12: Slightly Foxed – But Still Desirable

Gail, Hazel and host Philippa enter the world of second-hand bookselling with Chris Saunders of Henry Sotheran’s, the world’s oldest antiquarian bookshop. From folios to quartos, half-binding to cockling, foxing to forgery, they tackle trade terminology and share tales of rarities and curiosities. The conversation ranges far and wide in the typical Slightly Foxed manner – from Parisian romances and the libraries of English country houses to outsized ornithological specimens and books of unusual provenance. In this month’s wander through the magazine’s archives Nigel Anthony recounts the tale of a bookseller’s quest for bibliophilic bliss in a sleepy corner of the Cotswolds, and there’s the usual round-up of recommended reading from off the beaten track.

Please find links to books, articles, and further reading listed below. The digits in brackets following each listing refer to the minute and second they are mentioned. (Episode duration: 40 minutes; 36 seconds)

Books Mentioned
We may be able to get hold of second-hand copies of the out-of-print titles listed below. Please get in touch with Anna in the Slightly Foxed office for more information.

• Going Solo, Roald Dahl (2:00)
• The Natural History of Selborne, Gilbert White (4:32)
• Slightly Foxed – But Still Desirable, Ronald Searle is out of print (7:27)
• The Great Game, Peter Hopkirk is out of print (11:13)
• Birds of America, John James Audobon (21:00)
• Earthworms and Their Allies, Frank E. Beddard is out of print (32:43)
• On Chapel Sands, Laura Cumming (34:47)
• Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, Amanda Foreman (35:51)
• The Berlin Novels: Mr Norris Changes Trains and Goodbye to Berlin, Christopher Isherwood (36:59)
•  As It Was and World Without End, Helen Thomas are out of print (38:22)

Related Slightly Foxed Articles 

• Turning a Page, Glyn Frewer on second-hand bookselling in Issue 42 (26:34) 

Other Links

• The Slightly Foxed Podcast was selected as one of the Sunday Times Top 100 Podcasts to Love (2:19)
• Sotheran’s Rare Books and Prints, London (3:09)
• Gilbert White’s House and Gardens, Hampshire (4:28)

Opening music: Preludio from Violin Partita No.3 in E Major by BachReading music from filmmusic.io
‘Touching Moments Five – Circle’ by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (creativecommons.org)The Slightly Foxed Podcast is hosted by Philippa Lamb and produced by Podcastable