Last April, ground was broken in Mount Vernon and construction of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington commenced. The library will be a repository for Mount Vernon's vast collection of books, manuscripts, and archival materials, and will be open to students, scholars, and other special groups. It is slated to open in September of 2013. Perhaps the most interesting wing will be the replication of George Washington's own personal library, all 1,200 books, a project spearheaded by James Rees, president and chief executive of the Mount Vernon Estate, Museum, and Gardens. Washington's books were all catalogued prior to his death in 1799, making the replication possible. After his passing the books were split amongst family members, but by 1848 most had been acquired by Henry Stevens, a well known rare bookselle... [more Washington's Private Library Replicated at Mount Vernon]

This item was still reported missing as of June 11, 2019. The following item has been reported stolen: Title : Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Authors : Carroll, Lewis Date of publication : circa 1940 Publisher : Doubleday Doran & Co, New York Description : Fine copy. If you have any information regarding this book, please contact Paul Foster at Info@paulfosterbooks.com [more Stolen: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]

This past February, librarians at the Russian State Polytechnical Museum Library in Moscow were preparing their collection for relocation to a temporary depository when they made a surprising discovery. Behind one of the emptied stacks a librarian noticed a plywood wall that sounded hollow when knocked upon. The cover was moved aside and revealed a number of books. As librarians dug deeper and removed the entire wall, they uncovered a 6.5 foot long hiding place that housed 30,000 books printed before the Russian Revolution in 1917. The books were almost exclusively in foreign languages. Svetlana Kukhtevich, deputy director of the Polytechnic Library, explained that "scientists and generally educated people of the 19th century spoke several languages and there was no need to publish books in Russian." The majority of the books were printed... [more Secret Wall in Russian Library Reveals Hidden Trove of Books]

A rare watercolor of the Brontë sisters is scheduled to be auctioned on Thursday by JP Humbert Auctioneers in England. The painting was originally set to be sold last month, but was pulled at the last moment as auctioneers tried to establish a more direct link to the supposed artist, Sir Edwin Landseer. The painting had been previously attributed by the National Portrait Gallery after four years of research by the vendor, but the auction house wanted to make certain that the link between the artist and the Brontë sisters was as solid as it seemed. John Humbert, of JP Humbert Auctioneers, says that experts have now confirmed the painting was done by Sir Edwin Landseer and is strongly believed to be of the famous sisters. "We have spent quite some time trying to establish a link between Landseer and the Brontes and after cross referencing... [more Watercolor of Brontë Sisters to be Auctioned]

The ABAA's Pacific Northwest Chapter is pleased to announce that it will be sponsoring a Rare Booksellers' Seminar on Digital Tools and Tricks for the Bookselling Trade. The seminar will be held in Seattle on Thursday, June 28 from 9am-4pm. ABAA members and booksellers in the Pacific Northwest region are invited to attend this free event, but space is limited and pre-registration is required. Digital Tools and Tricks for the Bookselling Trade Featuring via Skype: * Joel Silver, Associate Director and Curator of Books, The Lilly Library, Indiana University: My Favorite Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books * Dan Gregory from Between the Covers Rare Books: Rare Book Photography for the Busy Book Professional * Luke Lozier, from Bibliopolis: Don't Trust the Cloud: Maintaining Control over your Digital Assets * Joachim Koch, from Books... [more Seattle Rare Booksellers' Seminar, 6/28/12]

UPDATE: This item has been recovered. The following photograph album has recently gone missing from a customer's collection. If anyone is offered this album (or parts that sound suspiciously like it) please contact John Kuenzig at (978) 887-4053 or orders@kuenzigbooks.com SIXTY-SIX ORIGINAL IMAGES FROM THE LANDMARK HARVARD-BOSTON AERO MEET OF 1910, THE FIRST MAJOR AVIATION EXHIBITION ON THE EAST COAST. THERE ARE IMAGES OF PRESIDENT TAFT, WILBUR WRIGHT AND GLENN CURTISS (HARVARD-BOSTON AERO MEET OF 1910). The Harvard-Boston Aero Meet was held from September 3rd to 13th, 1910. The Harvard Aeronautical Society was formed in 1909 and they held the next year the second aviation meet in the United States; the first one was held in Los Angeles earlier in 1910. The local citizens raised $50,000 to fund the event and put up $40,000 in prize money,... [more UPDATE: Missing Materials Related to 1st Aviation Exhibition]

In the 1960s, Richard Booth had an idea: turn his small hometown of Hay-on-Wye in Wales into an international attraction by filling it with bookshops. (A bibliophile's dream!) He opened his first second-hand bookstore in an old movie house in 1961, and it was such a success that other residents took his lead and began opening their own shops. Over the years, when a business closed in Hay the space was often converted into a bookshop and the town slowly became filled with bookstores. Converting the businesses in this manner left a number of bookshops in unusual locations, like an old hair salon, a fire hall, a hardware store, and even a castle. Part of Mr. Booth's dream for Hay was to have a number of small specialist bookshops, a goal that has been realized with stores like the Poetry Bookshop, which focuses entirely on- you guessed it- p... [more Hay-on-Wye: A Small Welsh Town with a Decidedly Bookish Character]

Member Bob Topp of Hermitage Book Shop was recently named a 7Everyday Hero by ABC Denver for his volunteer work with children. For the past eighteen years, Bob has been visiting Bergen Valley Elementary School to read to children, grades 3-5. He began volunteering when his own children attended the school, but he enjoyed encouraging children to read so much that he continues to do so to this day. "I cannot describe it," Bob says. "Everybody says how much the kids enjoy it. It doesn't hold a candle to how much I enjoy it." The children Bob reads to are equally delighted by his visits. "A lot of schools don't get it, so we're really cool that we get him to come to our school," says Lily Urban, 3rd grade. "When he reads a story he always picks out a book almost as if he has a kid's mind." Congratulations on the award, Bob, and thank you for ... [more Member in the News: Bob Topp, Hermitage Book Shop]

Volunteers working for the CBC Calgary Reads book sale made an exciting discovery this week as they were sorting through the tens of thousands of donated booksa first edition of Hemingway's classic The Old Man and the Sea. An advisor on rare books for the sale, Gerry Morgan, says of the found copy, "The dust jacket is in very good condition which is fairly uncommon for a book from 1952 or 1953. It is not price-clipped, the price is still on the book. I think it's $3.30. And the only marking inside is a light pencil previous owner signature." He estimates it's worth to be between $1,000 and $1,200. The Old Man and the Sea was the last major work of fiction published by Hemingway (1952). It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1953 and it was cited by the Nobel Committee as a considering factor when Hemingway was awarded the Nobel... [more Hemingway First Edition Found Among Book Donations]

Yesterday we were faced with the very sad news that beloved author and illustrator Maurice Sendak died at the age of 83. We're big fans of Mr. Sendak here at ABAA HQ, and it's difficult to find the right words to pay tribute to such an important literary figure. So, in lieu of a more personal eulogy, I've provided links below to several interviews and profiles. (He had so many interesting things to say, it really is worth taking the time to read a few.) We've lost a legend, but there's some consolation in the following quote. Mr. Sendak said, "There are so many beautiful things in the world which I will have to leave when I die, but I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready." Rest in peace, Mr. Sendak. NPR's Fresh Air has put together a wonderful compilation of interviews with Sendak over the years: Fresh Air Remembers Maurice Sendak Maurice Senda... [more Maurice Sendak (1928-2012)]