United Kingdom
LCN has received requests from two different readers for information on a book published in 2006 called The Achille Serre Story. Achille Serre was a Parisian ribbon dyer who came to England with his wife Eugenie in 1870 and started a company here. In 1876 the company switched to dyeing clothes and the new technology of cleaning with solvents and introduced the term "dry cleaning" in England. At its peak, Achille Serre was present on 400 main streets in England before its decline in the 1960s.
One reader wrote to LCN: “In 2006 there was a book review on“ The Achille Serre Story ”by Roy Brazier on your website (http://www.laundryandcleaningnews.com/features/featurethe-achille-serre-story/). I've tried different book finder websites but it's too specialized for them. I know this was a long time ago but do you know how to find a copy that is for sale? Two of my aunts and my mother all worked in different West End branches of Achille Serre in the 1930s – as did the author Roy Brazier in the 1940s to 1966. "
FIRE HAZARD: The illustration shows a female member of the Achille Serre Fire Brigade in London in 1925
Another interested reader, also with a family history in the company, wrote: “Achille Serre appeared to have developed the soap and water component in dry cleaning and named the process. The entire industry seems to have sprung up with little documentation, so it would be fascinating to see a book written by an author of the creators. I think the purification of the mind (there must have been many fires) came before Achilles, but they did it. "
We got Howard & # 39; s Way author Howard Bradley on the fragrance, but he was also out of luck and reported, “I just did what you most likely did, and that's an internet search. Amazon, Ebay, rare booksellers, even Oxfam and Age Concern who have proper online book sales in their specialist bookstores. Everything I found except for a few model transporters made as Achille Serre delivery vehicles and two very rare Achille Serre enamel signs that were already auctioned off at a high old price. I can only suggest that your inquirer save their internet research so that they can be notified in good time when a copy of the book is available for sale. "
LCN editor Kathy Bowry commented, "I turned off the closet after the first request, but we don't have any copies. I've also tried the Worshipful Company of Launderers and the Guild of Cleaners and Launderers, but to no avail. If someone got a copy of the book or knows where to pick one up, please contact kathy.bowry@laundryandcleaningnews.com and I will pass the details on to interested parties. "
