A Childhood Dream
These photographs are from an exhibition entitled The London Book Trade by Mike Tsang. The exhibition, currently showing at The Biblion Gallery in Mayfair, provides a unique insight into the mysterious and alluring world of London's rare book trade. Tsang sought to capture the character of the books and locations, as well as the traders who operate there, and I find the results quite simply amazing.
Whilst I have a love of literature, I also have a love for books, by which I mean the objects themselves. There is a beauty to be found amongst a collection of books, whether on the purely aesthetic level of a row of leather and cloth bound spines, or when considering the insightful compilation of voices and minds contained therein. I have never been able to bring myself to throw away a book, and indeed I try to treat them with the greatest of care. As such there is something about a career dealing with rare and old books which appeals to me on multiple levels.
I suppose I am drawn to antique books not only for the history they represent, but also out of a certain respect for them, as one would have for an elder. Something about these photographs, these rare glimpses into a world I can only dream of, speaks out not only to the bibliophile in me, but also the child. That child who stood there so full of wonder at the vast possibilities of the written word.
Currently playing: Etude Op. 10 No. 3 - Chopin
xxxx