I started a blog of this name in 2006, which turned into a monthly column in Book and Magazine Collector. As the name suggests it was written to encourage book-lovers to take a different approach to building up a collection. There are millions of old books out there, and many are far more interesting than the same old titles and themes trotted out by established authorities like… well, Book and Magazine Collector, for one.
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A Book About Brighton’s Dyke Road Museum, 1876.
23rd April 2026I bought this book recently from a house in Patcham, Brighton. I have had it before, and sold it, so I was particularly pleased to find another copy. It is by E. T. Booth and is ‘A Catalogue of the…
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From Lewes To Littlehampton – With Tent And Boat!
12th March 2026Here’s a photograph album from 1904. It records what looks like An Awfully Big Adventure: the hand painted title reads ‘With Tent & Boat From Lewes to Littlehampton.’ The journey was made in September 1904 but unfortunately there are no…
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Maps old and new – from Sussex to Cambridgefhire
19th February 2026Here’s a very brief post to say that our next book fair is in Cambridge – tomorrow, the 20th February. Last week we were in Tunbridge Wells and I have been so busy I have not had a lot of…
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Shelf Improvement: A Talk about Book Collecting.
4th February 2026I have just taken part in a talk titled ‘Shelf Improvement.’ The title says it all: it was aimed at young book collectors who wanted to win a prize for their book collection. It was a joint venture between The…
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Buying Books in Brighton and Hove, Actually…
20th January 2026The new year is here and I am already buying old books. My first two house calls were in Hove, very close to home in Brighton. I bought a large and expensive collection of travel books in one house and…