barbaraRare and Antique Books at the London International Book Fair Last weekend (27 & 28 May), Rare and Antique Books exhibited at the PBFA London International Book Fair – ILEC Conference Centre. These are our highlights of what was a successful two days. Firstly it’s fair to say that, as booksellers, book selling is what … Read more
Starting off a book collection. A question often asked is “Where do I begin with book collecting?” There is no straightforward answer but firstly you have to love what you collect! Starting off a book collection begins with finding an area of interest and keeping focused – it is very easy to get distracted with … Read more
The unique Jean de Brunhoff One of the most beloved characters in children’s literature is Babar the Elephant. Created from bedtime stories that his wife used to soothe an ill son, Jean de Brunhoff went on to write and illustrate six books which have delighted children since their publication in the 1930s. Brunhoff managed to convey important … Read more
Kipling’s Original Jungle Book The release of a new film about The Jungle Book has generated a good deal of interest in Rudyard Kipling’s tales of the jungle and allows an opportunity to reflect on the original story and influences behind this classic tale. Inspiration: It seems as if becoming a father inspired Kipling to write … Read more
What makes a rare book? A question that is often asked. Why do some books sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds, while others are valued for pennies? Does that box in the attic contain collectable books that are worth anything? Firstly, from a book collectors point of view a rare book has to be … Read more
The First Treasure Island Illustrations The thought of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island conjures up images of pirates and buccaneers of the sea. You would imagine that illustrations would be an essential addition to entertain readers of the book. In fact, the first publication of the story of Treasure Island contained only one illustration. This was … Read more
The Charm of the Little Dumpy Book It was idea of the publisher, Grant Richards, to produce small, pocket sized books for children. The tiny size and uniform covers of a little Dumpy book contain charming stories and poems, each one a little different. One of the most well known publications, “The Story of Little … Read more
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: Ian Fleming’s venture into children’s literature It is well known that Ian Fleming was the author of the action packed adventures of the 007 spy, James Bond. Yet Ian Fleming also turned his hand to writing the children’s adventure story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: the tale about the magical car and … Read more
Harper Lee’s First Editions of To Kill A Mocking Bird The recent death of Harper Lee on February 19th brings the classic American novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird, to attention. The novel handles issues of race and bigotry in the American South and remains on school reading list to this day. Collecting a first edition of … Read more
The First Editions of The Nursery Alice Alice in Wonderland is traditionally thought of as a children’s book (although many adults secretly read it!). Yet it’s original appeal was not to the younger aged child. Maybe Lewis Carroll thought to amend this after seeing the 1874 Dutch simplified copy of Alice in Wonderland. He subsequently … Read more
We have a varied collection of rare and antique books -many are signed or limited editions. We offer free international delivery.