Bernard Shapero

Last updated

Bernard Shapero
BornAugust 1963 (age 59)
London
Education Highgate School
OccupationRare book dealer
SpouseEmma Lewis
Children3

Bernard John Shapero (born August 1963) is a British dealer in antiquarian rare books and works on paper, the founder of Shapero Rare Books of 106 New Bond Street, Mayfair, London. [1] In 2005, Slate called him "London's most successful rare-book dealer and arguably the top dealer in the world today". [2]

Contents

Early life

Bernard John Shapero was born in August 1963, [3] and started dealing in books in the late 1970s, while still a pupil at Highgate School. [4] [5] His father was a collector of armour and gold coins. [2]

Career

Shapero Rare Books, Bond Street, London Shapero Rare Books3.jpg
Shapero Rare Books, Bond Street, London

In October 2005, Shapero purchased the Doria Atlas for £1.46 million, the highest price ever paid for an atlas, although this record was surpassed by the Cosmographia the following year. [6] In April 2004, the atlas had been saved from a fire at Wardington Manor in Oxfordshire, when local residents formed a human chain to remove items from the library. [7]

Shapero Rare Books owned about 6,000 books, ranging in price from £50 to over £200,000, and £6,000 on average. The business was sold by Shapero to Philip Blackwell, a director of the family business Blackwell Publishing. [8]

Personal life

Shapero lives in Hampstead, London, in a house which is half Victorian and half an "ultra-modern" extension, [1] with his wife Emma Lewis, and their three children. [9]

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References

  1. 1 2 "The modern Hampstead pad of rare-book seller Bernard Shapero". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 Weisberg, Jacob (7 November 2005). "Book Hunting in Britain". Slate. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  3. "Bernard John SHAPERO – Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Companies House, Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  4. "Mr. Bernard Shapero". london-wealth.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  5. "News – Highgate School". highgateschool.org.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  6. Milmo, Cahal (6 October 2006). "Atlas favoured by Columbus goes on sale for £1 million". Independent. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  7. Bennett, Will (31 May 2005). "Rare atlases snatched from fire". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  8. "Antiquarian Bookseller Completes Successful Stock Market IPO « May - 2014 « Rare Book Hub - Rare Books, Book Auctions, Antiquarian Book Collecting". rarebookhub.com. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  9. "Sheila Markham Rare Books". sheila-markham.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.