If you have missed Rivers, with Griff Rhys Jones, you can catch it with BBC iPlayer.
Alternatively you can come and watch the man himself at Abingdon Guildhall on Thursday 13th August. Tickets are £5 from Mostly Books. They are redeemable against the price of the book.
Meanwhile, three days before, The Bookstore are co-hosting an evening with Simon King at the Cornerstone Art Centre in Didcot. However do the 2 Abingdon Independent Book Shops do it?
Re your last question, they (and a few other shops) do it by investing an enormous amount of energy and commitment into positive activities – rather than either fatalistically bemoaning the decline of the town or using all their energy to complain about what others aren't doing! Keep up the good work guys – and we'll keep supporting you.
Rant over – better make this an anonymous message!