York National

11th Sep 2026, 12th Sep 2026

York image

Event Information

From modest beginnings with just 20 exhibitors at the White Swan Inn in York in 1974, the York National Book Fair has grown into the largest, and many say friendliest, rare, antiquarian & out-of-print book fair in the UK and Europe.

At the fair, you will find books over 500 years old, be able to review copies of recently published works, and everything in between. The book fair will take place at York Racecourse. This venue is very easy to reach - there is unlimited free parking, and also a free shuttle bus from the Railway Station (Memorial Gardens) to the fair every 20 minutes.

The fair's website, www.yorkbookfair.com will go live later on, with this year's details.

BAGS & SECURITY:
Please note that in the interests of security we regret that no bags (apart from small handbags), or overcoats etc, are allowed into the book fair. These can be checked (free of charge) into the cloakroom.
• All books purchased at the fair are sealed in bags with security stickers and will be checked by the security staff on leaving the book fair.
• Any small bags taken into the fair may be searched upon entry and exit. Your co-operation is much appreciated.
• No books are allowed to be brought by visitors into the fair.

DOGS:
• No dogs, apart from assistance dogs, are allowed into the fair.

Who Will Enjoy The Fair?
Anyone interested in books and reading. This is not just a Fair for dealers, but is open to everyone young and old, and a great place to start collecting. With over 100,000 books for sale, where else can you look at, touch, enjoy, and purchase so many rarities under one roof. If you are already a collector then attending the York National Book Fair is a great opportunity to meet new dealers in your area.

Books, Prints, Maps & Ephemera
Held over two days, over 150 of this country's leading booksellers offer for sale a breath-taking diversity of books, as well as posters, ephemera, manuscripts, maps & prints, ranging in price from just a few pounds up to tens of thousands of pounds. We also welcome a number of dealers from overseas.

Refreshments: Light refreshments available in café. 

Key Details

Time & Date 11th September 2026, 12:00 - 19:00 12th September 2026, 10:00 - 17:00

Venue The Knavesmire Suite, York Racecourse, York, YO23 1EX

Website https://yorkbookfair.com/

Organisers Tony Fothergill, Ken Spelman Books Tel: 07960 350909 Email: kenspelmanbooks@gmail.com
Lucius Books Ltd Tel: 01904 640111 Email: info@luciusbooks.com
Janette Ray Tel: 01904 623088 Email: books@janetteray.co.uk

Share This Event

Ticket Information

Admission £ 2.00

Travel Information

Parking

Free, at the venue.

Train

York station, just over a mile away.

Bus

Free shuttle bus from and to York railway station (Memorial Gardens).

Driving

A1(M), J1

Get Directions

Highlights

If you are thinking of attending this fair, why not have a look at some of the books recommended by some of the Members who will be there.

The Wombles Go Round The World

Elizabeth Beresford

Ernest Benn

£50.00

Offered by Richard Thornton Books

From Shikar & Safari Big Game Anthology

E.H. Baxter

A & C Black

£525.00

Offered by Richard Thornton Books

The Wensleydale Hounds Past and Present 1775-1907...

Capt F Chapman

V.T. Sumfield

£450.00

Offered by Richard Thornton Books

All Things Bright and Beautiful

James Herriot (Signed Copy)

Michael Joseph

£350.00

Offered by Richard Thornton Books

Wolf Hall trilogy (3 Vols)

Hilary Mantel

Fourth Estate

£450.00

Offered by Grimes Hill Books

Wolf Hall

Hilary Mantel

Fourth Estate

£225.00

Offered by Grimes Hill Books

HMS Warspite: The Story of a famous Battleship

Captain S.W. Roskill

Collins

£125.00

Offered by Grimes Hill Books

The Little Train

Graham Greene

Bodley Head

£40.00

Offered by Grimes Hill Books

School Bag (Signed Limited Edition)

Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney

Faber & Faber

£750.00

Offered by Richard Thornton Books

Long Walk To Freedom

Nelson Mandela (Signed Copy)

Little Brown & Company

£1100.00

Offered by Richard Thornton Books

The Royal Bijoux Birthday Book - bound in hallmark...

various

Eyre and Spottiswoode

£250.00

Offered by C L Hawley

Prater Violet - signed

Isherwood, Christopher

Random House

£300.00

Offered by C L Hawley

THE CHRONICLES OF BARSETSHIRE. The Warden. Barches...

TROLLOPE. ANTHONY. --- With an introduction by Frederic Harrison.

George Bell and Sons. London. 1906.

£875.00

Offered by Paul Foster Books

Watership Down

Richard Adams

Rex Collings

£950.00

Offered by Richard Thornton Books

2 VOLUME WORLD ATLAS SET ANCIENT AND MODERN GEOGRA...

R BONNE

£2200.00

Offered by Claremont Books and Prints

The Tale of Lohengrin

POGANY, Willy

Harrap

£650.00

Offered by Jonkers Rare Books

The Sleeping Beauty

DULAC, Edmund

Hodder & Stoughton

£500.00

Offered by Jonkers Rare Books

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner

SILLITOE, Alan

W.H. Allen

£850.00

Offered by Jonkers Rare Books

Towards Zero

CHRISTIE, Agatha

Collins

£850.00

Offered by Jonkers Rare Books

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens

J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd

£250.00

Offered by Grimes Hill Books

My Left Foot

Christy Brown

Secker & Warburg

£100.00

Offered by Grimes Hill Books

Images of Ottoman Palestine

William Byron Forbush

Underwood & Underwood

£150.00

Offered by Wool House Autographic

The God Of Small Things

Arundhati Roy

Flamingo

£85.00

Offered by Grimes Hill Books

THE LORD OF THE RINGS. The Fellowship of the Ring....

