Marginal Notes 43: Jonathan’s goodwill gesture
From Monday 12 to Saturday 24 January 2026, we offer a net 20% price reduction
on all stock for in-store and website sales. Use the code 20PERCENT at checkout.
During the weeks my husband, Jonathan Burdon, was in Caritas Christi Hospice in Kew, Victoria, he and I had many conversations about our life together. An ongoing topic was our shared experiences in the world of books. Jonathan’s bookselling history was mentioned in my Marginal Notes 29: Burdon Family Booksellers. His legacy to the book world was movingly recorded by ANZAAB’s President, Dawn Albinger, in her message to members announcing Jonathan’s death:
Jonathan had many friends in the rare book trade both in Australia and abroad. He was president of ANZAAB from 2016 to 2019 and contributed enormously to updating our articles of association and ensuring best practice governance. His specialty in books was militaria, and he ran Pilgrim Books independently for many years before merging with Kay Craddock – Antiquarian Bookseller, a business move that was unsurprising for all who know Kay and Jonathan and their devoted life partnership.
Jonathan was also a key driver of Melbourne Rare Book Week, developed as a tool to educate the public about book collecting and bring more potential collectors into the ANZAAB fair. When the time came, he helped establish Rare Books Melbourne as a separate entity, now in partnership with ANZAAB with the same goals in place.
During one of our reminiscences, Jonathan expressed regret that he would not be able to thank all the many customers and colleagues he had interacted with over the past twenty-five years. Jonathan tentatively suggested that I make a goodwill gesture to our customers in his name, offering a special price reduction on our stock for a short time in the new year. He knew all too well my negative thoughts on booksellers having ‘special sales’ – based on my experience during my early decades in the book trade when this was discouraged by the ‘powers that be’– but such sales are a common occurrence today.
Jonathan died of pancreatic cancer on Wednesday, 19 November 2025. This is his goodwill gesture:
From Monday 12 to Saturday 24 January 2026, we offer a net 20% price reduction
on all stock for in-store and website sales. Use the code 20PERCENT at checkout.
