A RETIRED book dealer has taken the brave step of opening his own rare and antiquarian book shop in a small Dales village, at the age of 79.

John Killeen said: “One has to be courageous or foolhardy to open an antiquarian bookshop these days in the face of universal electronic communication.”

The Contented Reader has opened on Ingleton’s Main Street and claims to have “the finest collection of rare and antiquarian books in the Craven area and perhaps further afield.”

Mr Killeen has a long experience of book selling and has been a member of the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association for 38 years.

“I retired 20 years ago but since then I’ve just accumulated more and more books – way too many for me to keep – so this was the best way I could think of to pass them on."

Around half the books in the shop are from a huge collection he has amassed over the years, and many reflect his personal interests – including warfare and the Lake District.

Among the most valuable items is a copy of William Westall’s Twelve Views of the Caves in Yorkshire, from 1818, in its original published covers.

There is also a copy of Boyd Dawkins’s seminal 1874 book on caving in a luxurious signed Byntun binding.

As well as old comics dating from as early as 1939, the two-storey shop also houses hundreds of children’s books as well as older paintings, maps and prints.

“We’ve got books on just about everything under the sun,” said Mr Killeen. “It’s more like a London bookshop but tucked away in a north Yorkshire village.”

Mr Killeen has also had a helping hand from professional bookseller and art teacher Mike Singleton, who chose the paintings that decorate the shop and designed its sign – a Regency gentleman enjoying a book in relaxed contentment.