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The fair opened to the public in fine weather after the Thursday night preview. A long, snaking queue of expectant people waited quickly disappeared inside in search of rarities and treasures. Every effort had been made to make the fair as inclusive as possible and a celebration of French literary culture. The fair included a  large display, with historic photographs and maps, devoted the Parisian Bouquinistes, the booksellers operating from stalls lining the banks of the Seine, dating from the 16th century. It was formalized in the mid-19th century with bouqinistes establishing permanent pitches and the sizes of stalls being...

“TO POCKET DICE AND MILLIONS TOO” JOHN AGG, PRINTER, BOOKSELLER & WRITER, EVESHAM,    Agg began his professional life as an apprentice bookseller and printer in Evesham. The British Booktrade index lists his dates of operation as 1790-1825 and his Bristol operation as 1809. After the end of his apprenticeship, he founded a printing and bookselling business in Bristol and published various works including a newspaper, the Mercury, and a history of Bristol in serialised parts. The latter was not successful and led to the failure of his business, after which he moved to London and appears to have some...