Something for Everyone
There are rare and vintage books covering a variety of interests, including original works on travel, fashion, architecture, gardening, naval history, sports, autobiographies, fiction and so on. The choice is endless…
101 Dalmatians
Happy Memories
People like to own rare copies of books which mean something to them. It may be books which were read aloud to them when they were a child or books they read themselves, books they studied at school or university or books they read at particular moments in their life. The gift of a special first edition can bring back happy memories for the recipient.
Display Proudly on a Bookshelf
Many original books have beautiful covers and dust jackets which look fantastic when displayed on book shelves. Library sets published a hundred years ago can look particularly impressive in both traditional studies and in contemporary settings.
Beautiful and Unusual Covers
Bespoke binderies such as The Chelsea Bindery use traditional methods to create fine bindings for rare books. These include a first edition of Breakfast at Tiffany’s which has been hand bound in deep rose leather with the iconic silhouette of Audrey Hepburn on the front wearing the Givenchy little black dress. There is also a stunning first edition of One Hundred and One Dalmatians bound in white leather with black onlays, to imitate Dalmatian’s coat.
Fascinating Inscriptions
Part of the fun of collecting original books is coming across those inscribed by the author, connecting you to the history of the item in a unique way. For example, several books inscribed by A.A. Milne to his son Christopher Robin show touchingly the use of private nicknames in their family: Christopher Robin had called himself ‘Billy Moon’ from a young age and many books inscribed to him by his father are addressed to ‘Moon’. While Milne himself was always ‘Blue’ on account of his extraordinarily blue eyes.
Heirlooms
Rare books make for wonderful heirlooms that can be passed from generation to generation, gathering their own history unique to your family along the way.
Guarantee
Peter Harrington is a member of the Antiquarian Book Association, which ensures that all rare books are guaranteed to be authentic and genuine.
Own a piece of history
Rare books can often encapsulate a bit of history and have stories attached to them. For example, Peter Harrington currently has a copy of Evelyn Waugh’s Helena which belonged to Graham Greene, and is inscribed from Waugh to Green. Similarly, they have a copy of Winston Churchill’s Arms and the Covenant, inscribed by Churchill to his private secretary Edward Marsh. Marsh was Churchill’s right hand for twenty three years.
New Hobby
Rare book shops are fascinating and beautiful places and when you visit to browse or buy a book you may realise you have discovered a new hobby.
Investment
While collectors are always advised to choose books based on their personal interest and passion, rare and first edition books have been proved to increase in value over the years, and have often shown themselves to be a sound financial investment.
www.peterharrington.co.uk
October 2017
Tagged in Books