Crime and the London Rare Book Trade 1890 - 1930

Join an evening talk by Dr Laura Cleaver - exploring London life, book trade workings, and views on rare books through crime stories.

Discover how early 1900s fiction detectives and real cases reveal London life, book trade workings, and views on rare books through crime stories.

In the first decades of the twentieth century London was at the heart of a booming international trade in rare books. This specialist trade was referenced in popular crime novels: the detective Lord Peter Wimsey was a collector, and a short story published for Christmas in 1920 saw Sherlock Holmes investigating a crime involving a unique copy of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. At the same time, real rare and valuable books were targets for thieves, and provided opportunities for fraud and collusion within the book trade. Court records and newspaper reports provide remarkable insights into the workings of the trade and the activities of some of its members, from books snatched opportunistically from shops to elaborate deceptions.

Dr Laura Cleaver will explore how crimes related to the rare book trade, including theft and fraud, shed light on the lives of Londoners and the development of ideas about rare books and book collecting.

What to expect?

Before the talk, you'll have the opportunity to browse a selection of original archival material, and after the talk there will be a Q&A session.

• 5.30pm - Document Viewing
• 6pm - Talk by Dr Laura Cleaver
• 6.45pm - Q&As
• 7pm - Event ends & Building closes