Please click here to read an article about ABAA member John W. Freas of Tamerlane Books. Nice article, John! John Freas' library is his portrait [more Member in the News: John W. Freas of Tamerlane Books]

This book was still reported missing as of May 30, 2019. A copy of Mountain Interval by Robert Frost was stolen. The book was either a first or second edition. It had a dark blue cover and the gold gilt on the lettering had faded. The most distinguishable trait about it was that it had a bookplate on the inside front cover with a black and white silhouette of a woman and the words "Jessamine's Book" written beneath it. This book is a family heirloom and of great sentimental value to the original owner. If you have any information on this item, please contact Sarah King Bartell at (405) 650-0866 or s.fenner.king@gmail.com. [more Stolen: 'Mountain Interval' by Robert Frost]

Last fall, Johns Hopkins' Sheridan Libraries acquired the Dr. Elliott and Eileen Hinkes Collection of Rare Books in the History of Science. The collection is comprised of more than 300 items, which Dr. Hinkes acquired over the course of two decades, and will be on display for the public in an exhibit entitled Eureka!. Earle Havens, the William Kurrelmeyer Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Sheridan Libraries, said, "The historical sweep and ambition of the Hinkes Collection are staggering, from telescopic visions of the heavens from the ancient world to the most seminal subatomic reflections upon the fundamental nature of matter and energy in the modern era." The collection includes a 1495 edition of the celestial works of Aristotle, early editions of pioneering works from the European Enlightenment, and rare off-prints of groun... [more 'Eureka!' Exhibit opens at Johns Hopkins' George Peabody Library]

This item was still reported missing as of May 30, 2019. PRIESTLEY, Joseph. Heads of lectures on a course of experimental philosophy, particularly including chemistry, delivered at the New College in Hackney. London: J. Johnson, 1794. 8vo. xxviii, 180 pp. Modern morocco-backed pebbled cloth; some minor spotting, first and last pages lightly toned. Bookplate of Dr. Sydney Ross of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York. First edition. Overall an excellent copy. If you have any information on this item, please contact Howard Rootenberg at (818) 788-7765 or blroot@rootenbergbooks.com [more Missing: Priestley's 'Heads of lectures on a course of experimental philosophy…']

These items were still reported missing as of June 1, 2019. The following items were delivered to an incorrect address and presumed lost or stolen: 1. Secret Journals of the Acts and Proceedings of Congress, from the First Meeting Thereof to the Dissolution of the Confederation, by the Adoption of the Constitution of the United States. Four Volumes . Printed and Published by Thomas B. Wait, Boston, 1820-21. Modern 1/4 calf over decorated boards, some browning, else a good set. 2. The Tryal of John Peter Zenger, Of New-York, Printer, Who was lately Try'd and Acquitted for Printing and Publishing a Libel against the Government. With the Pleadings and Arguments on both Sides . The Second Edition. McCoy Z9. Printed for J. Wilford, behind . . . St. Paul's Church Yard, London, 1738. Modern 3/4 calf over marbled boards, a very good clean copy. I... [more Missing: “Secret Journals of the Acts and Proceedings of Congress…” & “The Tryal of John Peter…”]

In 1998, a 13th century Greek Orthodox prayer book sold at auction at Christie's New York for $2 million. Why did it sell at such a high price? It's a palimpsest, an erased and overwritten document, and the true value of the book lays beneath the prayers, where one can make out the faint markings of a much older textthe only surviving copy of the essential works of Archimedes. The palimpsest had been identified in 1906 by Johan Ludvig Heiberg, a famous Danish historian who was able to decipher and transcribe portions of the text. The scope of his research was limited, however, by the limited technology at the time and because he was working with the bound text. As soon as the palimpsest was sold in 1998, William Noel of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore contacted the buyer to request permission to loan the palimpsest and put it on temp... [more Lost Texts and Diagrams by Archimedes Found In a Medieval Manuscript]

The ABAA is pleased to announce that member interviews can now be viewed on abaa.org. A few years ago, Michael Ginsberg embarked upon an archival journey for the ABAA. Recognizing the absence of member histories in the ABAA annals, Michael began conducting video interviews of members at our three annual fairs. The interviews cover members' personal histories as well as their involvement in the rare book trade. The ABAA extends many thanks to Michael, as well as Taylor Bowie, who has also conducted a number of interviews. Click here to visit the ABAA Bookseller Interviews Homepage. [more ABAA Bookseller Interviews]

The New York Public Library owes Donald Davis, proprietor of East Village Books on St. Marks Place, a debt of gratitude. Davis recently nabbed Andrew Hansen, a book thief who has repeatedly stolen from the NYPL. Hanson has been stealing from the library for years and the NYPL had distributed his picture to bookshops throughout the city. Hansen stole numerous books from the library and then attempted to sell them off to local bookstores. Davis had unwittingly fallen for Hansen's scheme in the past and vowed to apprehend Hanson if he ever came back to his store. Hansen did return and Davis was ready for him. Davis confronted the thief and then tackled Hansen and subdued him until authorities arrived. Hansen was arrested and charged with burglary and criminal possession of stolen property. Of the incident, Davis said, "There's no other situa... [more East Village Bookseller Nabs Thief]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America is delighted to announce the winners of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest! First Prize: Mitch Fraas, Duke University, Anglo-American Legal Printing 1702 to the Present Second Prize: Maggie Murray, Johns Hopkins, Literature of the Little Review: In Which Margaret Anderson Enters an Antiquarian Bookstore Third Prize: Sarah McCormick, University of California-Riverside, Desert Dreams: The History of California's Coachella Valley Essay Prize: Emily Brodman, Stanford University, Sourcing the Sanctuary Movement After a two year hiatus, the contest was reinstated last year under the joint leadership of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, the Center for the Book, and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division ... [more 2011 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Winners Announced!]

The Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford has just undergone a $122 million renovation and is christening its new gallery with an exciting exhibition of the library's most precious holdings. Treasures of the Bodleian is an especially interesting exhibit because of its interactive nature. Curator Stephen Hebron asked each staff member of the library to choose their favorite, 'unmissable' item from the vast collection, and then he whittled the list down to 75 pieces. Visitors to the exhibit are invited to suggest which pieces deserve to be given permanent display in the new gallery. A few treasures in the exhibit: Magna Carta Gutenberg Bible in pristine condition Jane Austen's handwritten compendium of her own earliest writings Mary Shelley's draft of Frankenstein with suggestions scribbled in by Shelley The Codex Mendoza The earlies... [more Treasures of the Bodleian]