Read All About It!
by Northern Life
FORMER LEEDS STUDENT HAS BROUGHT HER FAMILY’S RARE AND ANTIQUE BOOKS BUSINESS TO SKIPTON
A former Leeds student who fell in love with Skipton and The Dales has brought her family’s long established rare and antique books business to the town.
Carmel Keogh, who originally studied music in Leeds, has brought the business first established by her father in Leeds, and later run from the Cotswolds to Skipton High Street.
Keogh’s Books sells online and while much of the specialist business is conducted via their website, the bookshop caters for every type of reader with children’s books, fiction, non-fiction and vintage, collectible and antique books.
Said Carmel: “My Dad Joe opened his first shop in Leeds where he had been a student. He then met my Mum who came from the Cotswolds and ran a shop in Nailsworth for 17 years.
“It was a really big job to move the whole business, but I’ve found a fantastic team member to work with and absolutely love living in Skipton – it was definitely worth the effort.”
“We have a lot of antique, rare and second-hand books and in the past have dealt with first editions of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and 1984 by George Orwell. We’ve also got a book dating back to the 1530s: quite a few of the books are hundreds of years old and a lot of them are from the Victorian era. The high street shop has all sorts of general literature, local history and children’s books, as well as antique and collectible books.
“We’re essentially an online business and sell to collectors and enthusiasts around the world as we hold a lot of highly specialist titles – everything from shells to engineering, history to fiction, etc. We also sell to local history groups, university libraries, specialist collectors, antique book enthusiasts and even town councils. A lot of our stock goes to the USA, Europe and as far afield as China and Japan.
“In total we have some 12-14,000 books but only a selection is kept on the premises. We buy from collectors looking to sell, from house clearance sales, auctions and estates.”
Carmel, who lived in Leeds for 10 years, previously worked in business intelligence for Yorkshire Ambulance Service but moved back to Nailsworth in 2019 after her father became ill. Having grown up with books, she helped out in the shop as a teenager, so was well placed to take over the business.
She said: “My boyfriend comes from Yorkshire, and we thought Skipton would be the perfect spot to base the business. We both love cycling and climbing and the town is ideally placed for the Lakes and Dales – but also for going out in Leeds.
“It was a really big job to move the whole business, but I’ve found a fantastic team member to work with and absolutely love living in Skipton – it was definitely worth the effort.”
71 High St, Skipton BD23 1DS shop.keoghsbooks.com
