In June Book and Magazine Collector we highlight The Top 50 Science Fiction books to have in your collection. Jonathan Scott, takes us through 50 Science Fiction books which have shaped the genre from H.G. Wells War of the Worlds to Asimov’s I, Robot. It’s a perennially popular genre. And as usual we include the price guides that you need to assess your own collection.

In April’s issue we uncovered the original Naturalist’s Library, a beautifully illustrated range of books, published in Edinburgh in the1830s and 40s, which covered flora and fauna for the amateur enthusiast. Now we turn our focus to The New Naturalists Library, launched by Collins in 1945, which has proved immensely popular with collectors. Their book on Ladybirds for example recently broke the £1,000 mark, even though it was only published in 1994. Many pristine examples still shrink-wrapped in their original plastic fetch enormous sums at book fairs.

As a keen collector you will already know that June is the month of the London Book Fairs, when dealers from all over the country descend on the capital to sell their wares. It is a wonderful weekend for all serious book collectors to catch up on a vast number of books, and to check on trends and prices. We give full coverage of the times and places of the fairs, and who will be attending so that you can plan your visits.

Don’t forget to read our new regular column A New Look at Old Books as we look at how Oxfam bookshops are affecting the trade.