Camden Lock Books

About Camden Lock Books

I established my first bookshop in 1984 in Camden Lock & continue to sell rare books online and from my website that was launched back in 2000 (formerly, I traded from my bookshop in Old Street, Islington until it permanently closed in August 2019 and before that from my bookshops in Camden Town and on the South Bank as well as at the PBFA London Bookfairs).

I specialise just in miniature books, with a particular emphasis on the miniature editions published by David Bryce in Glasgow, early thumb bibles and finely bound 19th-century almanacks. I have published articles about miniature books as a contribution to periodicals such as the Private Library, and the Children's Books History Society for example.

In May 2024, Camden Lock Books published a limited edition of a 24 page booklet titled 'Timeless Treasure. Exploring Miniature Libraries and their Bookcases (1800-1932)'. It was written by Jason Burley and is currently still available to purchase on the website.

A future project is to compile and produce a fully illustrated bibliographic guide to the miniature books published by David Bryce in Glasgow before the Great War (there are over 250 provisional entries on my website so far), to add to the book compiled by Michael Garbett in 2011.

Presently the eight hundred or so miniature books online range from tens of pounds each to sets and uncommon items for thousands of pounds (and I have about five hundred similar miniature books that are ready for cataloguing and uploading).

At Firsts 2024 Saatchi Gallery rare book fair, Camden Lock Books won the Award for the Best Display at that event (the first bookfair Camden Lock Books has exhibited at for over 20 years!)

I have a shared ownership in the bookshop Burley and Fisher Books LLP. with Sam Fisher. It is located in Haggerston, London - the basement is exclusively second-hand and collectable books and is open seven days a week (except for some National holidays). We opened a second bookshop in central London - Maktaba at Ibraaz [open Wednesday to Sunday 11 am until 6 pm] 93 Mortimer Street London W1W 7SS