Clemmie Jackson-Stops is the founder of Vellum – a private library and book consultancy.
She curates, installs and manages libraries in homes, hotels, and offices, and occasionally on jets and boats.
Clemmie, how did you get into this unusual business?
I worked for over 10 years in the book industry, first in publishing and latterly running the business development for a wonderful London bookshop. It was there that I fell in love with finding the perfect book to suit the reader, whether it is a single special volume or a bespoke collection on a particular topic. I began to build libraries and haven’t looked back.
Are most of your clients hotels?
I do frequently work with hotels, creating collections of books that guests will love reading during their stay and which reflect the location, ethos and brand of the hotel.
The brief might be to install a large book-lined reception area or it might be to choose bedside reading for the guest suites. I, and many others in the industry, feel that in this age of wellness and digital detox, hotels cannot get away with offering anything less. The days of dusty legal tomes stacked on remote shelves are definitely over!
I also spend a lot of my time working with private clients. I might be asked to curate a new collection of books on a particular subject, provide bedside table reading on a regular basis, or help to organise, manage, downsize, catalogue or relocate an existing collection.
If a hotel puts books in its rooms, do they disappear into guests’s luggage?
Of course, it does happen. However, we also work with hotels to produce bookplates and bookmarks for their books, to discourage it.
How do you choose which books should go into any given hotel?
Every project is unique and I curate collections to suit each one. The guests and the ethos of the hotel are always at the forefront of my mind.
I start each project with a brief from the client but in general I try to provide books whch will really engage guests during their short stay. So letters, diaries, short stories, novellas work nicely. Plus, I might include books that are related to the location, whether literature, travel, biography or history.
Books shape the atmosphere and feel of a place so I also have to consider the overall identity of the hotel. Is it old-fashioned luxury, or modern contemporary chic? Does it have a particular theme? Do I need old books or new books or a mixture of the two? How will the books work with the interiors? These are just some of the many considerations.
Do some of your clients want their shelves filled with first editions, valuable hardbacks etc?
Yes, I work with clients to create collections of all types of books. Some are all new books, other are all antiquarian – and everything in between!
'A ROOM WITHOUT BOOKS IS LIKE A BODY WITHOUT A SOUL' – Cicero |
Are you constantly scouring charity shops, fetes, house sales etc for ‘stock’?
I actually don’t hold much stock. Each collection is so unique, I work on a project-by-project basis.
What’s the really fun part of your job?
Definitely choosing the books. I love finding the perfect selection for my clients. However, standing back and admiring a beautiful bookcase full of volumes that I have chosen and installed comes a close second. It is very satisfying.
Which book have you most enjoyed in the last year?
Always a hard question to answer this… probably Fateless by Imre Kertesz. It subverts expectations in so many ways and has stayed with me for months.
Thank you Clemmie!