Antiquarian Archive

I've been collecting antique books since I was a high schooler living in the Midwest.

I came to Ireland to study and fell in love with the country. I now live in Dublin and spend my days working in marketing and going on as many bookish adventures as possible in my free time.

The European charity shops, bookstores, and antique malls have been a dream to explore. My shelf quickly filled up in recent years, so I've decided to start sharing some of my finds in the form of this curated online bookshop, Stinky Old Books.

In addition to loving the smell of old books, my mom used to tell me to pick up all the "stinky old books" that I left lying around the house, so that's how I chose the name.

As a collector, I'm personally drawn to books on folklore, cultural history (Scotland, Ireland, and New Zealand, specifically), and fine bindings.

After taking a few bookbinding classes (shoutout to Liberties Papers in Dublin) and getting into the hobby myself, I have an even stronger appreciation for antiquarian techniques.

Details like gauffered edges, Mauchline boards, metal clasp closures, tartan plaid silk bookcloth, dentelle work, and leather sculpting are just some of my niche interests when it comes to collecting.

I'm really looking forward to sharing these beauties with my fellow book lovers and can't wait to see what adventures come my way.

Follow along on Instagram: @StinkyOldBooks