Pssst! We're less than a month away from the incredible NY Antiquarian Book Fair (April 12-15), held annually at the historic Park Avenue Armory, and we have a small preview of just a few of the exciting items that will be offered for sale. Click here for a sneak peak! [more NY Book Fair Sneak Peak]
Blog posts by Susan Benne
Susan is the Executive Director of the ABAA. She collects material on Brooklyn as well as ephemera and vernacular photography. Susan is focused on making the book trade diverse and equitable.
The weather is gloomy here in NYC, but the video below brightened my day and is good for a laugh. Enjoy! Brontë Sisters Power Dolls [more Video: Brontë Sisters Power Dolls]
ABAA member Sunday Steinkirchner of B & B Rare Books in Manhattan is the newest contributor for Forbes.com! Her new blog is called 'Home Office' and it will detail Sunday's entrepreneurial life as a rare bookseller. The blog just launched yesterday, so click here to read the first post. Congratulations, Sunday! You can follow Sunday's blog by clicking here. Entrepreneurial Life: Tales of a Young Bookseller [more Member in the News: Sunday Steinkirchner]
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America is delighted to announce that Sid Lapidus and Jay and Jean Kislak have been awarded the ABAA and ILAB Patron of Honor. The ABAA feels these individuals demonstrate how the printed word materially affects history, scholarship, and cultural intelligence and the importance of collections to institutions and the public. A ceremony and celebration will take place at the ABAA's annual meeting on April 14, 2012 at 10am at the Park Avenue Armory's Tiffany Room. All are welcome to attend, but should RSVP to hq@abaa.org. Sid Lapidus has generously given his time and support to numerous charitable pursuits, including the American Antiquarian Society, of which he is currently chairman. An alumnus of Princeton University, Mr. Lapidus has donated and exhibited materials, including pamphlets, books, an... [more ABAA and ILAB Patrons of Honor Announced]
Today, Swann Galleries in New York will be offering an original manuscript from the Salem witch trials as part of the Eric C. Caren Collection auction, entitled 'How History Unfolds on Paper'. The manuscript is the court indictment of Margaret Scott, a widow in her 70s who was accused and found guilty of "certaine detestable arts called witchcraft and sorcery." Scott was one of the last eight residents executed for crimes of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. She was hanged on September 22, 1692. The pre-auction estimate for the manuscript is $25,000-$35,000, a figure that Richard Trask, a leading expert on the trials, says is too low. Trask has been in the field since 1963 and says that he has "only seen witchcraft documents sold twice during professional life." He continues, "They are very valuable, and this is an indictment — ... [more Manuscript from Salem Witch Trials to be Auctioned Today]
ABAA member Vic Zoschak of Tavistock Books has generously offered a scholarship to any antiquarian bookseller interested in taking Joel Silver's course, "Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books". Vic attended Rare Book School in the past, and considers it to be an invaluable resource in addition to a highly enjoyable experience. He decided to endow a scholarship as a way of 'paying it forward' to other antiquarian booksellers. Additional details are below, courtesy of the Rare Book School website. The Tavistock Books Educational Scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship opportunity that is available to all antiquarian booksellers interested in taking Joel Silver's course, "Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books" (L-25), 23-27 July 2012. One Tavistock Scholarship will be awarded in 2012. Preference will be given to individuals i... [more Tavistock Books Offers Educational Scholarship to Rare Book School Course]
The following item has been reported stolen: Title : Authors : Mezzotint by Charles Turner after Henry Fuseli Description : Mezzotint portrait in Rosewood frame stolen from a Surrey auction house. NB accompanying image of different impression of same print. If you have any information regarding this item, please contact Nigel Talbot at grosvenorprints@btinternet.com [more Stolen: Portrait of Joseph Priestley]
It happens often, especially when you attend so many rare book shows, but this is one instance in which I really wish I had a lot of cash to spare! On May 8, Bonhams auction house will present Visions of Garcia, an auction of very unique Jerry Garcia memorabilia. The offerings are diverse and sound very cool. An illustrated catalog will be posted on Bonhams.com in the weeks preceding the auction, but below are some of the items that will be included in the lot. Artwork: 'Mood River', one of five known oil paintings by Garcia A set of airbrush originals by Garcia (circa 1985) of 'Alien Craft & Brain' Two sketchbooks (circa 1991), that include 30 previously unseen drawings Original preliminary cover artwork for the Grateful Dead's Europe '72 album, 'Rainbow Foot' by Mouse and Alton Kelly 'Wetlands II', a popular airbrush piece by Garcia 'P... [more Jerry Garcia Memorabilia to be Auctioned at Bonhams]
UPDATE: This item has been recovered. The following item has been reported missing: An original cabinet photo of the original "Buster Brown". The name Buster Brown is written in ink on the mounting board right below the actual photographic image. Buster Brown's dog, "TIGE" is sitting on top of his railroad transport cage. There are two or three men standing in the background. This image was photographed in Stamford, Texas during the teens or 1920's. The size of the mounting board would be approximately 8 inches X 11 inches. If you have any information about this photo, please contact John Moschiono at (713) 444-4107 or johnmos@airmail.net [more UPDATE: Missing Original Photo of Buster Brown]
I'm very sad to report that longtime bookseller and ABAA member Don Reisler has passed away after a protracted battle with cancer. The service will be held at 11am tomorrow, Tuesday, March 13, gravesite at the National Memorial Park Cemetery, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia (between section 7 and 8 of the King David Memorial Gardens). A lunch will be held afterwards at Bazin's on Church (111 Church Street, NW, Vienna, VA). In lieu of flowers, Don's family asks that donations be made to the Capital Caring Halquist Memorial Inpatient Center (4715 15th Street North, Arlington, VA 22205), the hospice where Don spent his last days. It's a sad day for the rare book trade. Our condolences go to Don's wife Jo Ann, daughter Kim, and grandson Sam, as well as the rest of his family and friends. [more Sad News: Don Reisler]