Bookshop Blog

Banned Books: The Freedom to Read Shapero Rare Books

Banned Books: The Freedom to Read

‘A dangerous book will always be in danger from those it threatens with the demand that they question their assumptions. They’d rather hang on to the assumptions and ban the...

Literature

Banned Books: The Freedom to Read

‘A dangerous book will always be in danger from those it threatens with the demand that they question their assumptions. They’d rather hang on to the assumptions and ban the...

Ralph Steadman - a brush with surrealism Shapero Rare Books

Ralph Steadman - a brush with surrealism

RM Healey illuminates the life, work, and curious book collection of Ralph Steadman.

Literature

Ralph Steadman - a brush with surrealism

RM Healey illuminates the life, work, and curious book collection of Ralph Steadman.

Cosway Bindings - Search for a Star Shapero Rare Books

Cosway Bindings - Search for a Star

More than 100 years after their invention, Cosway Bindings are just as desirable but harder to track down. Stephen Ratcliffe leads the hunt for these 20th century masterpieces.

Cosway Bindings - Search for a Star

More than 100 years after their invention, Cosway Bindings are just as desirable but harder to track down. Stephen Ratcliffe leads the hunt for these 20th century masterpieces.

Shiver me Timbers! Rare Pirate & Corsair Books Shapero Rare Books

Shiver me Timbers! Rare Pirate & Corsair Books

Sara Waterson slices through the cut-throat stories from the earliest pirate books of the 17th century to the blockbuster movies of today.  

Travel

Shiver me Timbers! Rare Pirate & Corsair Books

Sara Waterson slices through the cut-throat stories from the earliest pirate books of the 17th century to the blockbuster movies of today.  

Stargazers Saviours - Science Fiction Rare Books Shapero Rare Books

Stargazers Saviours - Science Fiction Rare Books

Steven Ericson reveals that the whole universe of science fiction lies in the original pulp magazines.

Literature

Stargazers Saviours - Science Fiction Rare Books

Steven Ericson reveals that the whole universe of science fiction lies in the original pulp magazines.

Millicent Fawcett inspires the first female statue in Parliament Square Shapero Rare Books

Millicent Fawcett inspires the first female sta...

To mark the centenary of women's suffrage in Britain the first statue of a woman has today been unveiled in London's Parliament Square. Splendidly rendered in bronze by sculptor Gillian...

Literature

Millicent Fawcett inspires the first female sta...

To mark the centenary of women's suffrage in Britain the first statue of a woman has today been unveiled in London's Parliament Square. Splendidly rendered in bronze by sculptor Gillian...

John Mortimer - Paradise Postponed Shapero Rare Books

John Mortimer - Paradise Postponed

In honour of the famous creator of Rumpole of the Bailey, born on this day in 1923, we republish in full for the first time the interview with Sir John...

Literature

John Mortimer - Paradise Postponed

In honour of the famous creator of Rumpole of the Bailey, born on this day in 1923, we republish in full for the first time the interview with Sir John...

Manuscripts Don't Burn Shapero Rare Books

Manuscripts Don't Burn

Writers were to varying extents bound to the Marxist-Leninist cause throughout the Soviet period, overseen by the stifling Union of Soviet Writers and Goskomizdat (State Committee for Publishing Houses, Printing...

Literature

Manuscripts Don't Burn

Writers were to varying extents bound to the Marxist-Leninist cause throughout the Soviet period, overseen by the stifling Union of Soviet Writers and Goskomizdat (State Committee for Publishing Houses, Printing...

Total Eclipse of the Sun 1878 Shapero Rare Books

Total Eclipse of the Sun 1878

The solar eclipse on the 21 August 2017 was the first of its kind over the United States of America for almost 100 years and a major astronomic event that...

Total Eclipse of the Sun 1878

The solar eclipse on the 21 August 2017 was the first of its kind over the United States of America for almost 100 years and a major astronomic event that...

Retracing the Footsteps of 19th Century Explorers in Africa Shapero Rare Books

Retracing the Footsteps of 19th Century Explore...

Guest Blog Post by Entomologist Hitoshi Takano The great natural history museum collections have at their foundation, specimens collected by 19th century explorers. To look through these collections is to...

Travel

Retracing the Footsteps of 19th Century Explore...

Guest Blog Post by Entomologist Hitoshi Takano The great natural history museum collections have at their foundation, specimens collected by 19th century explorers. To look through these collections is to...

Photography: Eternal cities Shapero Rare Books

Photography: Eternal cities

Incredible photos from over 100 years ago show how much our lives have changed. It is interesting that spectacular advancements have been made in technology, science and architecture but many...

Travel

Photography: Eternal cities

Incredible photos from over 100 years ago show how much our lives have changed. It is interesting that spectacular advancements have been made in technology, science and architecture but many...

The Beauty of Maps Shapero Rare Books

The Beauty of Maps

A voyage around the history of cartography takes in sea monsters, newly charted territories and allegorical figures from myth & legend, designed for accuracy but often conveying a surprising beauty....

Travel

The Beauty of Maps

A voyage around the history of cartography takes in sea monsters, newly charted territories and allegorical figures from myth & legend, designed for accuracy but often conveying a surprising beauty....

Turkish Delight: the Ottoman World Observed Shapero Rare Books

Turkish Delight: the Ottoman World Observed

Coinciding with the launch of our Ottoman World catalogue, we asked Dr Philip Mansel, a fellow of the Institute of Historical Research, to give a talk at our bookshop. On...

Travel

Turkish Delight: the Ottoman World Observed

Coinciding with the launch of our Ottoman World catalogue, we asked Dr Philip Mansel, a fellow of the Institute of Historical Research, to give a talk at our bookshop. On...

Topical Books to Read (and Collect) in 2017 Shapero Rare Books

Topical Books to Read (and Collect) in 2017

VisitEngland has declared 2017 the 'Year of Literary Heroes'. See below for the titles and authors charting some of the year's most significant literary moments. All books featured are one-off...

Guides

Topical Books to Read (and Collect) in 2017

VisitEngland has declared 2017 the 'Year of Literary Heroes'. See below for the titles and authors charting some of the year's most significant literary moments. All books featured are one-off...

The Greatest Polar Exploration Adventure Shapero Rare Books

The Greatest Polar Exploration Adventure

Lines in the Ice: Marginalia My recent talk at Shapero Rare Books gave me the opportunity to spend some time browsing catalogues and, most excitingly, shelves while I waited for...

Travel

The Greatest Polar Exploration Adventure

Lines in the Ice: Marginalia My recent talk at Shapero Rare Books gave me the opportunity to spend some time browsing catalogues and, most excitingly, shelves while I waited for...