Pom Harrington in his London bookstore.
Photo: Courtesy of Peter Harrington Rare Books
The Collectors: Pom Harrington
The bibliophile has turned his father's famed Peter Harrington Rare Books into the largest dealer of antiquarian tomes in Europe
Pom Harrington has been surrounded by the printed word his entire life, thanks to his father, who founded London’s esteemed Peter Harrington Rare Books in 1969. Under Pom’s direction, what started as a stall in a Chelsea antiques market has become the largest antiquarian book dealer in Europe, with multiple shops and a presence at art and design shows such as The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) fair.
Although Harrington spends his days sourcing literary treasures for clients (he’s hunted down rare items for Dior’s Kim Jones and the late Karl Lagerfeld), his personal tastes favor illustrated books with dedicated inscriptions, particularly those by Ronald Dahl. “There’s an old saying that you can’t be a book dealer and a collector, and I tend to agree,” he says. “I am conflicted all the time.”
A first edition of Walt Disney's Fantasia. Photo: Courtesy of Pom Harrington Rare Books
An inscription to author Ronald Dahl. Photo: Courtesy of Peter Harrington Rare Books
Best find: “About 12 years ago, a lady emailed me saying that her grandson had discovered in her husband’s library a first edition of Frankenstein inscribed by Mary Shelley to Lord Byron. I thought, Yeah, right. But it was authenticated and we sold it for over $300,000. I ended up hiring the grandson, and he now rusn our literature department.”
Rising interest: “I think the digitalization of the word has rarefied the book. It has a different status today; rare books have become cool.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Late Fall Issue under the headline “The Collectors.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Pom Harrington in his London bookstore.
Photo: Courtesy of Peter Harrington Rare Books
