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The 2014 London International Antiquarian Book Fair at Olympia
For a couple of days every week I work for a large provincial antiquarian bookshop as a cataloguer and general helper. This is entirely separate from my running of Callum James Books which is why I...
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Judged by its cover: A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White
Here at Front Free Endpaper we do love a book with a good story behind it, and in this instance, a cover with a story behind it. This is Edmund White's classic and seminal story about growing up gay in...
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European Scouting Photographs: A Catalogue
It's new catalogue time again. Today I've put out a catalogue of over 40 photos from the genre sometimes referred to as Scoutisme: a mid twentieth century style of photography that was used...
View ArticleMaya Angelou (1928-2014)
This woman left an amazing legacy and a little bit of herself in my heart, not least because of this one poem which in its words and in her reading of them act upon the reader and make them a stand...
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Callum James Books Photographic Catalogues
The latest photographic catalogue of European scouting photographs was the third photography catalogues Callum James Books has issued. They have proved very popular and two of the three catalogues are...
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A Pattern of People by John O'Connor
I have a confession to make. Two weeks ago I didn't know who John O'Connor was. I probably should have done: a pupil of Ravilious and Nash, an illustrator of books and magazines with a fondness for...
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Eric Carle illustrates All About Arthur
Eric Carle is best known as the author and illustrator of that children's classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar but when I was browsing in the kind of bookshop where there are more books in boxes than...
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Vintage Photos: You Win Some You Lose Some
Well it's a fickle one the world of online auctions and you have those who live by the bid will die by the bid! ...or something like that. Two photos tonight, both of which I love. The top one arrived...
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More Albert Wainwright
Albert Wainwright continues apace on the Internet. Thank you to Padraig for the heads up that led me to a selection of his work on a Japanese blog, many of which I had never seen before. I'm sorry...
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Paul Klee by Insel-Bucherei
We've had the brilliant creations of German published Insel-Bucherei on the blog before and, possiblyl because R is currently in Berlin, my eye is being caught at the moment by all things German. And...
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Eugene Sandow Plastered!
Eugene Sandow, the man without whom (possibly) there would be no such thing as a gym to go to, has been an occasional visitor to this blog and Callum James Books even once reprinted an article about...
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Book Catalogues
The only thing I really collect these days for myself is bookseller's catalogues and bibliographical books where they coincide with my book interests. When you see me selling book catalogues it is only...
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Jo Brocklehurst Postcards
Jo Brocklehurst is not one of those names that springs immediately to the lips but a Google image search for her work and most people I would imagine, in the UK at least, will realise they have seen...
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New Publication from Callum James Books: The Last Weeks
It has been a little while since Callum James Books has issued a publication as I have been concentrating on sale catalogues of late, however, I'm delighted to be able to tell you about The Last...
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Vintage Photo: A Swimwear Tintype
I have a bit of a soft spot for tintype photos because, despite their somewhat limited tonal range they often have a must sharper focus and show more detail than other photos of the period. Plus, as...
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August Derleth Vintage Paperback Jackets
Every now and again, when I have a bundle of appropriate books, I like to have a mini-expo on Twitter of jacket or cover artwork that grabs me. Tonight's was from a bundle of vintage paperback...
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The British Library at Brighton Museum
Yesterday Russell and I went to Brighton. We do love the place for it's colour, food, antiques, queerness and as a general dose of culture on the south coast. The Brighton Museum is one of the best in...
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The Dark is Rising the Puffin Covers by Michael Heslop
The first two covers in this post were a feature of my childhood. The books lay around the house for many years. I read them both but don't remember much about them except a dark, atmospheric brooding...
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Unusual Vintage Family Photo
I don't often buy vintage photographs if they don't relate to my interest in vintage swimwear but I thought this one was just so charming and unusual that I had to really. A turn of the last century...
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Robert J Kirkpatrick and the Standard Work
A while ago I put up on Front Free Endpaper a selection of illustrations from the covers of catalogues by Robert Kirkpatrick, the doyen of all things 'boys fiction'. All of the experience and...
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