Firsts: Back With Banned Books

This month sees the return of our foremost event of the year Firsts: London’s Rare Book Fair. We are thrilled to be back in Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, for the second year. And this time round we have even more to share with you.

In celebration of the centenary of James Joyce’s Ulysses, the Fair’s theme is ‘banned books’. Whether we are talking about Lady Chatterley’s Lover in court, the recent attack on Salman Rushie for his Satanic Verses, or the prevalence of ‘cancel culture’, it’s a topic that remains as relevant as ever.

Opening on Thursday 15 September, Firsts London will take over the three floors of Saatchi and run through to Sunday 18 September. From USA to Sweden to Japan and Australia, there will be over one hundred exhibitors representing 13 countries.

Beginning lunchtime on Friday, our Firsts Talks day kicks off with two fantastic collecting discussions and presentations, In The Shadows Of Great Books and The ILAB Missing Books Register. Delivered in collaboration with ILAB, these talks will cover everything from reference libraries to mysterious disappearances and retrieved treasures.

Then our afternoon and evening talks feature two authors whose most recent works touch on subjects that overlap with this year’s theme: we have The Death of an Archetype, when ABA member Rick Gekoski elaborates on the protagonist of his latest book After Darke, while Dr Katherine Inglis from The University of Edinburgh ends the day with her exploration of the history of censorship and control in publishing for Beyond Banned Books.

Saturday and Sunday are our family-friendly free entry days. There is no better time to bring the whole gang to Firsts London to admire the many rare gems our dealers have on display. If you’re feeling inspired, you can even book a place on a free tour looking at manuscripts or modern first editions to boost your knowledge. Do you remember that book that changed everything for you? See if you can discover a handwritten note by that author –you’ll be surprised by what turns up.

Of course, all the history on display has a price tag. While £1,000,000 may not be in your price range, there will be items available to suit every level of collector from enthusiast to novice and above.

Join us for another unmissable edition of Firsts London, and fall in love with books all over again.