Building a Rare Book Collection

Where we can help the book collector

Whether you have an advanced collection of an advanced collection of rare books, first editions - or whatever your chosen specialisation - or are buying your first rare book, deciding what to buy can seem daunting.

Some libraries are built on depth, the coverage of as many other aspects of one or many subjects as possible; but quantity is by no means the definition of a library - Jonathon Swift's library of books, at his death, comprised only 600 or so titles. Other collectors concentrate more particularly on quality, whether of edition, binding or association, and sheer rarity is yet another consideration which may be of interest to the collector of books.

In all our departments we consider our most important service to be the advice and information we can offer on the various aspects of book collecting and the building of a library. Whether you wish to embark on a long term project or build a library in a month, we can to put together tailor-made acquisition and purchasing packages to suit you.

Each department will be happy to talk to you about your interests, and to recommend volumes at all levels. Please click the "Departments" tab on the left and select a department, or click here to contact us by email.