Some books are read once. Others become references, objects and sources of inspiration. We live with them, look at them, arrange them and remember where we found them. Together, they form a personal archive of the things we notice, value and choose to keep.
For the reopening of our QV Boutique, we worked with Melbourne-based furniture designer and book curator Sean Brickhill of First Edition Library to curate a collection spanning art, architecture, photography and design. The selection reflects the wider Assembly Label world, bringing together books to browse, discover and return to over time.
We spoke with Sean about collecting books, finding new references and what makes one worth keeping.
Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about First Edition Library?
I was working as a furniture designer, dabbling in photography and graphic design on the side, and through that collecting books for myself. I was asked to do an event and came up with the idea of an open library, sharing my collection alongside books from artists and graphic designers I looked up to. That was when First Edition started. The idea was to share rare books that people didn’t necessarily have access to.
How did it grow from that first event into what First Edition Library is today?
The first event went really well, and from there it just grew. I started selling books through Instagram and got hooked on researching and finding books, including sources in Japan that I still check regularly. I started doing pop-ups so people could actually get the books in their hands and flick through them, because online you only get so much of a snippet. The idea was always to bring books into Australia that were hard to find. If I could buy a book for the shop and then sell it on, I could at least live with it for a little while, then share it with someone else. After doing pop-up after pop-up, I thought it would be good to have a shop.
When Assembly Label approached you about putting together a collection for the QV Store, what interested you about the brief?
I’ve always wanted to move more into curating things for people. It’s nice to have a brief and put together a collection based on someone else’s interests. What really drew me to this business was the hunt for books – going out, searching and seeing what you can get.
Looking at the finished collection, what do you think ties it together?
Minimalist art and architecture definitely stood out, which I think relates naturally to Assembly. I reference a lot of those artists in my own practice too. Some are big names and some are a little more obscure, but they’re not just the coffee-table books you’ll find everywhere. A lot are older books with a bit of character that have been loved before.
When you come across a book for the first time, what makes you stop and pick it up?
I think it’s books that have a bit of character. Something has to make you pull it off the shelf. A lot of the sourcing for First Edition is done online, so the cover is usually the first thing that catches my eye. I’ve also learnt to pay attention to publishers. You might not know the artist or the content, but if you know the publisher, you trust it’ll be a good book. It’s like music – certain record labels consistently put out good artists. In person, things like the binding or size grab my attention. I used to look for really skinny books because they were often the zines and catalogues people overlooked.
How do books fit into your life – as things to read, objects or references?
Usually for me they’re references – things I can use for my practice, or artists and photographers that inspire me. I always joke that I run a bookshop but never actually read books. I’m more of a visual person. The work itself tells the story. The way a book is published – the binding and paper stock – is part of what has drawn me to rare or older books.
Is there a book in your collection with a particularly good story behind how you found it?
You find things in the strangest places sometimes. One day I was walking to a café on my lunch break and stopped at one of those little book boxes outside someone’s house. Inside was the first cookbook from The River Cafe in London. I’d always wanted it. Then I opened it and realised it was signed by both of the owners. And it was free. Knowing where a book came from can make it feel more significant. Sometimes you’ll find books that belonged to artists or architects, or were handed down from a mentor.
What makes you keep a book for yourself rather than sell it through First Edition Library?
It has to be something I like and that inspires me, or something I’m probably never going to come across again. I actually keep my personal collection in the shop for people to browse, which is why “Library” is still part of the name.
Do you think physical books offer something that we miss online?
Everyone gets the same pool of references online. We might all have seen three photos from a book, but you haven't seen the rest of the book. That’s something I’d still like to develop with the bookshop – a research or scanning service where creatives can come in with a mood board and find imagery beyond what’s easily found online.
As a furniture designer, how do you think about the way books live within a space?
Books bring life into a space, and they tell you a lot about a person. They can be beautiful objects, but I don’t like when people buy a book purely for decoration. It should mean something to you or inspire you.
Where are you finding new references at the moment?
Lately I’ve been getting really into music. I recently got a record player, so I’ve been going to heaps of record stores and learning about that world. It ties back into books too. So many graphic designers and artists have done record covers, so I’ll recognise something I’ve seen in a book. It’s been fun seeing how one interest starts inspiring another.
Follow Sean @firstedition.library
