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Bookseller Spotlight Leonard Roberts - A Passion for Pre-Raphaelites Established in 1998, Leonard Roberts' business developed into a successful specialization in rare items by & about the English Pre-Raphaelites, and Victorian poetry & illustrated books. Along with a fine selection of books illustrated by Arthur Hughes (1832-1915, Pre-Raphaelite painter & book illustrator), Leonard Roberts also maintains first editions by Dante Gabriel & Christina Rossetti, George MacDonald, William Morris, Algernon Charles Swinburne, and Alfred Tennyson. His business also specializes in rare exhibition & auction catalogues, 19th century reference, and other items & ephemera related to the above fields. Also included in stock are a few scarce 20th century reference books which compliment these specialties. We asked Leonard Roberts to share his knowledge about collecting Pre-Raphaelite and Victorian poetry.  |
Tell us the history of your business. What led you to this career? My career as a dealer in rare books began after my catalogue raisonné of the works of Arthur Hughes (1832-1915) had been published. While conducting my research for the book, I found it necessary to seek out and purchase many of the illustrated & reference books not easily found in even the largest research libraries; but after my book was published, I found I no longer needed most of the volumes I had acquired and decided to offer them for sale. I signed up with Abebooks (then Advanced Book Exchange) in October 1998, began posting the rarer items in January 1999, and the business grew steadily from that point. Tell us about your specialization in British Poetry and Pre-Raphaelites. What attracted you to this area? Arthur Hughes was one of the best of the Pre-Raphaelite artists, and my research into his life and works naturally led to a greater knowledge of the Pre-Raphaelites, their large circle of followers, and the books they all produced. Hughes was also a highly-acclaimed illustrator of books and periodicals: he was the first illustrator of Tennyson's Enoch Arden, Thomas Hughes's (no relation) Tom Brown's School Days, George MacDonald's At the Back of the North Wind, and Christina Rossetti's Sing-Song. During his lifetime he produced about 750 illustrations, some of which have been compared favourably to Tenniel's designs for Alice in Wonderland. Hughes's connections to and friendships with many of the important poets of the period are documented in his surviving letters. What advice can you give someone interested in collecting these types of books? Fortunately for modern collectors, many of the better Victorian poetry and illustrated books are still undervalued, despite the fact that considerable research has been published in these two fields. First of all, I would recommend that any potential collector read some of these research volumes and then browse through the books themselves, to determine which authors and/or illustrators they find most interesting--like any area of collecting, it is after all a matter of personal taste. After one has selected a particular field, seek out the most knowledgeable dealers and acquire only the best copies that one can afford. Condition is all-important to serious collectors; but even average copies of the rarest titles will appreciate in value as they become increasingly difficult to find. Fair or Poor copies should always be rejected, unless one must have a copy to fill a void until a better example becomes available. What are the most valuable or interesting books you have listed on Abebooks? Tell us what makes these items unique. Many of my books are rarities, but if I had to select a few, I would have to choose:
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LEONARD ROBERTS, Bookseller (IOBA) 
