About Carmela's Books

Carmela's Books is named for my grandmother, Carmela Scoppa, who emigrated from Italy to Australia in 1953. Although she had to leave school after the third grade, she inspired a love of reading in her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

My name is Matteo Scoppa, and I founded Carmela's Books out of a lifelong love of books and reading and an interest in history, culture, language, and literature. I have always been drawn to books not only for what they contain, but also for what they represent: tangible connections to the people, ideas and events of other times and places. This appreciation of books as both intellectual works and historical objects lies at the heart of Carmela's.

We specialise in books on history, philosophy, science, cultural studies, and literature, ranging from enduring classics to significant modern works. Our interests are centred on British, European, and Australian publishing from the sixteenth century to the present day.

We offer first editions, rare and antiquarian books, and works selected for their historical interest, intellectual merit, literary quality and aesthetic appeal. We are committed to careful selection, accurate condition reporting, and building lasting relationships with collectors, libraries, institutions and lovers of the written word.

Photography

Alongside my interest in books, photography offers another means of exploring the world around me. Through my photographs, I seek to capture and interpret the people, places and surroundings I encounter, guided by my own curiosity, perspective and creative instincts.

My original fine-art photographs are available through Carmela's Books as signed prints, professionally produced in Sydney on archival-quality paper.