Up a steep flight of stairs in a Clerkenwell alley, a single long shelf defines the room, holding a tight rotation of barely one hundred titles. This is not a generalist bookstore where you scan rows of spines for a familiar name or a current bestseller. The inventory is deliberately sparse and highly specific, leaning into the rare and the overlooked within art, fashion, and counterculture.
The shop is the physical outpost of Isabella Burley, the former editor-in-chief of *Dazed*, who launched the concept from a spare room in 2020. The selection reflects that editorial eye – focused on vintage magazines, erotica, and photography monographs that are difficult to source elsewhere. You are just as likely to find a piece of cultural ephemera, like a vintage movie pamphlet or a limited-run postcard, as you are a heavy hardcover.
Because the space doubles as a head office, the atmosphere is functional and quiet. The staff working the floor are usually deeply familiar with the stock, able to explain the provenance of a specific design object or the history behind a niche periodical. Beyond the vintage sourcing, the shop operates as a publisher and commissioner, occasionally releasing collaborative merchandise with designers like Chopova Lowena. When you make a purchase, it gets packed into a distinctive pink bag before you navigate the narrow staircase back down to street level.
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Climax Books