Rare Book Dealer Peter Harrington Opens Gallery in New York

Peter Harrington is making its first international foray from London to New York with the opening of a flagship gallery at 35 East 67th Street, just off Madison Avenue.

The London-based bookseller has been exhibiting at book and art fairs in the US since 1997, participating in hundreds of shows across America. The new gallery space on the Upper East Side marks the start of a new chapter, giving it a permanent home in the US. With plans to fully open in September, its soft opening in spring has been timed to coincide with the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair at the Park Avenue Armory this week, a block from its new rare book gallery space, where it will showcase items including unpublished Jack Kerouac letters and a very rare presentation copy of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. 
 
As it already does in its London locations in Chelsea and Mayfair, the new gallery will offer access to a wide selection of first editions, association and inscribed books, exquisitely bound examples of fine bookmaking, and original manuscripts.

Among rarities to explore at the new gallery will be David Powers collection of John F. Kennedy’s speeches and manuscripts (the largest privately held cache of original JFK documents), a first edition of The Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel, and a first edition of Euclid’s Elementa Geometriae. 

“We’ve been coming to the US for book fairs for nearly 30 years," said Pom Harrington, owner of Peter Harrington, "and in that time we’ve got to know the market and built strong relationships with collectors and institutions alike. Opening a permanent space in New York feels like the natural next chapter, something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s a real commitment to our American clients and a chance to be a proper part of the rare book community here. We’ve hired locally and are building something that reflects both our London roots and a distinctly American character.
 
"The full launch will come in September and we’ve got some exciting things lined up that we think the New York book community will respond to. We want the gallery to be a place where serious collectors, new buyers, and curious minds come together. It’s not just about selling books, it’s about building a place for dialogue and discovery in the city that sits at the heart of the American rare book world.”