Behind the Scenes at Antykwariat Polski

For over 25 years, we’ve been dealing in books that have endured longer than most of us will ever know. Antykwariat Polski is located in Warsaw at 11b/1 Piękna Street—a showroom that can only be visited by appointment, as we treat each visit individually. Separately, in Bydgoszcz, we operate our bookbinding and conservation workshop—a place where books are not only appraised but also restored. We are a member of CINOA, the international association of art dealers and antiquarians, which commits us to a standard that cannot be faked: every description, every appraisal, and every statement regarding a book’s condition must be based on sources, not on intuition. It’s not just a slogan. It’s a daily routine.

Our team currently consists of about seven people—collectors, bookbinders, and conservators—who work exclusively with natural materials and traditional techniques. What sets us apart is our scale. We maintain one of the largest private library collections in Poland, and at the same time, we handle projects that most antiquarian bookstores wouldn’t even consider—ranging from binding a single notebook to designing entire libraries for residences and hotels.

Rare Books and Building a Collection

We buy, sell, and appraise antiquarian books, first editions, bibliophile editions, and collectible copies with historical significance. Our scope? From Polish and foreign literature, through history and military subjects, to heraldry, cartography, and regional studies. For over a dozen years, we have been systematically monitoring the professional market for valuable books, which allows us to reliably assess the value of individual copies. We also help build private book collections from the ground up—we advise on the selection of titles, bindings, and the organization of the collection so that the whole makes sense both from a bibliophilic and an investment perspective.

Workshop: Framing and Conservation

Before any title is added to our collection, it goes through the same process: bibliographic verification, condition assessment, and—if necessary—conservation in our workshop in Bydgoszcz. We restore not only books but also documents and maps, always respecting the original substance of the work—binding a single book usually takes 3–4 weeks, while the restoration of a heavily damaged copy takes 2 to 3 months, as it involves multi-stage conservation procedures and the conditioning of materials. We work exclusively with the highest-quality natural leather. No synthetics. No imitations.

Custom-Made Crafts

The same bookbinding workshop hand-stitches leather notebooks—with personalized embossed initials or dedications—as well as commemorative books for companies and institutions, in the 36.5×35 cm format, ready for guest entries or for pasting photos. These are creations designed to last for decades, not just a few seasons.

Interior Design: Collaboration with Architects

The least obvious part of our work: we design panels that mimic books and book replicas—a proprietary technology that combines traditional bookbinding craftsmanship with interior design. They find their way into residences, offices, hotels, and commercial spaces when a full library isn’t feasible or practical. But the effect of a stately wall of books? Absolutely. We also make file folders and archival boxes with leather spines that transform an office cabinet into something that looks like a library.

What We’ll Be Featuring on the Blog

This blog will be about books in all the forms we’ve come to know through our own work: searching for and authenticating rare items, conservation and bookbinding, and everything in between—from first editions to custom-made leather bindings. We’re not interested in the generic how-to guides you can find everywhere. Instead, we want to show you things that normally only happen behind the scenes: how to recognize a true white raven, what exactly we do in the workshop when a century-old binding comes in for repair, how a commemorative book or a panel for a private library is created, and why a bibliography can determine the value of a copy. Each post will be based on real-life examples from our practice—with actual photos from our workshop and store, not stock photos.

If you’re looking for a reliable estimate, maintenance services, custom lighting fixtures, or collaboration on an interior design project, please contact us —and if you’d simply like to get a behind-the-scenes look at what this work entails, stay tuned to our blog.