TOLKIEN. J. R. R.

George Allen & Unwin Ltd. London. 1968.

£300.00

Offered by Paul Foster Books

Fair Exhibitors

If you would like to see which Members will be at this fair, you can browse through them all below. Just select the letter their name starts with and click their name to see their specific page.

Exhibitors A-Z

A

Name & Trading Name

Showing 10 Results

Name

Books

B

C

Name & Trading Name

Showing 11 Results

Name

Books

D

Name & Trading Name

Showing 6 Results

Name

Books

E

Name & Trading Name

Showing 3 Results

Name

Books

F

Name & Trading Name

Showing 7 Results

Name

Books

G

Name & Trading Name

Showing 8 Results

Name

Books

H

I

Name & Trading Name

Showing 3 Results

Name

Books

J

K

Name & Trading Name

Showing 4 Results

Name

Books

L

Name & Trading Name

Showing 8 Results

Name

Books

M

N

Name & Trading Name

Showing 6 Results

Name

Books

P

Q

Name & Trading Name

Showing 2 Results

Name

Books

R

S

T

V

Name & Trading Name

Showing 1 Results

Name

Books

W

Name & Trading Name

Showing 6 Results

Name

Books

Y

Name & Trading Name

Showing 3 Results

Name

Books

Z

Name & Trading Name

Showing 1 Results

Name

Books

Zetetic Books | Conor Pattenden Berkhamsted

0

Guest Exhibitors

We are pleased to announce that we will have some special guests at this fair! Have a look at who they are.

Victoria Hall Hand Decorated Papers
Victoria makes hand marbled and paste papers with a particular interest in historic papers which are available from stock or may be ordered. Requests to match old papers are welcome, as are enquiries for use in modern editions and other applications. Gift products. Established 1989.

Contact: Victoria Hall

Telephone: 01328 701381
Address

Hill Farm House, London Street
Whissonsett
Dereham
Norfolk
NR20 5ST

Creative Computing
Creative Computing is based in Abingdon, near Oxford. It offers a variety of computer services, including database and website development. Its "Bookseller" cataloguing database system is used by many of the leading antiquarian booksellers in the UK and worldwide.

Contact: Tom Dupre

Telephone: 01235 539395
Address

Newburn
Tatham Road
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 1QD

Andy Moore Calligraphy
I am an experienced calligrapher, doing much of my work through commissions. I am a member of the Fine Press Book Association; please see the 'Books' section on my website for details of my involvement in the world of books. Among the work I shall be bringing are three one-off books on Shakespeare, a range of concertina books and some unframed work.

Contact: Andy Moore

Telephone: 07875 331970
Private Libraries Association
We are an international association of people who love and collect books. We aim to share that love and enthusiasm by publishing books and articles on all aspects of the book, anything, in fact, that reflects the interests of our members. In four years time we will celebrate our 70th anniversary and intend to keep going for another seventy years! We publish four journals a year and this year we will be publishing the latest of our books, "Early Private Presses 1730-1900", a two-volume work by David Chambers, the well-known expert in this field. Due to its complexity, this work has taken a lot longer than we expected. However, final editing is almost complete. We will have the full range of our journals and publications available to buy at the fair

Contact: David Fry

The Institute of English Studies
The Institute of English Studies (School of Advanced Study, University of London) offers training in book, print, and manuscript studies through the London Rare Books School, Palaeography Summer School, and the MA/MRes in the History of the Book.

Contact: Anne-Marie Stephen

Telephone: 020 7862 8679
Address

University of London
Senate House, Malet Street
London
WC1E 7HU

Universal Short Title Catalogue (USTC)
The Universal Short Title Catalogue Project presents "The Book at War" and titles from "The Library of the Written Word". The Universal Short Title Catalogue Project is a searchable resource providing free access to descriptions of over 1.65 million editions published throughout Europe between 1450 and 1700, along with 500,000 full digital reproductions. It is curated by the book history research team at the University of St Andrews led by Professor Andrew Pettegree and Dr Arthur der Weduwen.

Contact: Arthur der Weduwen

Telephone: 07572 856079
Address

St John's House
69 South Street
St Andrews
KY16 9QW

R F Shipping Ltd

Contact:

Telephone: 0203 002 6026
Address

Wow Acton, Unit 5, Wendover Court
Western Avenue
London
W3 0TG

Resources

Please find some helpful links below. If you need anything else, do not hesitate to get in touch.

Download Complimentary Ticket

Have a ticket on us! Just click the download button below and print out this ticket - do not forget to bring it with you to the fair.

Download
Download complimentary ticket Download

Friends of the PBFA

For £10 get free entry to our fairs, updates from the PBFA and more.

Please email info@pbfa.org for more information

Join PBFA

Membership of the PBFA is open to anyone who has been trading in antiquarian and second-hand books for a minimum of two years subject to certain criteria.

Email info@pbfa.org to find out more, or complete the enquiry form.

complete the form