Bibliophiles flock to fiftieth York National Book Fair

The York National Book Fair saw 178 exhibitors set up their stands on the ground floor and upper levels of York Racecourse’s Knavesmire Suite, to offer signed copies, first editions, and rare items of all kinds to collectors, readers, and fellow dealers.

One of the event’s high-value items, sold by Jonkers Rare Books, was a copy of an edition, featuring 40 watercolour plates by Arthur Rackham, of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Christiaan Jonkers, of Jonkers Rare Books, holding a copy of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream featuring artwork by Arthur Rackham. This particular copy, with its additional sketch by Rackham, was valued at £3,500 at the fair (Image: Supplied)

What gave this particular copy its £3,500 price tag was the one-of-a-kind pen and ink illustration on the inside front end paper.

Drawn by Rackham, it depicts the amateurish actor Bottom with an ass’s head alongside the fairy, Puck, who can only shrug at his predicament.

Rackham's playful illustration on the inside front end paper depicts Bottom with an ass's head alongside Puck the fairy (Image: Supplied)

Christiaan Jonkers, of Jonkers Rare Books, said: “We’ve been doing this fair for thirty years or so and so it’s always a very good fair for us.

“We come here primarily to try and buy books from the other booksellers that we have customers for at home.”

Elsewhere, Michael Compton and Ros Stinton of The Idle Booksellers, based in Idle, Bradford, had seen particular interest in their books about cookery and food history.

“They’ve been very popular,” said Mr Compton.

Showcasing one Collection of above Three Hundred Receipts in Cookery, Physick, and Surgery,  Mr Compton turned the pages – printed in 1734 – to recipes (or “receipts,” as the word then apparently was) for hogs-pudding, “very good” liver-pudding, tansy, and even a cordial black-cherry-water.

Also featured in The Idle Booksellers’ stock were books on York, including a collection of York city records; a book on Olympic sports in York; a Pevsner architectural guide; and a one-volume edition of the Mystery Plays.

The Idle Booksellers' stock at the fair included a range of books about York (Image: Supplied)

The York National Book Fair is part of the Provincial Booksellers’ Fairs Association.

The countrywide network of fairs was founded by bookseller Gerry Mosdell in October 1974, following the first York Book Fair.

A special PBFA York One Day Book Fair will take place, again at the Knavesmire Suite at York Racecourse, on Saturday, January 11 2025.