I was thrilled recently to learn, via John Windle, of the philanthropic activities of ABAA member Phillip Pirages and his wife Ellen Summerfield. The couple formed the Give a Little Foundation in 2007 with the mission to provide assistance to individuals and families in Yamhill County, Oregon who are experiencing financial adversity and to alleviate hardship and enhance the quality of life of those on very limited budgets. The foundation offers one-time grants of up to $500 to help residents in crisis, and it has other special outreach programs in place to help school children, job seekers, and seniors. Phil and Ellen were moved to give back to their local community after identifying a need through their professional acquaintances and social services organizations. From the beginning, they have worked with existing organizations who had t... [more ABAA Member Phillip Pirages Gives Back to his Oregon Community]

The ABAA's Woodburn Fund provides financial support for scholarly research and education relevant to the antiquarian book trade. This includes annual scholarships to Rare Book School, California Rare Book School, and the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar. Ezra Tishman of Aardvark Books/Ezra the Bookfinder was the recipient of a Woodburn Fund scholarship to Rare Book School this year and had the following to say about his experience. I wanted to take moment to officially thank the ABAA for the scholarship assistance I received to attend a Rare Book School course in Bloomington, Indiana. The assistance allowed me to take the time off from work, and I spent an amazing week at Indiana University's Lilly Library, learning from the legendary "Master of Bibliographical Resources", Joel Silver. His encyclopedic knowledge of available references -... [more Woodburn Fund Scholarship Recipient on Rare Book School]

We have received a report that the items pictured below were lost in transit in July 2017. They were originally purchased at auction and listed under the lot "'Shabbat Shuva' sermon in the handwriting of the Chatem Sofer." If you have any information on these items, please contact ABAA Headquarters at hq@abaa.org or (212) 944-8291. First Item: Second Item: [more Missing Items Lost in Transit]

A copy of The Maltese Falcon was reported stolen from Rhode Island. We were provided with the following details on this particular copy: Inscribed on the upper right-hand corner of the first page was "R Stackpole” and written just below was "to Carol” The book had no stains, no rips, no other writing, no fringe tears, and was wrapped in white tissue paper. Regarding the wrapping: #1) the colorful book-cover lightly enclosed in airy white tissue paper in its own box-the lid was exteriorly taped shut on all for corners and # 2) the book itself was loosely wrapped in white tissue paper and placed in its own airy lidded box; which was taped the same way. Both containers had written on the exterior tops, "VERY VALUABLE BOOK DO NOT OPEN" and underlined. If you have any information on this item, please contact Carol Cummings at (401) 846-212... [more Stolen: “The Maltese Falcon”]

UPDATE: This item has been located! 5/31/2019. Becker, George F. Atlas to Accompany the Monograph on the Geology of the Comstock Lode and the Washoe District. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1882. First edition. 21 sheets. Elephant Folio Very good. Small paper label on backstrip and front board. Contents clean and complete. This is the atlas to accompany the third monograph from the USGS. If offered, please contact: Ken Sanders Rare Books, ABAA at (801) 521-3819 or www.kensandersbooks.com. [more Atlas Missing from Chicago Map Fair]

UPDATE: These items have been recovered. On 29 March 2019, a box with 26 Japanese books went missing in Salt Lake City, UT. The books had been exhibited at the ARLIS/NA conference and were packed and sealed in a brown cardboard box, heavily taped and labeled, that was to be shipped by UPS Freight to Boston, MA. The box was issued a UPS Freight tracking number that was never activated. A list of the missing material is below. Please contact Boston Book Company if you have any information about the package or its contents: 617-522-2100 or office@rarebook.com 1. MORIGUCHI Tari, editor. HYÔGENSHUGI KENCHIKU ZUSHÛ. Tôkyô: Kyôyôsha, Taisho 12 25.4 x 18.8 cm. A portfolio, tied, of some 60 plates, on the topic of "EXPRESSIONIST ARCHITECTURE". Wonderful modernist designs, real and proposed, from the cutting edge of the architectural design o... [more Update: Missing Japanese Books, possibly in transit from Salt Lake City]

The following item has been reported missing: On April 20, a first edition/first printing of the first Nancy Drew book-- The Secret of the Old Clock-- was stolen from a locked case at a downtown Savannah antique mall. The book itself is a little over 1" thick, medium blue with pale pink capital letters outlined in black. Other than the lettering, the front of the book is plain; there is no Nancy Drew silhouette as in later printings. The endpapers are white and blank except for an inscription that is dated September 27, 1930. The title page has considerable foxing, and the book does not have a dust jacket. We have the thief on surveillance video, and a police report has been made with the Savannah Police Department (Case #190420124). The SPD contact is Officer Mosteller, and you can reach him at (912) 651-6990. If you have any information... [more Stolen: 1st Edition/1st Printing Nancy Drew Secret of the Old Clock]

Thrasher Skateboard Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 1 (January 1981) - vol. 1, no. 9 (September 1981) (complete run of early large-format issues). San Francisco: High Speed Productions, 1981 - . Nine issues, ca. 30 pp. each, comprising an ultra-scarce unbroken early run of what is unquestionably the most influential skateboarding magazine ever published. Small folio. Near fine. Illus. wrappers, color. Twisted. No. 3 (March 1978). Seattle, Wash.: 1977-1978. Single issue, ca. 48 pp. of the West Coast punk fanzine, illustrated throughout with photos by Kathy Hammond, Dag Rex, K. Leo and others. 4to. Near fine. Illus. stiff wraps, saddle stapled. Straight Edge. No. 1 1982) Hicksville, NY / Brooklyn: Straight Edge, 1982. First Edition. Single issue, unpaginated ca. 28 pp., of the hardcore punk fanzine. Near fine. Illus. stiff wraps, stab-stapled. Forced... [more Thrasher Magazine run and Punk Material Stolen from LA Art Book Fair]

OSLER, William. AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED (ALS). Oxford, 28 December 1918. A brief but fine single-page AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED as "Wm. Osler" written about a year before his death and addressed to a frequent correspondent, a Miss Proctor. In part: "I hope you are keeping well. It is many years now since your old trouble. What an encouragement your case has been!" Single center fold, tiny edge nick, Near Fine. Osler created the first residency program for specialty training of physicians, and he was the first to bring medical students out of the lecture hall for bedside clinical training. He has frequently been described as the "Father of Modern Medicine." Osler's greatest influence on medicine was to insist that students learn from seeing and talking to patients and the establishment of the medical residency. The latter idea spread across ... [more Missing: ALS William Osler Letter]

Please contact Heather O'Donnell at Honey & Wax Booksellers if offered: 917-974-2420; heather@honeyandwaxbooks.com. Chaucer, Geoffrey; Saunders, John (editor); (artist); . Chaucer's Canterbury Tales; WITH: sixteen original painted miniatures after figures in the book. London: J.M. Dent & Co., 1894. Octavo, measuring 7 x 4.75 inches: xiv, , 487, ; 15 postcards measuring 5.5 x 3.5 each and an additional sheet of thick paper cut to the same size (16 total). Book: original full green cloth, spine lettered in gilt. Wood-engraved frontispiece and 22 full-page wood engravings of Chaucer's pilgrims, most graphed or annotated in pencil by Sandys, many hand-colored; woodcut headpieces and initials throughout text. Pencil notations regarding Chaucer manuscripts on front free endpaper; ink presentation inscription by the editor's son to Walter Crane,... [more Missing in Transit from Brooklyn, NY to MD: Walter Crane’s copy of The Canterbury Tales]