A History of the Rare & Second hand Book Trade in Britain in the 20th century

Edited by Giles Mandelbrote

(British Library and Oak Knoll Press, (£30)

What a painful pleasure is this history of the 20th-century British rare and second-hand book trade. There is not a page of illustrations which does not include someone I have known or shelves I have browsed. Over the past 50 years, I must have visited or had dealings with at least half the businesses mentioned, from street barrows to the halls of Quaritch, Maggs, Blackwell, Bayntun and Sotheran.

Giles Mandelbrote is a curator of British Collections at the British Library, where, he tells us in his blurb, 'much of his work is concerned with extending and strengthening the national collections by purchases from the antiquarian book trade'. He is a serious historian of the trade, and he knows whereof he edits. The book is presented in four sections, 'Buying: How the Trade acquired its Stock'; 'Selling: How the Trade Sold Books'; 'Creating Fashions and Changing Taste'; and 'Personalities: A Trade of Individualists'. Within each are chapters by lively writers drawn from across the bookish world, which offer much more than history and nostalgia - although there is plenty of both.

There is information on auctions, trade publications, the law and regulation and on making collections as well as sources and specialisations. Although London takes pride of place, the West Country, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their chapters. A niggle in this context is that the omission of James R. Abbey from the index could lead to confusion with Maj J. R. Abbey.

The book was commissioned by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association to celebrate its centenary. It does so admirably. Unlike many such celebrations, it is unafraid to discuss rings, forgeries and 'other doubtful bibliographical sophistications'. Marc Vaulbert de Chantilly's chapter 'Booksellers' Memoirs: The Truth about the Trade?' mines the seamier aspects judiciously and with wit.

It is a useful corrective to Helene Hanff's rosy 84, Charing Cross Road, a shop I also knew. I particularly relish the new sense he gives to 'position of underbidder'.

HUON MALLALIEU

Country Life, February 15^th 2007