Japanese books
As a pupil at Oundle School, Colin developed an interest in William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites. After Oundle, he studied at St John's College, Oxford, and worked for some years in publishing (at Routledge in London) before moving into antiquarian bookselling. He specialised in the study of private presses and the book-arts, but also wrote on Shakespeare, Japanese books and prints, Lord Chesterfield, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and on printing techniques and media.