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Blog posts by Rich Rennicks

Content creator and publicist for the ABAA. 


One late change to the schedule for this weekend's Boston Book Fair is that guest bookbinder Mark Cockram is unable to travel due to illness, and has been replaced at short notice by Peter Geraty. Geraty is a respected bookbinder and teacher, who focuses on restoration, fine bindings, and other creative services for book artists. He opened his own bindery in 1984, and later changed its name to Praxis Bookbindery to reflect his focus on craftsmanship. “The word praxis best defines my approach to bookbinding. It is the practice or exercise of a skill. For me, it is the doing again and again always trying to do it better. It is what drives me and along with appreciation of the finished book, it is the pleasure I receive from the craft.”—Peter Geraty You can find examples of his work here and here... Event: Bookbinding with Peter Geraty... [more Peter Geraty Added to Boston Book Fair Schedule]


Walker Evans Collection

By Rich Rennicks

Members De Wolfe and Wood and Michael Brown Rare Books were featured in the NYT Lens Blog today for their collection of 46 Walker Evans photographs taken in 1933 Havana and safeguarded for years by Ernest Hemingway. The circumstances of Evans' trip and the prints' survival is quite a story, and the pictures are excellent examples of Evans' work. View the catalog... Read the NYT Lens Blog... Girl at Havana Window, 1933 [more Walker Evans Collection]

Many ABAA members will be exhibiting at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair November 10-12, 2017. Here are some of the published catalogs of items our members will be taking to the fair... F.A. Bernett Booth 201 James Cummins Bookseller Booth 120 Eclectibles Booth 303 Les Enluminures Booth 114 Donald A. Heald Booth 213 Lux Mentis Booksellers Booth 518 Oak Knoll Books Booth 505 B & L Rootenberg Rare Books Booth 409 Abby Schoolman Books Booth 225 John Windle, Bookseller Booth 413 This list will be updated as new catalogs are announced. For more information about the 2017 Boston Book Fair visit http://bostonbookfair.com/ SEELEY BROTHERS. MANUFACTURERS OF AVERILL PAINT, READY FOR USE New York: Seeley Brothers, 1886. Folio. Publishers blind-stamped cloth. Lithographic title leaf, (8) pages, 20 chromolithographic plates, each with de... [more Boston Book Fair Catalogs 2017]

Members Nick Aretakis and Ben Kinmont have announced a limited edition book on the late Bernard M. Rosenthal, former-President of the ABAA and one of the most-esteemed scholar-booksellers of the twentieth century. From Ben Kinmont: Bernard M. Rosenthal by Ian Jackson Berkeley: The Wednesday Table, 2017 17.75 inches x 11.5 inches. Photographic reproduction frontispiece, title page printed in red and black ink. 2 p.l., 11, pp. Hand-stitched in printed dark-grey wrappers. $60. We are pleased to announce the publication of Bernard M. Rosenthal, a memorial to one of the most esteemed scholar-booksellers of the twentieth century and essential reading for anyone interested in the history of antiquarian books and manuscripts. Bernard Rosenthal (1920–2017) is best known for having been one of the world's leading specialists in medieval manuscrip... [more Commemorative Book on Bernard M. Rosenthal]

We asked ABAA members to let us know which items they were particulaly excited about bringing to the upcoming Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair and they responded with a breath-taking selection of truly spectacular association copies, signed books, art, and idiosyncratic ephemera from all corners of the globe. You'll find the items below in the booths of Boston's Hynes Convention Center begining November 10. Leaves From a Mislaid Album Signed, limited edition of Edward Gorey's Leaves From a Mislaid Album, published by Gotham Book Mart in 1972. The publication is a portfolio of prints with no set order in which they should be viewed; images printed for Leaves consist of macabre character portraits which invite the viewer to invent stories based on the attitude and body language of the subject. Offered by Brattle Book Shop. Booth #... [more 21 Items for the Boston Book Fair]


