Clive Farahar (born 1953) is a British dealer and expert on books and

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced ...

s. He is best known as an expert on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

's ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local peopl ...

'', which he joined in 1986.

Biography

Farahar is the son of Robert, a geologist and Joan (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Hutchins) Farahar, Clive Farahar attended

Westminster Abbey Choir School Westminster Abbey Choir School is a boarding preparatory school for boys in Westminster, London and the only remaining choir school in the United Kingdom which exclusively educates choristers (i.e. only choirboys attend the school). It is loca ...

. He joined Francis Edwards Ltd, a bookdealer in London's

Marylebone High Street Marylebone High Street is a shopping street in London, running sub-parallel to Baker Street and terminating at its northern end at the junction with Marylebone Road. Given its secluded location, the street has been described as "the hidden won ...

on leaving school in 1969. Joining the travel department he spent his first month in the bookshop dusting the shelves in order to become acquainted with the stock. In 1972 Farahar joined the staff of a bookshop in

Culham Culham is a village and civil parish in a bend of the River Thames, south of Abingdon in Oxfordshire. The parish includes Culham Science Centre and Europa School UK (formerly the European School, Culham, which was the only Accredited Eur ...

, between Abingdon and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

, before becoming a market trader at Bath Antiques Market where he sold books during the week and worked as a wine waiter at weekends in order to make ends meet. In the summer of 1976 he met his wife, Sophie Dupré, the manuscript specialist, and in 1979 he became a partner in Francis Edwards in London where he took responsibility for a new book investment scheme. However, the venture failed and the receivers were called in. The new owner of Francis Edwards invited Farahar back as manager but when the business moved to

Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye ( cy, Y Gelli Gandryll), simply known locally as "Hay" ( cy, Y Gelli), is a market town and community in Powys, Wales; it was historically in the county of Brecknockshire. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as "the to ...

in order to reduce costs Farahar decided to leave and set up his own antiquarian travel book business. He and his family had moved to their home in

Calne Calne () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, southwestern England,OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershir ...

in 1980 where Sophie had already set up her autograph and manuscript business. Clive Farahar writes and lectures and is a member of the

Antiquarian Booksellers Association The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA) is the senior trade body in the British Isles for dealers in antiquarian and rare books, manuscripts and allied materials. The ABA organises a number of book fairs every year including its flagship ...

. He became an expert on the

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'' programme in 1986. In 2003, when the ''Antiques Roadshow'' visited Dumfries in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, Farahar identified a collection of 23 drawings and watercolours as the work of

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Potter (, 28 July 186622 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' The Tale of Peter Rabbit'', which was ...

. He valued the collection at £250,000.Potter artwork valued at £250,000
,

Newsite, 1 September 2003

References

External links

Clive Farahar Rare Books and ManuscriptsFarahar and Dupre websiteFarahar
on the

Newsite {{DEFAULTSORT:Farahar, Clive 1953 births Living people Antiques experts British television presenters People educated at Westminster Abbey Choir School