Jonkers Rare Books

Jonkers Rare Books: rare books, first editions and original art in Henley-on-Thames

Jonkers Rare Books is a bookseller based at 27 Hart Street in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The business describes itself as specialising in the sale of rare books, first editions, manuscripts and art and illustrations. Its catalogue is organised both by subject and by author, and the shop also buys books from owners.

What the catalogue covers

The collection is divided into several browsable areas. Modern First Editions covers first editions of novels, plays and poetry, including signed books and original manuscripts. Illustrated Books spans the Fin de Siècle, the Golden Age and modern classics. Nineteenth Century Literature is presented through fine copies in original cloth, association copies and beautiful bindings. Collectable Children's Books brings together first editions and signed copies of children's titles. There are also sections for Non Fiction and Travel & Exploration, and a separate area for Original Paintings & Illustrations offering watercolours, drawings and original illustrations.

Authors represented

The site lists an A–Z of authors, with a popular selection that includes Kingsley Amis, Hans Christian Andersen, Edward Ardizzone, Mabel Lucie Attwell, Jane Austen, Rev. W. Awry, Enid Blyton, Michael Bond, E. M. Brent-Dyer, Raymond Briggs, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, Lewis Carroll, Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill, Joseph Conrad, Richmal Crompton, Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edmund Dulac, George Eliot, T. S. Eliot, Henry Fielding, Ian Fleming, E. M. Forster, Warwick Goble, William Golding, Kenneth Grahame, Graham Greene, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Thomas Hardy, Seamus Heaney, Aldous Huxley, James Joyce, John Keats, Jessie M. King, Rudyard Kipling, T. E. Lawrence, C. S. Lewis, A. A. Milne, Kay Nielsen, George Orwell, Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, Willy Pogany, Beatrix Potter, Anthony Powell, Arthur Rackham, Arthur Ransome, Charles Robinson, William Heath Robinson, J. K. Rowling, William Shakespeare, E. H. Shepard, Jessie Willcox Smith, Muriel Spark, Robert Louis Stevenson, William Makepeace Thackeray, J. R. R. Tolkien, Evelyn Waugh, H. G. Wells, Oscar Wilde, P. G. Wodehouse and Virginia Woolf.

Featured items and gift selection

At the time of writing, the site's spotlight section showed a first edition, deluxe issue of The Tempest by William Shakespeare with illustrations by Arthur Rackham, printed on hand-made paper with an extra plate and signed by Rackham, priced at £1,750.00. It also listed Kew Gardens by Virginia Woolf with woodcuts by Vanessa Bell, one of 500 copies with hand-painted wrappers, dated 1919, at £4,500.00. A Gift Ideas section groups first editions, signed books and beautiful bindings for occasions such as birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversaries and christenings.

Catalogues, news and events

The shop publishes specialist catalogues, including ones devoted to children's literature and to Ian Fleming and Evelyn Waugh. A News & Events section and a blog sit alongside a Just In area for recent arrivals to the shelves, covering first editions, rare books, manuscripts and artwork.

Buying books and valuations

Jonkers invites owners who wish to sell books to consult its books-to-sell information first. The business states that it does not make valuations by email without having physically seen the items in question.

Currency and contact

The online catalogue allows prices to be displayed in pound sterling, euros, Hong Kong dollars and US dollars. General enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form on the website.