Elizabeth and Charles' daughter, Suzanne, and her husband, Ray Hinst, and their son and his family.

"Elizabeth Haslam will be missed," said Wanda Jewel, executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA). "She was a staunch supporter of the First Amendment, a fountain of information about bookselling in the South, an expert in children's bookselling, and a good friend to new booksellers."

One of those who benefited from the Haslams' guidance was Rhett Jackson, who opened The Happy Bookseller in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1975. Jackson, the winner of ABA's Lifetime Achievement Award, told BTW, "When we decided to open a bookstore many years ago, the couple people told me to see were the Haslams. Both Charlie and Elizabeth were very helpful. They'd been selling books a long time. They were just two wonderful booksellers and wonderful people."

Elizabeth and Charles Haslam, who died in 1983, built Haslam's into one of the largest bookstores in Florida. In addition to mentoring booksellers informally, Elizabeth Haslam taught at ABA Bookseller Schools for many years and contributed a chapter to the fourth edition of the association's A Manual of Bookselling. She ran book fairs at local schools for more than 25 years and conducted field trip tours of Florida's largest bookstore for elementary school classes.

Both Haslams were active in the American Booksellers Association; Charles Haslam was ABA president from 1978 to 1980. (Charles Haslam's contributions to the bookselling community were recognized by SIBA with the creation of the Charles Haslam Award for Excellence in Bookselling.)

Over the years, Haslam's moved four times to accommodate its ever-growing number of titles and customers. Today it covers 30,000 square feet and features more than 300,000 books.

Jackson said, "Both Charlie and Elizabeth really made an impact, not only on St. Petersburg, but on the whole bookselling industry."

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in Elizabeth Haslam's memory to the USF Foundation Haslam Scholarship Fund at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg. Ray Hinst noted that Elizabeth Haslam established the fund after Charles Haslam died in 1983. The family has now added her name to the award. For further information, donors are welcome to contact Hinst at the bookstore at (727) 822-8616 or [email protected]. --Karen Schechner