Forrest Media, a Canadian graphic design and media production company, put together a nice animated short on the history of typography. [more Animated Short on the History of Typography]

The American Antiquarian Society was recently awarded the National Humanities Medal. We caught up with the Society's director, Ellen S. Dunlap, to hear all about it. Founded in 1812, the Society houses American books, broadsides, newspapers, graphics, and ephemera from first contact through 1876, and more selectively in manuscript collections. The award was given “for safeguarding the American story. Through more than two centuries, the Society has amassed an unparalleled collection of historic American documents, served as a research center to scholars and students alike, and connected generations of Americans to their cultural heritage.” Ellen and her colleague Matthew Shakespeare were returning from a business trip when she received a call from the NEH's acting director offering the award. The nomination process is somewhat secret,... [more American Antiquarian Society Receives National Humanities Medal]

This item is still missing as of 6/2/2019. An Alphabeticon : encyclopedia for the use of the lettered and unlettered. Edition C- 16 volume set of the Analphabeticon; Assembled by George Brecht and Rudolf Rieser in a random order using images sent in by artists like John Cage, Diter Rot, Jasper Johns, Wolf Vostell, Emmet Williams, and various fluxus artists.; Title from paper band on book cover. With color silkscreens on Japanese paper with Vellum covers. Editon of 28 copies only. Please contact Elayna Zucker, if offered at ez@zuckerartbooks.com. [more Missing: An Alphabeticon]

This item is still missing as of 5/28/2019. The following item was stolen in Cambridge, MA on 7/28/14: Bocher, Emmanuel. Le Macramé. Technique, Modèles divers, Procédés d'exécution. Paris, Librairie Damascène Morgand, 1919. 441 pp. B./w. ills. Soft cover. Folio. (Manuel des Travaux à L'Aiguille V). *Very rare. If you are offered this item or have any information regarding the book, please contact Nancy Stieber at nancy.stieber@umb.edu or (617) 547-0977. [more Stolen: ‘Le Macramé. Technique, Modèles divers, Procédés d’exécution.’]

Last Friday PBS NewsHour did a feature on a fine press printing of Walt Whitman's seminal poetry collection Leaves of Grass. The limited edition is being published by Arion Press and produced in the same way the first edition was produced on 1855-- on a movable-type printing press. [more Fine Press Printing of Whitman’s ‘Leaves of Grass’ Released]

The ABAA is delighted to welcome the following new members to the Association: Lawrence O'Shaughnessy of Franklin Books LLC and Teri Osborn of William Reese Company. Read a little more about each member below. Full Member Lawrence O'Shaughnessy, Franklin Books LLC (Oldwick, NJ) Larry O'Shaughnessy established Franklin Books in 2006 after spending over three decades in general management, investment banking, and international consulting. His business is focused on offering books that are truly beautiful as well as being significant literary works. In addition to fine leather bindings, livre d'artiste works, and fine art photography, Larry has been working with artists to create unique fine bindings to take the “livre d'artiste” experience to a new level, and enhance the overall reader experience, by having the externals of a book play ... [more ABAA Welcomes New Members]

Each year the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) holds a four day Preconference focused on special collections. The location of the conference and the theme change annually; this year the event was held in Las Vegas and explored "space, place, and the artifact in special collections". The conference allows special collections librarians and developers from across the country to socialize and participate in meaningful conversations about the field. In addition to the variety of workshops, seminars, and social events, a main component of the Preconference is the ABAA's Bookseller Showcase (read Greg Gibson's impressions of the 2014 showcase here). The showcase is like a book fair amuse-bouche: there are usually between 30-40 exhibitors who bring a sampling of their inventory... [more Viva Las Vegas: 2014 RBMS Preconference and Booksellers’ Showcase]

I'm from Maryland and John Waters is my favorite famous hometown boy. (I'm reading his new hitchhiking memoir Carsick now.) I serendipitously met him once at a gallery in P-town and he was just as engaging one-on-one as he is in this video—a recent interview from the LIVE from the NYPL series. Unsurprisingly, Waters is a great story-teller and in it, he talks about his book collection (think counter-culture and LGBT literature with punny titles) and name-checks our friends at Bolerium Books. He also discusses the problems institutions face when collecting material that is no longer "PC" or otherwise considered distasteful. -Susan Benne [more John Waters, Charm City Book Collector]

Member Chic Goldsmid reports having shipped (USPS, insured) a box of books to the District of Columbia. The box arrived today, having been opened and without the two books below: RICHARD WILBUR. Anterooms: New Poems and Translations. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010 - Cloth. In jacket. Warm, personal Wilbur inscription to his friend and colleague, Robert Mezey. ALLEN GINSBERG. Fall of America: Poems of These States 1965-1971.SF: City Lights, (1972). In original printed paper wrapper. Customer uncertain that it is a first. Apparently also personally inscribed to Mezey and family. Please contact us or Chic if you know the whereabouts of these items. Charles Goldsmid: goldsmid@mindspring.com or (909) 625-2543. [more Missing: Poetry Inscribed Richard Wilbur & Allen Ginsberg]

On June 17th, join ABAA members George Koppelman and Dan Wechsler for an evening at Swann Auction Galleries, where they will be speaking about their recently published book Shakespeare's Beehive and recounting "the story of how two antiquarian booksellers would acquire and conclude that it is William Shakespeare's own personal dictionary." Full details below. [more Lecture on Shakespeare’s Beehive at Swann Galleries]