Beatrix Potter 8 July 1866 -December 22, 1943 2016 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, the writer and illustrator of books of the Peter Rabbit series books. Her 23 children’s books remain as popular today as when they were first published – Peter Rabbit has never been out of print since it’s … Read more
Rudyard Kipling A Very British Author Arguably one of the great 19th Century British authors is Rudyard Kipling. He was born in 1865 in Bombay, India to British parents. After an education at the United Services College, Bideford, England he returned to India pursue a career in writing. Kipling was an avid writer producing his first book, … Read more
Sherlock Holmes, the fictional detective with powerful observation and deductive qualities, is dramatised on the BBC television again over the festive period. The famous detective stories have stood the test of time and remain as popular today as they were when first published between 1887 and 1926 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. To own a … Read more
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens with illustrations by Arthur Rackham. The story of Scrooge is arguably one of the most famous stories that is retold over the festive period. Written by Charles Dickens, it was published just before the Christmas of 1984 and sold out immediately. The novel describes the wealthy miser, Scrooge, whose unsociable … Read more
Often the story behind a first edition is untold – how a novel ever reaches publication can be a story in itself! The Time Machine has an interesting start in life. The author’s, H. G. Wells, childhood was spent reading extensively yet he was only able to pursue his literary career in young adulthood. He had … Read more
Who needs a reason to read Babar books? One of the delights in dealing in children’s first edition books is having an legitimate reason to dip into the children’s literary world for a short while. Allowing time to relish the humour of a well written children’s story and enjoy the colourful and charming pictures is … Read more
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: The UK television of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has started with dramatic scenes of horror and intrigue. Holding the early edition book of this tale prompted a re look at the origins of the story and it’s publication. The plot recounts the investigation by a London lawyer into strange … Read more
Collecting Ian Fleming First Edition Books Fleming’s Bond books are perhaps the most popular and iconic thriller series ever produced. There remains some attraction in identifying with the character and his lifestyle – how many men don’t secretly desire to be Bond at least in some small way! The James Bond “product” has generated all … Read more
Five of the Best Books for Children Someone recently challenged Barbara Chalk, the proprietor of Rare & Antique Books, to choose five of the best books for children from the Rare and Antique booksite. This is what she had to say. Where do I start as I love them all! However, in the spirit of … Read more
Rare and Antique Books hold some of Tolkien’s most famous and rare first edition novels – the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These fantasy stories are not written purely from Tolkien’s imagination – here are some of the biographical and historical influences to his writing. The Impacts of War: Tolkien reluctantly enlisted into … Read more
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