Pradeep Sebastian on the joys of discovering and collecting fine books

As a typophile who had only recently discovered the pleasure and joy of a finely printed letterpress book, I was naturally in a hurry to pursue (if not always successfully acquire) beautiful examples of contemporary fine press books that appealed to me deeply.

Book hunting assiduously, I would often still end up arriving a little too late – the fine press party would be over, and the lights turned out. The edition had been so small – not more than 50 copies printed! – that the book had been snapped up, or sold out almost before publication. But sometimes my luck would hold, I’d get my timing right, and the bibliophile goddess would smile down on me.

One such fine bargain coup I managed – a true fine press rarity – was a book done in a tiny edition of just 31 copies, none for sale – yet I acquired it, and that too (in retrospect!) at a magical price. Titled Henry &, it was a fine press book no one had probably seen in the market until then, since it was…