Selling books in central Johannesburg, Griffin can talk with authority about a reading culture beyond the suburbs. About readers who would never set foot in a mall, booksellers who sell 400 books a month from a pavement stall, and a book club in Orange Farm where they read the latest Pulitzer Prize winners.

The name Bridge Books of course derives from the iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge, and that is the logo on the bookshop windows. The appropriateness of the name goes beyond its location. The shop is not just a retailer for customers, but a supplier for other, smaller, booksellers. They do not have the access to publishers, or discounts, enjoyed by formal booksellers. So Griffin bridges the gap. A gap which is more of a chasm, really.