About Us

The Royal Warrant of Appointment signifies a satisfactory trading arrangement exists between the Grantor and the Grantee of a particular company. This special arrangement between the Monarchy and trade has existed since the Middle Ages, but it was on 25 May 1840 that the present association was created with the formation of the Royal Tradesmen’s Association. In 1907 the Association was incorporated by Royal Charter and changed its name to the Royal Warrant Holders Association. The original Charter was replaced by a Supplemental Charter in 2007.

See Bibliophile's Press coverage in Raconteur in the Times - Turn to page 6 to read a little of how special it is to receive a Royal Warrant and the history of the award.

Buckingham Palace Coronation Festival will take place over four days next July in the beautiful grounds of the Palace.

As a Royal Warrant holder, Bibliophile will have a unique opportunity to display our fantastic range of bargain books and show the high standards of our special bookselling company. It will be our very first time at a public exhibition! We will be rubbing shoulders and boosting our reputation alongside 200 Royal Warrant Holders from cartwheel and cheese makers to welly and fence manufacturers, craftspeople, perfumiers and corporations like House of Fraser in our marquee.

• We are predominantly a mail order catalogue, internet & postal business, however customers are welcome (no appointment necessary) to visit the warehouse either to collect orders or to browse the vast stock which covers all subject areas. NB. It is a working warehouse organised by Location not topic. There is a comfortable, bright browsing area, disabled toilet, and parking and refreshments are free.
• Bibliophile's big book bargains warehouse is well served on the 323 bus route from Mile End, the DLR and Jubilee line at Canning Town and just off the A13 if you wish to visit. The new Star Lane station (two stops from the Olympic Zone) is just 5 mins walk away.

Later the business was partnered by Fred Bass “the New York Bookseller” and owner of the famous Strand Bookstore, now in its 80th year.

In 1991, our Annie Quigley was given the opportunity to buy the business by her mentor Bill Smith when he was dying.

In July 1992 she bought out his widow and Fred Bass and she became sole proprietor. Since then, it has grown to over four times the size and is still run by a small, dedicated staff, six of whom have served over 12 years!

“Remainder”: A book that remains with a publisher after sales have fallen off, usually sold at a reduced price. “To their publishers, these books are mostly dead. To me, they're potential adventures. By turning the pages, I can breathe them into being.”– Annie Quigley, Editor.

• Bibliophile is a book club with no fee or book of the month, and our USP is the bargain prices and quality of the books we select.
• Bibliophile stocks over 3500 titles a year, which are hand selected from publishers, specialist wholesalers and are sourced in the UK and US
• Each month over 300 newly purchased titles are individually reviewed, every jacket captured and every price compared.
• We are Independent Booksellers with an eclectic range of titles; popular sellers, favourite authors, enduring classics and the best books on over 30 topics from front list, back list, remainders, all picked for their quality and based on staff knowledge of the target market.
• 2011 saw the re launch of the Bibliophile website which was first launched on 1999.
• We provide Email and SMS updates on despatch of book parcels and confirmation of web orders.
• We value being appointed the mail order supplier of Wordsworth Classics for over 10 years.
• We are open 24x7x365 days a year through a combination of website, 36 or 40 page tabloid newspaper catalogues to tens of thousands of members, customer service phone line, fax, email and the post.
• Bibliophile has always indulged booklovers’ tastes with its quirky and often maverick literary approach and remains one of those ‘best kept secrets ‘of the book trade and is independent in its selection, reviewing, pricing and selling of books.

300th catalogue celebratory cartoon of the Team by Dave James.

Customer Service and the ‘extra mile’

• Bibliophile is built on its staff and we are proud that 60% of the staff has been with us for over 10 years, 2 over 20 years and the remaining have at least three years service.
• Bibliophile’s main source of new customers is by recommendation. The loyalty and retention is important. Personal letters and cards are received weekly from members, all of which are replied to. (See Forum entered by 97 year old in January 2012).
• A new ‘YouTube’ review service was started on 2011 and has now a library of 270 video book reviews which provide unique ‘look inside and feel’ of the book.
• Twitter, Blog and Facebook pages were all launched 2011.
• Bibliophile recognises that members are not always at home and now offers delivery up to 9pm at no additional cost .
• Our network of author friends enables us to often offer signed books.
• New website features include an open customer forum and a Books For Sale and Wants.

Community

• We respect that a customer may have varied interests and may not always buy from a specific genre. We build on their habits, knowing each customer and their preferences, which enables us to indulge their tastes.
• We bring books to people who can’t always get to a store or a library, live in remote areas, or are disabled. This incorporates such communities such as; prisons, schools, private and public libraries, shops, reading groups and book clubs, retirement homes, day care centres and nurseries.
• A significant percentage of members are aged over 60 and, recognising this, we launched our new ‘88 club’, which is our elite members club for those over 88 years old. They receive mystery books hand picked by the Editor.
• We have built up a quirky cat loving community with ‘Kitty Korner’ showcasing pictures of customers’ cats.
• We have always had International customers who join us in increasing numbers.

Shop experience

• Every five weeks we mail our 36 or 40 page tabloid catalogue covering over 300 new titles within the 1200 titles on offer inside.
• Our website lists over 3400 stocked titles.
• We pride ourselves on offering ‘everyday low pricing ‘ and bargains and value across the store.
• We publish email Newsletters and alerts to new titles to thousands of members.
• We advertise ‘off page’ adverts and distribute via rented mailing lists to attract new members.
• ‘New Arrivals’ are added hourly on website as stock is booked into the database and also highlighted via a ‘New Arrivals’ category.
• Damaged books are sold off “as seen”.

Sustainability

• After 34 years of continued service, Bibliophile is celebrating its 300th catalogue in March 2012. During this period it has built a library of tens of thousands of unique reviews and sales data on books many of which are no longer in print.
• On average customers buy several books per order. We understand this often eclectic mix which helps us hone our buying selection and selecting winners.
• Bibliophile has an environmental policy which includes; printing on 100% recycled paper, recycling packaging, not pulping books, and a ‘power down’ policy. This was a major and mandatory consideration in the awarding of the Royal Warrant.

What other book club offers you all this?