Our founding father, Australian journalist Max Harris, dreamed up the name for our publication Bibliophile in 1978. Max, poet, columnist and intellectual, was the literary expert who made it his mission to access cheaper and better books for the Australian market - and to fight literary censorship.
In league with Bill Smith, former editor of Books & Bookmen and owner of an eponymously named chain of bargain bookshops "Booksmith", the two bookworms founded our mail order bookclub. Bill also found fame as a publisher and was the last person to be charged and acquitted under the Obscene Publications Act. He had reprinted a book called The Amorous Illustrations of Thomas Rowlandson and discovered that the original erotic watercolours were held at the Queen's private Library at Windsor Castle no less! Bill’s defence summary in court was delivered in style, with his thumbs tucked under his imaginary braces, “Me Lud, surely if they’re good enough for Her Majesty, they’re good enough for her subjects!” Case dismissed.
In 1991, Annie Quigley was given the opportunity to buy the business by her mentor Bill Smith when he was dying.
Earlier, the business had been partnered by Fred Bass “the New York Bookseller” and owner of the famous Strand Bookstore, now in its 100th year.