Adrian Harrington (born 1948, Chelsea, England) is a notable
antiquarian bookseller, a Past President of the
Antiquarian Booksellers Association
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA) is the senior trade body in the British Isles for dealers in antiquarian and rare books, manuscripts and allied materials. The ABA organises a number of book fairs every year including its flagship f ...
(ABA), 2001–2003, and a recent Past President of the
International League of Antiquarian Booksellers
The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers is a non-profit umbrella organization of bookseller associations, with its legal location in Geneva, Switzerland. It federates 22 National Associations of Antiquarian Booksellers, representing ...
(ILAB). He has exhibited at major international book fairs in America, Canada, Hong Kong, Britain and Ireland, and between 2000 and 2010 Harrington was the Chairman of Britain's leading rare book event, the summer ABA Book Fair at
Olympia, London, which, during his tenure, has been host to opening speakers including
authors Jacqueline Wilson, Lynda La Plante, Joanna Lumley, Bob Geldof, Jeremy Paxman, Andrew Marr, Barry Humphries, Frederick Forsyth and former
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...
Sir Andrew Motion.
Harrington has been a regular consultant on rare books for Millers Price Guide, and has been interviewed on book-related matters by the BBC, and Australian Television
History
Adrian Harrington was established in the King's Road, Chelsea in 1971, moving to a location in Kensington Church Street in 1997. In 2014, he acquired the historic Hall's Bookshop in Tunbridge Wells and relocated to their premises. He deals in
English Literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
, first editions and general antiquarian books, and specialises in authors Winston Churchill, Arthur Conan Doyle, Graham Greene, J.K.Rowling and, particularly,
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...
. Harrington's shop is managed by his son-in-law, the bibliographer and
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...
archivist
[Gilbert, Jon. ''Ian Fleming: The Bibliography'' (Queen Anne Press, 2012)] Jon Gilbert, who is a member of the Ian Fleming Foundation (IFF), and during the late 1990s and 2000s Adrian Harrington held several book signing events for James Bond novelist
Raymond Benson, attended by Ian Fleming's literary agent Peter Janson-Smith, the former Chairman of
Glidrose Publications. Also attending were Doug Redenius, President of the Ian Fleming Foundation, and IFF directors David A.Reinhart and Dave Worrall, and
biographer of Ian Fleming
Andrew Lycett.
The Adrian Harrington bookshop has also been used to film the 2005 literary-based comedy drama
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, starring Joan Plowright and Rupert Friend. In recent years Adrian Harrington has been a stockist and distributor for
Queen Anne Press
The Queen Anne Press (logo stylized QAP) is a small publisher (originally a private press).
History
It was created in 1951 by Lord Kemsley, proprietor of '' The Sunday Times'', to publish the works of contemporary authors. In 1952, as a wedding ...
publications.
References
External links
Website of the Antiquarian Booksellers AssociationWebsite of the International League of Antiquarian BooksellersWebsite of the Olympia BookfairIan Fleming Publications Official WebsiteQueen Anne Press
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrington, Adrian
British booksellers
Antiquarian booksellers
Bookshops in London
Living people
1948 births