At a time when some brick and mortar antiquarian bookstores are closing their doors in favor of an internet-only presence, Matthew and Adrienne Raptis, of Raptis Rare Books, have gone against the grain and recently opened a rare bookstore on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. Worth Avenue, like Madison Avenue or Rodeo Drive, is synonymous with luxury brands and caters to an island that is home to the rich and famous, including the new President-elect, Donald Trump. Raptis Rare Books had previously operated mainly as a catalog and online business out of a beautiful Italianate villa in Vermont, but Matthew Raptis wanted to have more interaction with his customers and allow people to come into greater contact with “these wonderful written works of art.” The new gallery opened on November 1, but the grand-opening is being held until January 2017... [more Raptis Rare Books Moves to Palm Beach, Florida]
I think of myself as a Beatrix Potter fan. I bought some nice reproductions of the original Peter Rabbit stories for my kids when they were young, and my Farmer McGregor impression regularly reduced them to fits of giggles. But, until recently, I never realized there are literally dozens of books and characters by Potter that I've never come across. Perhaps publishers don't believe her brand of simple humor and anthrpomorphic animals doesn't appeal to "modern" children (although mine would strongly disagree), but a search of the ABAA database reveals some wonderful stories and colorful characters that likely won't be familar to anyone but children's book collectors and rare book dealers. You can view our members' listings for yourself, but here are just five books by Beatrix Potter that most people are unlikely to have heard of... GINGER ... [more Five Beatrix Potter Books You’ve Probably Never Heard Of]
Longtime ABAA-member John Windle has a new endeavor, The William Blake Gallery, a new exhibition space in San Francisco dedicated to works created by the massively influential 18th and 19th century poet, artist, and engraver. The gallery is the largest of its kind devoted solely to the artist, as well as the largest collection in the world of pieces by Blake available for purchase. The opening exhibition (“Always in Paradise: A William Blake Chrestomathy”) features works by Blake's own hand, including a stunning tempera painting, an important preparatory wash painting, and the earliest impression of an illuminated plate printed by Blake ever offered for sale — a proof plate from Songs of Innocence. Also exhibited are many other prints of unparalleled quality, displaying Blake's range and many of his most iconic images. "Tyger Tyger,... [more New William Blake Gallery]
More than 120 dealers from around the world rendevous every fall at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston's Back Bay to display their latest acquisitions to collectors. 2016 will see the 40th annual book fair in Boston, taking place over the weekend of October 28-30. Here are some selected highlights of the items ABAA members will be taking to the Boston Book Fair this year. A full-page document (see attached) signed by Thomas Cushing, submitted to the Senate and House of Representatives of the state of Massachusetts, dated Oct. 2, 1783, stating that when the British troops were in possession of Boston in the year 1775, he suffered the loss of “the greatest and most valuable part of his household furniture while he was attending his duty at Congress and his family were (sic) drove out of the Town of Boston, destitute of any furniture.... [more Boston Book Fair: Featured Items!]
David J. Holmes was born in Somerville NJ in 1945 to Forrest and Margaret (Reed) Holmes. His childhood was blessed by wonderful family and friends and a deep love of nature. He spent the spare moments of his youth “brookside” in New Jersey, studying the ways of the water, and along the Jersey shore. Later this love was to bring him to purchase his summer home in Port Clyde, Maine. David was also a gifted athlete. When it came time to go to college he selected a sports-oriented school (Springfield College) and then surprised everyone by majoring in English. It was here that he met Barbara Ware, the woman who would become his wife. He and Barbara spent a summer together studying at Oxford University in England where David discovered the world of rare books and manuscripts—a passion that was to become the focus of his life's work. He a... [more In Memoriam: David Holmes, 1945-2016]
Yes, Boston is a great city with many great book shops, but is its book fair a must-see event? Well, the short answer is "Hell, Yes!" But you'll need more convincing than mere enthusiasm, so here are ten powerful reasons to attend the 2016 Boston Book Fair, ten ways in which it will probably make you a better-informed collector. 1. Meet 100s of Rare Book Experts Sure, there wll be more than 120 rare book dealers from the US and abroad exhibiting at this year's book fair, but they are not the only rare book experts in the room. Each dealer brings 2-3 staff, all experts in their particular areas, so that means at least 300 bona fide rare book experts on the dealer side of the tables alone. But many of the attendees are also extremely knowledgable as well. They have lifetimes of experience working in rare book libraries and archives, researc... [more Ten Reasons to Attend the Boston Book Fair]
The 2016 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair will present a special exhibition, Collecting the Boston Music Scene: 1976-2016, in honor of their host city. David Bieber, formerly of WBCN, will display a selection of highlights from his extensive archives of rock posters, albums, and ephemera chronicling 40 years of Boston's vibrant music scene — a collection that features collections of items connected local groups like Aerosmith, The J. Geils Band, and The Cars, as well as many quirky one-of-a-kind pieces by other artists. Boston has always been known as a music town, giving birth to groups of all genres—rock, folk, jazz, blues—and a spate of legendary venues that hosted them—The Boston Tea Party, Paul's Mall and the Jazz Workshop, Club Passim, the Underground, and the Paradise, to name a few. That music scene was aided and... [more Collecting the Boston Music Scene: 1976-2016]
Arizona State University have announced the acquisition of the Robert Lawler Collection of English Renaissance texts, including significant works by Milton, Chaucer, Raleigh and Swift. The sale was made by Alcuin Books & Autographs, LLC., which had acquired the collection from Arizona businessman and book collector Robert A. Lawler. Discussing the collection, Richard Murian, owner of Alcuin Books described it thus: "Besides the 1550 Chaucer, there were also the 1598, 1602, and 1687 editions which according to Professor Richard Neuhauser (editor of the forthcoming 4-volume Chaucer Encyclopedia) adds greatly to the significance of the collection since in some cases it includes Chaucer apocryphal material that has never been recorded as existing in a single copy. The 1527 remarkable Polychronicon was a superb copy as were the Fabian Chronicl... [more ASU Libraries Acquire Robert Lawler Collection]
Full Members Jennifer Johnson, The Book Shop, LLC Jen Johnson is the co-owner of The Book Shop, LLC in Covina, California, along with her husband Brad, a member of the ABAA Board of Governors. The Johnson's are celebrating their 10th anniversary of ownership of The Book Shop, a bricks-and-mortar store that has been serving Southern California for more than 35 years. Specialties of The Book Shop include California and the West, archives and ephemera, and heavy metal music. Jen is a native of Nebraska and a graduate of Pepperdine University. She is a former newspaper reporter and public relations executive. She became an associate member of the ABAA in 2010, serves as the co-chair of the Southern California Book Fair Planning Committee and was recently selected to receive a scholarship as the ABAA's representative to the 2016 ILAB Congress ... [more New ABAA Members]
A quick look at the stories being discussed in book-collecting circles this week. The Highlights: ABAA-Members interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning Starting off with the news that's closest to home, ABAA-members George Koppelman and Daniel Wechsler were featured on CBS Sunday Morning recently. The booksellers' belief is that they may have identified Shakespeare's personal copy of John Baret's Alvearie; or Quadruple Dictionarie, and they have published a book, Shakespeare's Beehive, detailing their exhaustive investigation. Possible Napoleonic-War Journal Found in Second Hand Bookshop A customer rummaging through an old store cupboard in an Australian second-hand book shop unearthed a hand-written diary that appears to have been kept by a British Army officer serving under the Duke of Wellington between 1810 and 1812. Time to give a second gl... [more Rare Book News]