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David and Brenda Herbert met at Penguin in the early 1950s and it was from there that their life in publishing began.
16/07/2024
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David decended from the illustrious Herberts of Powis Castle. His elder brother George becoming the seventh Earl of Powis. His father was Bishop of Norwich.
David and Brenda married in 1955 and by the early 1960s David was installed as director at art publishers Studio Vista. Publishing such titles as Art Deco by Bevis Hillier, Kinetic Art by Guy Brett and Op Art by Cyril Barrett, all pioneering titles in their field.
By 1976 they had set up their own Herbert Press where Brenda was Editor. The office was installed in the dining room at their house in Belsize lane, Hampstead and they published books on art and architecture that would be overlooked by big publishers looking at the bottom line. There was the Herbert History of Art and Architecture series, Rowland Hilders England, The Dukes of Britain, The Art of Dora Carrington, Percy Edwards song birds, Ronnie Barkers post cards and so the eclectic list of their titles went on. Together they created an extensive and important legacy of Art History reference publishing.
They mixed in the literary and artistic circles of Hampstead at the time, meeting Mary Fedden and Julian Trevelyan amongst others, whose work they collected.
In 1983 the Herbert Press moved to Northchurch Road, Hackney. The business was run from the basement and they lived upstairs. The business was sold to A&C Black in 1995 and David died in 1996 but Brenda continued to live an energetic life in the house until her death earlier this year.
The present collection, removed from their Victorian Hackney townhouse, comprises rare books, Georgian furniture, works of art and a fine collection of Modern British Artists, many with personal connections to the Herberts.
Two rare classic cars have been uncovered in a rural Suffolk barn, following decades off the road. The 1950’s Mercedes - Benz 220 Type A Convertible and 1921 Talbot - Darracq with a combined age of 175 years are being offered for sale due to the passing of their owner.
09/10/2024
We are delighted to offer this historic Royal overcoat owned by H.M. King Edward VIII who later became the Duke of Windsor and who carried on wearing it after his abdication.
08/10/2024
Our November Art and Antiques sales features a wonderful private collection of 19th century Folk Art.
02/10/2024