Where Books and
Travel, Collecting
and Curiosity Collide
Welcome to my corner of the universe, where stories live not just on the page but in conversation, travel, and the thrill of the hunt. From the backrooms of bookshops in Buenos Aires to the stalls at libraries in Manchester and Caen, I chase the ideas, objects, and oddities that make print culture so endlessly fun and fascinating. Think of this as your passport to the world of books.
Meet Nigel Beale
A biblio-tourist who travels the globe collecting books and magazines, and the odd teapot. He’s best known for a podcast he hosts called The Biblio File which features long-form conversations about books and print culture (words and graphics, contents and containers), and examines the roles that authors, poets, publishers, booksellers, editors, book collectors, printers, scholars, literary critics, graphic designers, publicists, literary agents and others play along the ‘communications circuit’ - inside the book and magazine trades and out - from writer to reader.
THE BIBLIO FILE PODCAST
Conversations
to Bookmark
Because the world of books is bigger (and far more interesting) than any bestseller list.
The Biblio File is where I talk with the people who make the literary world spin — writers, editors, designers, critics, and the occasional shit disturber. Consisting of more than 650 long-form interviews, the archive represents a deep dive into print culture: the art, the business, the obsession.
You’ll hear about the thrill of discovery, the challenges of editing, the charm of old presses, and the power of good design. Think of it as an ongoing conversation about why books still matter — and why they always will.
ARTICLES, ESSAYS, CRITICISM, REVIEWS
Where Great Minds
Meet Great Books
Reflections on literature, art, and culture for the curious
These writings dwell where stories greet analysis. Part personal essay, part cultural critique, they explore what makes a book sing, a review sting, and an idea endure. Less hot take, more slow burn: thoughtful readings for those who appreciate language with depth and punch.
“How many cities have revealed themselves to me in the marches I undertook in the pursuit of books!”
- Walter Benjamin, Illuminations: Essays and Reflections
Vintage Magazines
& Collectibles
Buy the Magazine. Keep the Story.
I collect and sell vintage magazines because, frankly, they’re gorgeous — relics of a time when editors were fearless, art directors were innovative, and writers weren’t limited to 800 words.
We look for excellence. The striking cover, the sumptuous layout, the best authors. Excellence and condition.
Every issue tells its own story: with strong editorial and powerful use of fonts, photography and page design, and alluring, convincing advertisements full of Wow! Speaking to who we were, what we valued most, what we feared even. If you love the feel of smooth paper between your fingers, exciting visuals, the smell of history — this collection’s for you.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Words about the Words
From famed critics, lauded scholars, revered authors:
"I wanted to thank you for your many generous and intelligent words about my new book How Fiction Works (and other stuff)... I get great pleasure from reading your blog."
— Critic, James Wood, The New Yorker
“You can find very bad writing and sloppy impressionism in literary blogs, but also incisive, fresh, thoughtful criticism from voices unencumbered by the politics of Grub St". I would put your blog in the latter category, which is why I’m responding here… Congratulations on a very fine blog."
— Scholar, Dr. Ronan McDonald, author of The Death of the Critic
"I listened to your excellent interview with Sandra Campbell the other day, about her Lorne Pierce biography. As usual, I was captivated throughout — penetrating questions eliciting interesting answers; a great sense of both the foreground life in the biography, and the larger significance of that life. Your questions are always well-informed because you have read the book both sympathetically and critically. Your podcasts are an essential feature of the Canadian cultural landscape."
— Best-selling popular historian Charlotte Gray
Travel for the
Bookish Soul
Little journeys through bookshops, libraries, and literary lives.
Being a “literary tourist” can mean many things: browsing used bookshops, traveling to book festivals, visiting authors’ homes, checking out special collections libraries, attending plays…
For me, it’s all of this — plus the fun exercise of meeting great people who make, collect and revere books.
These essays document such travels and encounters, providing a backstory to The Biblio File podcast. They express the joys of scouring bookstore districts in Tokyo, connecting with genius printers in Vancouver, learning about the history of bookbinding in San Francisco. They’re travelogues for book lovers — part memoir, part cultural anthropology, love letters to world of print.
Curiosity Is Contagious
Subscribe for fresh conversations, literary dispatches, and trips down bookish rabbit holes.
Get on the list and I’ll send you updates on new podcast episodes, essays, and whatever else I stumble upon while traveling the world in search of print and meaning.