Erdem Moralioglu on rare first editions: a tip for fellow bibliophiles

"I've always collected first editions. My earliest find was Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel 'A Single Man', which I found at Gay's the Word bookstore in London. Some books come with surprising discoveries: my first edition of 'Maurice' (1971) by E.M. Forster came with a newspaper article slipped into its pages about how the book had to be printed posthumously… it had been hidden in the pages for over 50 years. I keep my collection in my library in my office at the Erdem studio, and also at our house in Bloomsbury.

"If I really like something, I get multiple editions. It can be overwhelming if you have books everywhere, so I have a librarian who comes once a month to help organise the collection. My tips for building a book collection? Follow your instincts. If you find something beautiful, buy it. I love rare Japanese books, especially mid-century ones on art and architecture. The next one I am trying to get is 'Japanese Folk Art and Design' by Kiyoshi Sonobe…"

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