About Us - The Moonraker Legend and The Company

How did we come about choosing the name "Moonraker"?

Being based in Wiltshire it seemed appropriate to adopt the name of Moonraker to perpetuate the legend ...


For those not already in the know, the name comes from an event that occured one moonlit night on Salisbury Plain in the late 18th century.  A group of smugglers were hauling a consignment of brandy across the Plain on pack horses when they saw a band of excise officers approaching.  They quickly threw barrels of brandy into a nearby dew pond and maintained contact with them by using rakes.  When the 'revenuers' rode up, the smugglers, feigning simple natures, pointed to the reflection of the moon in the water and said they were trying to recover the large cheese that was floating in the pond.  The excise officers rode off laughing at the apparent stupidity of the 'yokels'.  Once they had gone the contraband was recovered and the journey continued.  Henceforth, Wiltshire people would be known as 'Moonrakers'.


We believe that this delightful story shows initiative, understanding of a situation and an ability to respond quickly.  Qualities we believe that we are able to demonstrate in our services and in responding to customer needs.

A little bit about Moonraker Books as a company:-

We are an established and expanding wholesaler of remainder books to the retail trade, always carrying a large and constantly changing stock range of varied subjects and titles.


If you already use our service we trust that the web site will be an additional benefit and that you will find it useful.  You can use it with confidence.


If you are reading about Moonraker for the first time and are thinking of trying us (and we hope you will), you will find:-

  • A business based on twenty years of experience in the remainder business.
  • A wide range of general interest titles that people will want to buy.
  • Immediate response on your enquiries and despatch of orders.

Our operation is based in our warehouse in Wiltshire, centrally located for dealing with the requirements of retailers in any part of the country - or beyond.