Oliver Bayliss, founder of Bayliss Rare Books, was recently interviewed by the Daily Mail for a feature on the growing trend of curated libraries. The article explored how bespoke book collections have become a design statement as well as a reflection of personal passions.
In the interview, Oliver discussed his work with clients to build collections around specific themes, from rare science works including signed Einstein editions, to Gothic literature classics such as Dracula, The Hound of the Baskervilles and Frankenstein. For Jane Austen enthusiasts, he has sourced particularly fine and unusual editions, while for a Harry Potter devotee he went one step further, tracking down an original Daniel Radcliffe film-used wand to display alongside their first editions.
Oliver also commented on how curated libraries strike a balance between aesthetic appeal and intellectual credibility, and how tastes shift with cultural trends. He noted that demand for Dune soared after the Timothée Chalamet films, but is now moving toward early science fiction due to the rise of AI.
For Bayliss Rare Books, every curated library is more than decoration. It is a carefully constructed expression of its owner’s interests, designed to be both beautiful and deeply personal.
Read the full article in the Daily Mail, 19 June 2025.
If you would like to learn more about how we build bespoke libraries or source rare works for private collections, visit our page on Library Curation & Rare Book Sourcing.