41st Boston Book Fair

By Rich Rennicks

The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Hynes Convention Center for its 41st year, November 10-12, 2017. One of the largest rare book fairs in the country, the 2017 Boston Book Fair will host more than 120 dealers from Argentina, Australia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and Russia, as well as from all over the United States, including many ABAA members! Special events at this year's Fair include a bookbinding demonstration by British book artist Mark Cockram; Ricky Jay, the world's greatest sleight-of-hand artist discussing Magic, Cheaters & Remarkable Characters; the largest exhibition on American icon Henry David Thoreau ever mounted will be the subject of two talks by curators Christine Nelson (The Morgan Library & Museum) and David Wood (The Concord Museum) — the exhibition, "This Ever ... [more 41st Boston Book Fair]

The controversial “California Autograph Law” has been amended by an ABAA-sponsored bill, AB 228, which was signed into law by the Governor of California last week and is now in effect. Many ABAA members were involved in the effort to pass a bill to address the unforeseen consequences of the previous law, among them Brad and Jen Johnson, Marc Kuritz, Laurelle Swan, and Vic Zoschak. It is the tireless efforts of these booksellers and constituents in the state of California, the ABAA staff, a coalition of sister organizations and other supporters (including The Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA), The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Barnes & Noble, The Manuscript Society, The Ephemera Society, The Grolier Club, ILAB, The Professional Autograph Dealers Association, Horror Writers Association, Biblio, and The Easton Press), an... [more California Autograph Law Amended]


Books of the Week

By Rich Rennicks

What leaped off the pages and (figuratively) screamed "Buy Me!" as we thumbed through the most-recent catalogs from ABAA members. Well, these items for starters... THE LAST TYCOON: An Unfinished Novel, Together with The Great Gatsby and Selected Stories Description: New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1941. First edition, first printing with the “A” and the publisher's seal on the copyright page. A roman a clef, following the Hollywood rise to power of Monroe Stahr, modeled after film producer Irving Thalberg, and his conflicts with rival Pat Brady, a character based on studio head Louis B. Mayer. The novel was unfinished and in rough form at the time of Fitzgerald's death at the age of 44. His close friend, literary critic and writer Edmund Wilson, collected the notes for the book and edited it for publication. This copy is inscribed ... [more Books of the Week]

Even if you are not able to be in Oakland for the 50th annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair this weekend, you can still browse some of the dealer's material (virtually) through their fair catalogs. We've collected catalogs by ABAA members below. Enjoy! Athena Rare Books Booth 1005 Boreas Fine Art Booth 418 James Cummins Bookseller Booth 217 Eclectibles Booth 918 Donald A. Heald Rare Books Booth 301 Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller Booth 311 Honey & Wax Booksellers Booth 903 John Howell for Books Booth 914 Kaaterskill Books Booth 106 Ken Lopez Bokseller Booth 1015 Liber Antiquus Booth 213 Jeffrey D. Mancevice Booth 417 Musinsky Rare Books Booth 108 Abby Schoolman Books Booth 102 B&L Rootenberg Rare Books & Manuscripts Booth 103 Michael R. Thompson Rare Books Booth 915 John WIndle Antiquarian Bookseller Booth 205 **This page wi... [more California Book Fair: Catalogs]

The 50th annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair will take place in Oakland, CA from February 10-12, 2017. Recognized as one of the world's largest and most prestigious exhibitions of antiquarian books, the California Book Fair gives visitors the opportunity to see, learn about and purchase the finest in rare and valuable books, manuscripts, autographs, graphics, photographs and more. Where: The 50th California International Antiquarian Book Fair Oakland Marriott City Center 1001 Broadway Oakland, California When: Friday, February 10 (3pm to 8pm) Saturday, February 11 (11am to 7pm) Sunday, February 12 (11am to 5pm) Largest Book Fair on the West Coast Featuring the collections and rare treasures of 200 booksellers from the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers,... [more California Book Fair Celebrates 50 Years]