Mark Britton lives in the north of remote Cumbria, in the wild border lands close to the Scottish border. He has always had a passion for old books, whether it’s owning them or borrowing them. “It doesn’t matter whether I’m browsing through a shop’s collection or sitting in a museum or stately home: I love to sit and gaze, breathe deeply and smell their presence.”

For Mark there's something special about owning a book that has travelled through many hands, especially a book which has been well-loved. It speaks to you of a rich history, with perhaps sticker plates and inscriptions telling you something of its previous owners: he says you can tell from a book’s scent whether it has been kept in a library or next to a coal fire. These are books which have that slightly dusty smell of old paper, board and ink and a sense of needing to be delicately handled as befits a precious object. The materials of each book possess a quality not often woven into modern books: leather bindings; gold leaf detailing; woodcut drawings – a feeling of this volume being able to tell you a story so much richer than mere words on a page.

Mark started purchasing books through on-line auction websites, where people were selling books which they perhaps considered junk but which to him were undiscovered treasures. As his collection and knowledge grew, he wanted to share this passion with others. The Olde Lane Books website has therefore been developed from that passion, with love – for past and future custodians of these glorious gems.