RARE book dealer Scholium is the brainchild of Philip Blackwell, a director of Blackwell Publishing until it was sold to Americans for £572 million in 2007. Mr Blackwell bought Shapero Rare Books, based in Mayfair, and renowned throughout the book world. The business, founded by Edward Shapero, owns about 6,000 books, varying in price from £50 to more than £200,000. On average, these rare books cost about £6,000. Now Scholium is hoping to raise £10m through a flotation on the London Stock Exchange. Some of the proceeds will be used to boost stock at Shapero Rare Books and some will be held in reserve to be used when particularly fine collections come on the market. Analysts forecast Scholium sales of about £6m for the year to March 31, rising to £10m next year. Pre-tax profits are expected to more than double from £550,000 to £1.2m in the same period. Mr Blackwell and Mr Shapero are well connected and the flotation proceeds should enable Scholium to grow fast. At 100p, the shares offer good value.