Pages & Proofs

One of my favourite books has to A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines. It is also perhaps the saddest book I have read. It’s a brutal book about childhood in South Yorkshire and how things can change so quickly. Set in Barnsley, the story is about working class kid Billy Casper, who escapes […]

  You are looking at the Golden Cockerel edition of Zastrozzi: A Romance by Shelley from 1955. Bound in full leather with woodcut illustrations by Cecil Keeling. Only 200 copies were produced. The Golden Cockerel Press, adored by collectors of fine books, was an English private press that operated between 1920 and 1961. It specialised […]

The Irish author Maeve Binchy has died at 72 after a short illness, reports The Guardian. A former journalist for the Irish Times, her writing, which included short stories, often focused on life in Ireland. She wrote with humour and was drawn to family dynamics. On her website she wrote recently: “My health isn’t so good […]

I loved the madcap opening ceremony of 2012 Olympics. Danny Boyle’s extravaganza was full of bookish references. I loved the fact that J.K. Rowling read Peter Pan. I loved the fact that P.L. Travers’ most famous character was celebrated. I loved the giant Voldemort. I loved James Bond walking into Buckingham Palace. I watched the […]

Some rare books have found in a cupboard in a Scottish library, reports Scotland on Sunday. An 1827 illustrated 
edition of John Milton’s Paradise Lost – one of only 50 copies – was among the haul found by archivist Neil Dickson in Greenock’s Watt Library. The cupboard was hidden from view.  “I couldn’t believe my […]

What would be the perfect story to print on a duvet? Well, Sleeping Beauty, of course. I really wouldn’t fancy a Stephen King story. This duvet is available from Etsy for £65.

Rudyard Kipling had substantial eyebrows. See the great man speaking in 1933 on how the “educated classes” should behave.

Apparently, commercial entities are not allowed to mention the O******* during their promotional work due to copyright issues. So there is a really big sporting event that originated in Greece about to start in London and, to be topical, I have written a feature called A Literary Tour of London where I have showcased some […]

The longlist for the 2012 Man Booker Prize has been announced. As you can see Hilary Mantel is on the list with another dose of high-class historical fiction and has the chance of a second Booker victory after winning in 2009. Andre Brink at 77 is the eldest contender and the youngest is Ned Beauman […]

Our latest video is about unusual book bindings. As you all know, the binding is the outer covering of a book that protects it and holds together the pages. Over the years, many unusual materials have been used for bindings. You’ll see a few of them in this video. See more unusual book bindings at […]