Rare Books Bring Literature and History to Life at New York’s Annual Winter Show
A rare-book dealer’s Winter Show display highlights exploration, climate science, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and C. S. Lewis—and why physical books still matter.
An illuminated manuscript by Alberto Sangorski featuring a miniature of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s "The Blessed Damozel" on display at the Peter Harrington Winter Show. Courtesy of Peter Harrington
Thick, yellowed pages seem to whisper ancient wisdom as they turn. Illuminations glimmer with gold leaf and burn with otherworldly color, like stained glass. Old paper and bindings carry a sweet, spicy scent aged like fine wine.
There’s plenty of this and more at book dealer Peter Harrington’s display at the annual Winter Show, held at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1, 2026. Peter Harrington, founded in 1969, is one of the world’s premier rare book dealers and among the largest purveyors of antiquarian books in Europe.
Exploration and the American Story
Harrington’s Winter Show exhibition this year includes selections that document the Age of Exploration and the American founding, the history of the climate change debate, a unique pre-Raphaelite illuminated manuscript, and a complete first-edition collection of “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis. The show—and Harrington’s work in general—underscores the importance of textual history, cultural heritage, and the way a book’s physical form modifies and enhances the experience of the works it contains.
Walker Larson
Author
Before becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master’s in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, “Hologram” and “Song of Spheres.”
