The question all dealers try and answer. A tricky question – it is entirely subjective to each collector. To throw my ten cents in, and speaking from personal experience, to hold in your hands a first edition of say your favourite book is one of life’s great experiences. You are seeing the book as it was when it was first published as though through the eyes of the first readers. Before this, it only existed in the writer’s mind and now it is a physical object in one’s hand. A dream come true. Then one can go further: manuscripts, uncorrected proofs, inscribed copies, fine bindings…. The list is endless and once one gets the book bug (‘a gentle form of madness’ it was once described as), it is never-ending. Collecting is a lifelong pursuit and one of the most rewarding, although I might be biased there!

What book are you most proud to have sourced? 

There are many – I have been fortunate enough to handle some of the rarest works in the world. One that stands out would be a first edition of Dracula which was previously owned by Graham Greene. It was in my first-year trading as Bayliss Rare Books, having left the dealer I worked for in Mayfair. Funds at the time were tight as they usually are for new business owners, but I knew I had to have this book. I adore Dracula and Graham Greene so to have a first with such literary provenance was the high-water mark for me. Being rather trigger-happy at auction, I ended up spending most of the company funds on this book…. That night, my fiancée and I did our Christmas tree, and, in the pics, I am ashen! I think it had dawned on me I might have just bankrupted the business. Thankfully, I found a buyer for it and the book now lives a less anxious existence than it did when it was with me! A learning curve for sure but also it showed me to trust my gut and I knew that having this book would be great for Bayliss Rare Books.

How would you describe your personal style? What qualities do you look for in a piece of clothing?  

Having never been asked this before, I asked my fiancée Amy, and she told me that I dress like a cool history teacher. I am unsure how to take this, but the word cool is in there so that’s all I need.

In terms of qualities, I generally am looking for something classic but also a little different. I think Original Fibres has this in buckets and I love the clothes. Classic yet on second glance, different. If that makes any sense!

Quick Fire Five

Favourite restaurant: More of a pub man so either the Spaniards in Hampstead or Fox & Pheasant in Fulham.

Favourite holiday destination: South of France. Amy and I go most years and at the risk of sounding like a monumental arse, it is my happy place.

Favourite musician: Keith Richards – my misspent teenage years were likely more misspent because of my love of the Stones!

Prize possession: Very early on in my relationship with Amy, she got me a beautifully bound book on Ancient Egypt that I haven’t been able to find any record of. Seemingly one of a kind. She found it in a bookshop in Kinsale. I adore it more than the rarest books I have in stock.

Biggest indulgence: Given I am soon due to open the doors to my studio, I have been sourcing furniture for the space and the desk I found is likely my biggest indulgence. It is marble topped and took four blokes to deliver. As soon as I saw it, I had to have it.