Fine Books

Jean Grolier sometimes bought four or five copies of a fine new book—not to hoard them, but to have one ready for a friend. Alfred W. Pollard asks what it means to collect books well.

From costly, illuminated manuscripts in medieval libraries to the printed volumes that could reach far more readers, Pollard follows the changing habits of book lovers across centuries. His cast includes collectors who prized beauty and craftsmanship, scholars who gathered books for study, and benefactors who sent their libraries into public hands. But collecting could be a risky business: Sir Robert Cotton’s remarkable library was nearly taken from him because it held state papers. When books pass from private shelves to the public, who has the better claim to keep them—and what makes a collection worth saving?

With centuries of literature, it's inevitable that some will fall through the cracks. We hunt down public domain works and restore them so they're not lost to the world.

Who are we? We're Cairn Press. Our background is in design, publishing, typography, and technology. These skills fuel our mission to create the highest quality Public Domain eBooks available online, at an affordable price. We give them the treatment they deserve; our proprietary process restores books for a better overall user experience in design, readability, and e-reader compatibility.