Vintage Book Love

Antique Books: Discover Rare, Vintage and Decorative Books with a Story to Tell

The French are experts in many things, but their effortless way of displaying valuable treasures in flea markets and antique stores has always captivated me. While sourcing large architectural elements, French front doors, balconies and furniture throughout France, we invariably returned with smaller treasures too. Antique French books — whether complete sets or fascinating one-off volumes — were impossible to resist. Slowly, these rare and collectable pieces of history are finding their way into our online store.

 Antique books bring a time-worn informality to a sideboard or a room. They are pieces of history, filled with knowledge and craftsmanship of another era. Whether you are a seasoned collector, a lover of French literature, an artist seeking inspiration, or simply looking for a unique gift for a friend or for your home, antique books offer a unique connection to the past.

Mon Professeur, featuring gold-embossed leather bindings, maps, engravings and colourful chromolithographs.

One of the enduring appeals of vintage and antique books is their artistry. Hand-coloured illustrations, detailed engravings, decorative typography and leather bindings make these books highly sought after by collectors and interior stylists alike. Many rare books are valuable historical artefacts, while others are fascinating curiosities and wonderful conversation pieces.

Our current collection includes a diverse range of antique and vintage books, with a particular emphasis on French editions and beautifully illustrated reference works.

Among our collection is an original and well-worn French Hachette Atlas from the 1930s. Featuring more than 100 full-colour maps, statistics and historical references, this remarkable atlas provides a fascinating glimpse into world geography, history and economics before the 1940s. The detailed cartography and vibrant colours make it a fun collector's piece.

Francophiles will love our collection of vintage French novels and theatre volumes, including leather-bound editions from Larousse Mensure L'Illustration(1911–1919), the celebrated French illustrated magazine that documented literature, culture and current affairs from 1843 to 1944.

For those who appreciate classic library styling, we have two sets of English/Australian Encyclopedias. One is the New Universal Encyclopaedia (11 volumes). With black leather spines and gold lettering, these decorative books bring timeless character to a study, library or styled interior.

We also have a pale blue cloth-covered set of Newnes Pictorial Knowledge, a richly illustrated multi-volume encyclopaedia first published in the early twentieth century. Renowned for its photographic inserts and wide-ranging subjects, these vintage books remain as captivating today as when they were first published.

Whether you collect rare books, appreciate antique French literature, or simply love the beauty of decorative vintage books, enjoy having a browse of our ever-changing collection online.

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