The Boston Globe has published an online slideshow of independently owned bookstores in Boston, and ABAA members were certainly the 'stars' of the show, making up half of the total bookstores listed. Congrats to our Bostonian sellers! Please click here to view the slideshow. Almost all of these dealers will be exhibiting at the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair next week. Despite economy, local bookstores endure [more ABAA Bostonian Members in the News]
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.
Click here to read a brief opinion piece about used books and their relation to e-readers. I strongly agree with the author that it doesn't have to be "one or the other", and I don't by any means think that the market for printed matter is going to disappear. What are your thoughts? I'm a Used Bookseller, and I'm Not Afraid of E-Books [more "I'm a Used Bookseller, and I'm Not Afraid of E-Books"]
Please click here to view a list of stolen books that was recently brought to our attention. If you have any information regarding any of these titles, please contact LaTonya C. Gibbs at lgibbs@chubb.com or (800) 252-4670 [more Stolen Collection]
In 1863, Union Army Captain William A. Treadwill of the 4th New York Regiment took a book of court records from a Virginia county courthouse and shipped it north to Boston, presumably to keep the book as a relic. The book made its way from Boston to Jersey City, where it remained in the Jersey City Free Public Library for the past 150 years. The book was recently unearthed while librarians were parsing through the library's holdings in order to prepare for an upcoming exhibit to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. It contains transcribed summaries of court records from 1749 to 1755. Carl Childs, the director of Local Record Services at the Library of Virginia, was thrilled to hear of the book's discovery. The vast majority of pre-Civil War records from the Stafford County Court were destroyed, so this book helps shed some ... [more 220-year-old Book of Court Records Returned to Virginia]
I found a great post about Books of Hours on a French blog about medieval manuscripts, and it provided several videos on various Books of Hours. Below I have included a short informational video on the structure of a medieval manuscript, as well as the link to the blog. Enjoy! The Structure of a Medieval Manuscript Videos: Books of Hours [more Videos: Medieval Manuscripts and Books of Hours]
These items were still reported missing as of June 6, 2019. The following items were stolen: Title : Dramatic Dialogues for the Use of Young Persons. By the Author of the Blind Child Authors : Date of publication : 1792 Publisher : E. Newbery, London Description : Three engraved plates. First Edition. Two volumes bound in one. Small 8vo. . , 196 pp; f, 163pp. Contemporary binding by R. King of Hythe (with his printed yellow label) of tree calf, the covers with a thin gilt roll border. Smooth spine divided into six panels by a gilt pallet, lettered in the second panel on a red goatkskin label, the edges of the boards tooled with a blind roll, plain endleaves, lightly sprinkled edges. (A little worn). A few spots and a little light soiling, but a good copy. With the printed yellow label of R. King of Hythe and a recent bookplate of a saili... [more Additional Stolen Items from George Bayntun]
In anticipation of the 75th anniversary of the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, Harper Collins has announced that it will be releasing 110 of Tolkien's original illustrations for the book, twenty of which are previously unpublished. The illustrations were compiled into a book entitled The Art of The Hobbit, which will be released on October 27. The drawings have been in Tolkien's archive at the Bodleian Library at Oxford, but were only recently 'discovered' by Harper Collins after the images were digitized. captionThe illustrations include line drawings in ink, watercolors and sketches, and contain "his conceptual sketches for the cover design, a couple of early versions of the maps and pages where he's experimenting with the runic forms, as well as a couple of manuscript pages", notes David Brawn, publisher of the new collecti... [more Original Tolkien Illustrations for 'The Hobbit' to be Released]
These items were still reported missing as of June 6, 2019. The following items were reported stolen: Title : The Genuine Book. An Inquiry, or, Delicate Investigation, into the Conduct of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales... Authors : Date of publication : 1813 Publisher : Longman, Hurst, Orme, and Brown, London Description : . iv, 100, 55 pp. Bound c.1900 by Zaehnsdorf in half burgundy goatskin, marbled paper sides. The spine divided into six panels with gilt compartments, lettered in the second and numbered at the foot, marbled endleaves, top edge gilt, the others untrimmed. (the paper sides a little rubbed). Title : Circe, Translated from the Italian of John Baptist Gelli, of the Academy of Florence Authors : LAYNG (Henry) Date of publication : 1744 Publisher : James Bettenham, London Description : Engraved frontispiece by Parr ... [more Three Items Stolen from George Bayntun]
This item was still reported missing as of June 3, 2019. The following item has been reported stolen: Title: Hispania Damiani a Goes Equitis Lusitani Authors: GOES (GÓIS), Damiao de Date of publication: 1542 Publisher: Rescius, Leuven Description: 30 leaves. First edition of a description of Spain and Portugal by Damião de Goes (1502-1574), an important figure in the Portuguese humanist movement, written to correct errors made by other writers, particularly Sebastian Münster. If you have any information about this book, please contact Julius W. Steiner / ASHER Rare Books, E-mail : jwsteiner@asherbooks.com, Phone : +31 620303886 [more Stolen: Hispania Damiani a Goes Equitis Lusitani]
It has just been announced that ABAA member Larry McMurtry of Booked Up in Archer City, TX will be stepping in as the "New Books" columnist for Harper's Magazine. He will be filling in for Zadie Smith, who is on temporary leave. Congrats, Larry, we can't wait to read the column! 'Lonesome Dove' author Larry McMurtry writing books column for Harper's Magazine [more Member in the News: Larry McMurtry]