Art fan Paul's 'disbelief as rare book turns up after five-year search

A Dunblane man who had spent five years searching for a rare paperback has described his "complete disbelief" after a copy turned up in his local Oxfam bookshop.

- NICK FORBES

Rare find Paul Dixon couldn't believe it when the paperback turned up in the Stirling bookshop

Paul Dixon, 66, had been looking for a book called Iona Celtic Art: The Work of Alexander and Euphemia Ritchie, which was only published in 2008.

Written by E. Mairi MacArthur, the 80-page volume details the couple's work crafting and selling jewellery and other items in a shop they opened on Iona in 1899.

The pair were both trained at the Glasgow School of Art and the book is described as a "must-have" for anyone interested in the designs of the Arts & Crafts movement, which celebrated handcrafted, decorative work.

Mr Dixon said he had wanted to find a copy ever since he first heard of it five years ago.

"I'm a big fan of Arts & Crafts and the Glasgow School of Art, and I own a couple of pieces by Alexander Ritchie, the renowned Scottish silversmith and metalworker," he explained.

"Once I knew the book existed, I just had to find a copy."