Zwemmer's was a meeting place for a cross-section of the art world - artists, collectors, academics and laymen - attracted by a range of books covering all arts of all periods. Anton Zwemmer was a friend and patron of many leading artists, from Picasso to Wyndham Lewis, and his gallery showed a wide range of work, including Britain's first completely non-representational exhibition, its first Dali exhibition, the Surrealist group show of 1940 and major exhibitions of artists such as Picasso, Miro and de Chirico. After the war the gallery promoted younger British artists including John Bratby and Peter Coker. As a publisher Zwemmer issued the world's first book on Henry Moore and the first English language book on Picasso, and through co-editions he brought to the English public many French and German publications which would otherwise have remained inaccessible. In addition, some of Britain's finest books on architecture have appeared under the Zwemmer imprint.

Dr. Halliday has worked extensively through the Zwemmer family's archives to piece together the history of this remarkable institution. His research has also brought to light designs by McKnight Kauffer, paintings by Graham Sutherland and John Tunnard, and correspondance from Wyndham Lewis, published here for the first time.