About Us

John Atkinson

John picked up his first first edition book at a car boot sale for 10 pence when he was 7 years old.

He graduated from the University of Essex with a BA (Hons), followed by an MSc. and PhD at the University of Newcastle, specialising in Sociophonetics.

The choice between academia and the world of rare books was an easy one and John has been buying and selling since 2007. His specialisms are Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, The Booker Prize and literary fiction, with a particular interest in female writers of the 1950s. John deals with sales and purchases.

His main interests outside books are drinking coffee, swimming, driving slow cars and following the mighty Durham County Cricket Club. John’s favourite book (by a million miles) is Roald Dahl’s ‘Danny The Champion of the World’.

Lottie Atkinson

Lottie has an eclectic taste in books, with favourite authors ranging from Terry Pratchett and Susan Cooper to Dick Francis and the great queens of Golden Age crime fiction, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Margery Allingham.

A former deputy head teacher, Lottie’s background in education has given her a particular knowledge of and affection for children’s literature. She especially enjoys seeing the response that much-loved childhood books can evoke when customers rediscover them in the shop.

Lottie loves talking to customers about their interests and helping them explore the books they are looking for, but is equally happy to let visitors browse at their own pace. As a partner in the business, her responsibilities include customer relations, marketing, finance and the day-to-day running of the company.

Outside work, Lottie enjoys going on global adventures with John and their two boys, as well as walking, gardening and riding.

Paul Rutherford

Paul and John have been friends for well over 20 years now. He has leant a hand numerous times over the years but became a permanent fixture at the start of 2020.

They have played cricket badly together over the years, played golf badly together over the years, bet on horses badly together over the years, however, they have now been successfully working together.

Paul handles the photography and inventory management of the books over the four retail platforms that they currently sell on.

When not at work Paul’s time is taken up with his young daughter Catherine, and what little time he has left after that is spent watching sport, listening to music and occasionally going for a jog. He is also a fan of Southampton FC (someone has to be…).

Craig Irving

After studying the history of fine and decorative arts at Christie’s Education, Craig spent many years working in the heart of the London art and antiques trade, dealing in textiles, tapestry, early furniture and old master drawings. Eventually moving into the heritage industry Craig worked at the eccentric and unique Sir John Soane’s Museum for many years before relocating back to North Yorkshire to manage operations at Ryedale Folk Museum on the edge of the beautiful North York Moors.

Having formerly studied English Literature as an undergraduate at St John’s York, Craig has maintained a life long passion for collecting wonderful and rare books and joined us in April 2024. He has a wide range of literary tastes with special interest in the work of the Sitwells, Virginia Woolf and Evelyn Waugh. When not in the kitchen with a well thumbed Elizabeth David cooking up a storm he can usually be found out walking the wilds of Yorkshire with his two favourite dogs, Musket and Stanley.

Alina Karypidou

Alina joined the team, bringing a rich international background and a devotion to all things beautiful.

A polyglot with a BA in English Literature and an MA in Applied Linguistics, she has also trained in Digital Marketing.

Her creative journey saw her working in Fashion PR and cultural journalism, while her varied career includes academic management, interiors, marketing and social media. Having lived in Europe and the US, Alina spent 20 years in London before relocating to Harrogate.

A self-confessed aesthete, she is deeply passionate about art and design, with her own home featured in design publications. For Alina, anything that carries history has a unique character that deserves to be loved, making her a perfect fit for the world of rare books. When she isn’t noticing the finer details at work, she can be found immersing herself in books & the arts, exploring beautiful spaces and travelling the world.