The Frome Book Fair will return to the Cheese & Grain later this month, bringing a wide range of rare and collectable books to the town.
The event takes place on Sunday, 21st June , from 10am to 3pm, and will feature around 30 stalls offering thousands of second-hand and specialist items including books, maps, manuscripts and ephemera.
“The large number of exhibitors means that a variety of subjects will be available, including books on natural history, transport, topography and history, as well as classic literature, modern first editions, art and children’s illustrated books,” said Thais Leandrini from The Frome Bookshop. “There will be something to suit everyone.
“Artist Roo Waterhouse will also have a full range of bookshelf art cards, with images from original oil paintings, featuring treasured and iconic book collections.”
The Frome Book Fair was first established in 2016 and has since grown, attracting booksellers from across the West Country and beyond.
It is organised by Thais and Peter Foster of The Frome Bookshop, alongside William Goodsir and the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association (PBFA) which runs more than 40 fairs across the UK.
Peter, who began selling books in 2012 at Portobello Market, and Thais opened The Frome Bookshop in 2018 after moving to Frome in 2015, having previously traded at The Frome Independent market.
“When we organise the book fair, we have book lovers, old and young, in mind and we always aim to cater for the seasoned collector, looking for the Holy Grail in their collection and young budding readers, those who might turn into serious collectors later in life,” added Thais. “We buy our books privately, which means our shop stock is as varied as it gets. One month we might have a large selection of modern poetry and a beautiful selection of fine bindings that will soon have occult and photography books alongside them on the shelves, and in the end, they all find a new home”.
Free tickets for the event are available via a QR code on their advert, or visitors can bring a printed flyer on the day, which admits two people.
