We recently acquired a copy of the Blue Book, an evocative Jazz-Age catalogue for gamblers, grifters, and back-room gaming operations. This remarkable publication, like Sears & Roebuck for the Jazz-Age hustler, offers everything you could possibly need to trim a sucker in all popular games of chance or skill, lovingly described in considerable detail using language

In August of 1706, William Funnell, the First Mate on the ship St. George, landed in England after a three-year voyage around the world. Organised by Captain William Dampier, the goal of this privateering adventure was to plunder Spanish vessels and coastal towns, but Dampier’s poor leadership led to division, mutiny, and the ultimate failure of

Between the Reformation and the beginning of the 18th century, Europe endured two centuries of strife and bloodshed in the name of religion – riots, civil wars, and international conflicts, draconian religious laws, and the persecution and often execution of those viewed as heretics.  But another revolution was beginning, and the year 1723 saw the

Thursday 7th March marks the occasion of World Book Day 2013. And what better way to celebrate the day than by going back to where books make their greatest impact – school. We took a selection of rare and fascinating books to the pupils of Bousfield Primary School in Chelsea. Bousfield, which opened in 1956,

As both academics and the public grapple with the nature of books and the impact of digital media on our daily lives,  one of the issues at the forefront of the discussion is materiality. How is a book made and distributed, who buys it and how do they use it? How are its physical characteristics

Next year will be the 45th anniversary of our founding as booksellers in Chelsea, and as we look to the future we’re also mindful of our past. Pictured above is our very first catalogue, published in 1969 by Peter Harrington, the father of current proprietor Pom Harrington. Born in London in 1942, Peter was the

Collect what you love – the best book collections reflect the personalities and interests of their owners. With effort and a little luck the hobby can be financially rewarding, but like all investments it’s never a sure bet. Those who reap the greatest rewards are usually those who buy the books they love. Our books

With cycling undergoing a renaissance in Britain, it seems an appropriate moment to look back to the beginning of the sport and to what is perhaps the greatest bicycle manual ever written, Archibald Sharp’s Bicycles and Tricycles: An Elementary Treatise on their Design and Construction. The first pedal-powered, two-wheeled vehicle, the velocipede, was developed in

The first two decades of the 20th century have become known as the Golden Age of Illustration, when improvements in printing technology allowed publishers to produce lavish colour illustrations for the first time. Of all the artists who became famous in this period, by far the most popular was Arthur Rackham, who still maintains his

Peter Harrington is delighted to announce that the recently discovered presentation copy of Frankenstein, given to Lord Byron by its author Mary Shelley, has been sold for an undisclosed figure to a UK collector, with the assurance that the book will be made available for future public viewings and exhibitions in the UK. Since the book’s