About the shop
Helicon Books is the new home of two old-hand booksellers with years of experience around the world.
We sell wide yet carefully curated selections of literary fiction, short stories, poetry, essay collections, history books, travel and nature writing, belles lettres, and coffee-table tomes - we value literary merit and beautiful production.
Our services include (but are not limited to) book-club hosting and recommendations, bespoke library-building, gift subscriptions, and wedding registries. Something else in mind? Just drop us a line - we’re happy to help.
About the owners
Matt Sturrock and Lizzie Lee are career booksellers who have worked in the trade for more years than either would care to tally. (When Matt was a neophyte, the books-in-print catalogue was stored on microfiche, and ISBNs were only 10 digits long.) They both worked for the exceptionally well-curated Daunt Books in London, England, the superbness of which they eventually hope to match in their own inventory here on the North Shore. Before Daunt, Matt was happily ensconced in Toronto at the exquisite Nicholas Hoare booksellers (gone these many years now, and still lamented), and has freelanced as an editor and a reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement, the Globe and Mail, and the National Post. His first work of non-fiction, A Small Book of Exemplary Deaths, was released in 2022. Lizzie got her start at Waterstones in the UK, working her way from harried and browbeaten seasonal temp to sagacious buyer and benevolent manager. She also studied in the prestigious literature and creative writing program at the University of East Anglia, and is a published poet. Some day, they plan on paying themselves a living wage.
Mount Helicon
We take our name from the home of the Nine Muses of Greek mythology - the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. This sacred mountain in ancient Greece was also the location of the Hippocrene Spring, the waters of which were said to bring forth poetic inspiration. We hope to help spark a little creativity in our own North Shore mountains.
