Our History

The Book Collector has been published quarterly since its foundation in 1952 by Ian Fleming, John Hayward and Percy Muir. Hayward was what we call a man of letters, much involved in editing and promoting literature, while Muir was a professional book dealer. It was originally issued from the Queen Anne Press, of which Fleming was managing director and Lord Kemsley the owner; when Kemsley withdrew support in 1955 The Collector Ltd was set up to continue publication of The Book Collector, with Fleming as the main shareholder. The three founders steered its production for the next decade or so, with John Hayward as the leading editorial figure; they were joined by John Carter in 1955. Hayward was the man who developed the style and contents of the journal, using his wide circle of literary contacts while encouraging new writers who were later stalwarts of the bibliographical world; it became “read by collectors, dealers, and librarians throughout the English-speaking world”, as his Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry put it.

The mid 1960s became a watershed time as all four of the original leading figures had died or resigned. Nicolas Barker was brought in to oversee the Winter 1965 issue, immediately after Hayward’s death, and took control from then on; he remained the Editor (and for most of that time owner of The Collector Ltd) until 2016. He originally combined the role with professional work in publishing before joining The British Library, where he was its first Head of Conservation (1976-92). He built on Hayward’s success and became the defining figure in the journal’s history, establishing its distinctive style and voice.

Barker resigned in 2016 and sold The Collector Ltd to James Fleming (Ian’s nephew) whose literary interests and career as a novelist drew him to it at least as much as a cultural as a financial investment. He appointed James Fergusson as Editor 2016-18 but then took over himself; his passion for the journal and its success was evident in the tributes published after his death in 2024.  The Collector Ltd is now owned by James Fleming’s son Tom and James’s younger brother Fergus; David Pearson was appointed as Editor in 2025.

Over the years the journal’s Editorial Board has brought together many leading names in the bibliographical and book dealing world. Its production quality has always been one of its selling points and since the 1990s its graphics and layout have been steered by the award-winning designer Phil Cleaver.