Bookbindings and Book Collecting with David Pearson

How interested should collectors be in bookbindings? And why? Luxury bindings may be collectable as things of beauty, but we may prefer a Jane Austen first edition in contemporary paper-covered boards. Or we may not care about the covers as long as the text is there. All historic bindings can tell us things about our books, and we should always stop to think about what they can reveal. This illustrated talk will open up the stories of bookbindings and encourage a wider appreciation of their value. 

 David Pearson is the Editor of The Book Collector, has written extensively on bindings, and will draw particularly on his newly published Bookbindings: an illustrated history (Bodleian Library Publishing, 2026) to address his theme.

This event is part of Firsts: London's Rare Book Fair, and will take place in the Talks Space on the top floor of Saatchi Gallery.

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