Tavistock Books is proud to announce a new member of the team – Cassie Leone! Cassie will be working part-time at Tavistock Books and we are glad to welcome her to the fold.

Welcome to Tavistock Books, Cassie! How long have you been involved in the antiquarian book world for now?

Thank you! I began working for antiquarian booksellers last September, a few months after completing my undergraduate degree in English at Smith College. I’ve worked for Brick Row Books, and John Windle Antiquarian Bookseller. I’m currently also working part-time with Swan’s Books. 

What is your favorite aspect of working in the book trade? Does this coincide with what you will be doing at Tavistock?

I really enjoy cataloging books. I find it to be similar to academia in that you are researching and writing about literature, except that what you are writing is more geared toward sales. I especially love illustrated books, and books with provenance. When a book has an inscription I think its fun to do some detective work on its past owners.

What made you first become interested in the book trade?

When I was at Smith I concentrated in book studies. I loved learning about the history of books and the technology of reading and writing. One of my professors told us stories about his experiences working for antiquarian book sellers in Chicago, and I thought that sounded like intriguing work. 

Could you give us a slight background on you, yourself? Where did you grow up, what activities or hobbies do you enjoy, etc. 

I grew up in the Bay Area, and I’m originally from Walnut Creek. I moved to Oakland in 2003, which is where I currently reside. I’m a writer, and I’m currently applying to graduate schools for an MFA in Creative Writing, specifically poetry. I’m an amateur book collector; I also collect comics, records, Victorian greeting cards, antique oil lamps, and antique coffee pots. I enjoy baking and I ferment my own kombucha. Over the summer I got married in Berkeley, and I have a dog named Winston.

Last, but certainly not least… how do you feel about Charles Dickens and the San Francisco Giants? 🙂

While I was working for John Windle I catalogued a collection of Charles Dickens, and I became pretty familiar with his work and Dickensiana in general, but I have to admit I’ve never read any of his books! I plan to change that status in the near future. I did enjoy A Muppet Christmas Carol though. As a Bay Area native I of course love the Giants, I even have a few Barry Bonds baseball cards from when I was a kid.