Alembic Blog

Free Tickets to the Olympia Book Fair

We're very pleased to announce that we're exhibiting for the first time at one of the world's great book fairs, the ABA London International Antiquarian Book Fair at Olympia, June 1st-3rd, on stand F07. This is the perfect opportunity to have a look at our stock in person. If there's something you like on our website just let us know and we'll be happy to bring it along. The graphic above is a ticket for free entry - just show it on your phone at the door or print it out. 

Olympia is one of the largest and longest-running rare book shows in the world, and all 150+ exhibitors are fully-vetted members of the ABA and ILAB. There will be an incredible variety of books, maps, prints, ephemera, art, and manuscripts for sale, and it's an excellent opportunity for new collectors to meet dealers and learn about books. There is also an excellent line-up of guided tours and hands-on workshops. We hope to see you there!

An Exciting Announcement - We Are Now ABA Members

I'm very proud to announce that I have been elected an associate member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association.

The ABA is the senior trade body for dealers in rare books in the British Isles, and is the oldest organisation of its kind in the world. Members are elected solely on the basis of proven experience, expertise and integrity, and we observe the highest professional and ethical standards.

The ABA also organises book fairs, and now that I'm a member I will be exhibiting at Olympia and Chelsea, two of the most important rare book shows in Britain.

But more than just a trade body, the ABA and its sister organisations around the world are also like a family. It's been nearly three years since I set out on my own as a bookseller, and over that time my colleagues have been incredibly generous with support and advice. I wouldn't be where I am today without their encouragement, and I hope that over the coming years I can give back to this wonderful community.

Carriages Without Horses Shall Go: One of the First Books About Cars

There's no question that automobiles were one of the most transformative technologies of the 20th century, and the rise of autonomous vehicles will continue that tradition of innovation. But in the 1890s cars were little more than a novelty, and few were prescient enough to predict the automotive revolution. One who did was the British engineer Alfred Robert Sennett, whose book "Carriages Without Horses Shall Go" was one of the first books on automobiles. 

The Bloomsbury Christmas Book Fair

To Miss Whitbread from Her Friend & Admirer: A Regency-Era Trigonometry Presentation

Today we continue our series of Ada Lovelace Day posts with this superb Regency-Era book on trigonometry that was finely bound and inscribed from the author to a young woman named Elizabeth Whitbread in 1810.

Victorian Women & STEM Education: A Prize Book Awarded by the Edinburgh Ladies' Educational Association

Tomorrow is Ada Lovelace Day, when we celebrate women in the sciences, so over the next few days I'll be highlighting recent acquisitions that show the long history of women's engagement with STEM subjects. The first is a copy of John Herschel's Outlines of Astronomy that's directly connected to the Victorian movement for women's higher education.

Victorian Machines & Manufacturing: The Boy's Book of Industrial Information

Doodling in Your Math Book: An 18th-Century Arithmetic Manuscript

One of our recent acquisitions is a delightful 18th-century math workbook that shows how little things have changed as far as doodling during your lessons goes.

A Brand New Book Fair: INK London

Our First Book Fair