84 Charing Cross Road is a book by Helene Hanff following two decades of correspondences between the author and Frank Doel, who worked at a rare bookseller in London. Unable to find certain rare books in New York, Hanff contacted Doel in 1949. Over the years, they became long-distance friends, sending packages and letters to one another. Their correspondences concern everything from recipes to sports to the British royal family. Doel died in 1968 before Hanff could ever meet him in person.