Book dealer Lorence Johnston on Fahrenheit 451, The Story of Ferdinand and the business of rare books.
The Last Supper is a weekly podcast featuring artists, curators, collectors and gallerists in Asia. Available on Spotify, Apple podcast, Google podcast.
Lorence Johnston, owner of Lok Man Rare Books, Hong Kong.
Ep.28 | In this episode I met Lorence Johnston, a Hong Kong-based rare book dealer. We spoke about how Lorence began his business, discussed surprising facts of some of his rare books including the book cover or jacket of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and the amazing story behind The Story of Ferdinand.
Cato, Varro, Columella, Palladius - Libri de re Rustica. M. Catonis Lib.I. M. Terentii Varronis Lib.III. L. Junii Moderati Columellae Lib.XII. Eiusdem de arboribus liber separatus ab aliis, &c. Palladii Lib.XIIII &c. Georgii Alexandrini enarrationes priscarum dictionum, quae in his libris Catonis: Varromis: Columellae.
1514 - Aldo Manuzio il vecchio e Andrea Torresano il vecchio / in aedibus Aldi, et Andreae soceri, Venice - First Aldine Edition.
First Aldine edition of the famous collection of texts on agriculture, with much on viticulture and the art of wine-making, including the choice of soil and aspect of vineyards, the planting and pruning and cultivation of vines and how to make and care for different sorts of wine. This combination of texts on Roman agriculture was first printed by Jenson at Venice in 1472, but can be found from the Middle Ages (a unique manuscript translation into Middle English, produced around 1420, was preserved at Colchester Castle), and their appearance together in a manuscript, once in S. Marco but now lost, form the chief texts on agriculture and rural life, dealing with crops, vines, olives, bees, cattle-raising, and (in Cato) old customs and superstitions thought to aid in effective cultivation.
Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451 - Signed, 1953 - Ballantine Books, New York - First edition.
One of the Most Desirable Rarities in Modern Science Fiction. First edition, one of 200 copies, of which this is number 36, signed by Bradbury and bound in ‘an asbestos material with exceptional resistance to pyrolysis’.
A. A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard (illustrator) - The House at Pooh Corner, 1928 - Methuen & Co. Ltd., London - First Edition, in First Issue Dust Jacket
Munro Leaf, Robert Lawson (illustrator) - The Story of Ferdinand, 1936 - The Viking Press, New York - First Edition
Lorence Johnston has been running Lok Man Rare Books in Central for 15 years, working with a dizzying range of valuable books, from the world’s first atlas and 18th century travel to first editions of James Bond and Hemingway. It has been his longest time in one company ever.
Asia credentials - six years in Singapore followed by 25 years in Hong Kong, with a year off in South Africa for good behaviour and an MBA. He cut his teeth as a leather trader in France, Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong, shipping millions of square feet around the world. In between leather and rare books Lorence has been involved in the dotcoms, television start-ups, luxury brands, asset management, brand financing, security systems and numerous other distractions. Lorence has also found time to enjoy two now grown-up children, rowing, sailing a couple of times to the Philippines, outriggers, squash, trail running etc. etc. (well, this is Hong Kong…), his most recent madness being a 250km trail race across the north of Madagascar.
Lorence is a professional member of the Geneva based International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association based in London.
website www.lokmanbooks.com
Instagram @lokmanrarebooks
Facebook Lok Man Rare Books
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The Last Supper is supported by the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association http://www.hk-aga.org
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The Last Supper podcast is produced and hosted by Oscar Venhuis
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