Who are we?

James Paul Rare Books was born on Rupert Street, Soho, London in about 1990 or thereabouts, as a direct response to being thrown out of the bookmaking business. It’s not on the face of it an obvious move, but as any of you who has mixed regularly with bookdealers knows, the two worlds are not so far apart.

Thirty six years later the business is a little more diverse and more genteel. Too old and wise to carry crates of books, our stock is now a mix of books, letters, manuscripts prints, drawings, photographs and larger archives, and generally in the areas of art, music, modernism, travel and foreign languages, and we like to think, bought with a little more discrimination. We are members of the PBFA and exhibit at all the big PBFA fairs in London, York, Bath and Oxford, and sell to and have ongoing relationships with universities, libraries and museum in the UK, USA and Australia. Home is in Firle just outside Lewes, just down the road from Charleston, home away from home to the Bloomsbury set. Virginia Woolf once lived in the village, Duncan Grant raised hell in the pub, and indeed we’re still a village of artists and writers, and hell is still occasionally raised in the pub.

Buying from us

If you find something appealing and want to make a purchase from us, please do get in touch to discuss any unmentioned details and to confirm postage costs. Please note that purchases are confirmed only when we send confirmation of an order. Prices are non-negotiable, outside extraordinary circumstances. Payment is in advance, although Institutions may be invoiced. Payment is via bank transfer, cheque or Paypal. All purchases are professionally packed for safe delivery, all by tracked an insured postage. International customers pay all customs and local taxes. Again, if you have any questions about international postage, please do speak to us before you order.

We aim to describe items accurately. However if you are in any way unhappy with your purchase we refund in full on items returned in ‘as sold’ condition within 14 days. Unless our description proves inaccurate, the buyer pays postage in both directions. Our liability is capped at the amount paid for the item