Goldsboro

Goldsboro stands out from the crowd along this street of antiquarian booksellers. As the largest signed first-edition specialist in the UK, its premises may not bulge with the weight of stock as at most Cecil Court repositories, but everything here has been autographed by its author. Writers regularly sign consignments of first editions (mostly from the 1960s onwards), which often sell for the same price as unsigned editions elsewhere: there were around 200 such copies of Salman Rushdie’s brand-new The Enchantress of Florence on our visit; other big names include Ian Rankin and Wilbur Smith. Goldsboro is also responsible for one of the world’s largest first-edition book clubs; there’s a new title each month and many are exclusive to the store and bound in limited-edition slipcases.