William Nicholson, Bookplate for the publisher William Heinemann, Woodcut, 1897

I plan to conduct a series of Biblio File interviews exclusively for subscribers to The Book Hunter Press’s database of Used Bookstores & Reviews. Each will feature conversations with experts on the histories of these (and other) British publishers (taken from First Editions of Today published by Elkin Mathews in 1928). If you, or anyone you know, are such an expert, please do contact me. 

Thanks.

(The ‘&’ key hasn’t seen such action in years):

Oak Knoll Books – specialists in books on books – was founded in 1976 by Bob Fleck, a chemical engineer by training, who let his hobby get the best of him. Oak Knoll Press, the publishing arm of the business was established two years later.

Today, the thriving company maintains an inventory of about 23,000 titles. Specialities include books about bibliography, book collecting, book design, book illustration, book selling, bookbinding, bookplates, children’s books, Delaware books, fine press books, forgery, graphic arts, libraries, literary criticism, marbling, papermaking, printing history, publishing, typography & type specimens, and writing & calligraphy – plus books about the history of all of these fields.

I met  with Bob recently to talk about the story of his company, about his love of books, of A. Edward Newton, of traveling the globe to meet fellow bibliophiles, of visiting used bookstores, and of the plan Bob has to partner with Between the Covers, The Kelmscott Bookshop, and The Old Bookshop of Bordentown,  to convert the second story of his existing premises into a new store called The Bookshop in Old New Castle. Grand Opening: May 1 (Click here to see a slide-show of the remodeling process). Please listen here:

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