Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is one of the most-celebrated and most-notorious novels of the twentieth century. Its path to publication did not run smooth, and there are many different editions and translations worthy of the collector's attention. 1955: The Olympia Press Two-Volume First Edition The multi-lingual Nabokov (he grew up speaking Russian, English and French at home) finished Lolita in 1953, but it was rejected by all the major American publishers for fear that its subject matter would prove too controversial. He turned to the Olympia Press in Paris, then notorious for essentially publishing pornography, for the first publication of his famous novel. Lolita (First Edition) Paris: Olympia Press. Very Good. FIRST EDITION of one of the most important novels of the twentieth century. WITH IMPORTANT PROVENANCE: From the Bureau Littérai... [more Collecting Nabokov’s Lolita]

A deluxe copy of a children's classic is a favorite gift at almost any point in childhood. As the child grows older and better able to appreciate a care for their books, some seek to introduce the book-collecting bug with a signed copy, a meaningful first edition, or a particularly beautiful volume. We've collected a few beautiful, rare, or signed editions below for inspiration. You can search Children's Books by category here... A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger Natick, MA: Picture Book Studio USA/Neugebauer Press, 1988. Modern illustrated edition of the quintessential Christmas classic. Written in a mere six weeks at a low point in Charles Dickens's career, and published at his own expense in time for Christmas 1843, A Christmas Carol revived Dickens's fortunes, establishing a robust market for holiday... [more Gift Ideas: Children’s Books]

ABAA members list newly acquired or catalogued books on almost every day of the year. Keep an eager eye on our "New Arrivals" search page to see what's recently been offered for sale and find the books you need to build your collection! Here are a few highlights from this week's crop of newly listed items: Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald London: Grey Walls Press, 1953 First English edition. Publisher's light blue cloth, lettered in gilt to spine, in original pink pictorial dust jacket. Near fine with a slight lean to spine and a touch of wear to spine ends, light offsetting to endpapers, a few tiny spots to top edge; dust jacket with a few tiny nicks to spine ends and corners, spine faded but front panel extremely bright. Overall, a tight and attractive copy. Originally published by Scribner's in the US in 1932, Save Me the Waltz is... [more Explore New Arrivals]

ABAA-member Charles Roberts (Wonder Book) has published a wonderful meditation on the classic cookbook The Joy of Cooking on his blog at Wonder Books. More than a straight article about the book's creation (although it does cover that) or its critical reception and impact on the wider culture (that, too), Roberts conveys a real bookseller's perspective on the book, both as a cultural artifact and a physical artifact. More interesting still is his consideration of the market forces that affect physical books in unique ways, and how a bookseller can still find utility and value even in old, nondescript cookbooks that are not rare by any stretch of the imagination. Some books tell stories in ways other than their contents. At Wonder Book, we used to rarely get copies of The Joy of Cooking in any condition. It was just a book that people woul... [more The Afterlife of The Joy of Cooking]

Every week ABAA members list their latest acquisitions on abaa.org and issue catalogs of rare books and print ephemera. Here are a few A Pirate Classic From description: The Observations of Sir Richard Hawkins Knight, in his Voyage into the South Sea. Anno Domini 1593. Hawkins, Sir Richard. John Jaggard., ( 1622), London (4), 169, (1 errata), (5) pp. Richard Hawkins was an Elizabethan adventurer who saw action against the Spanish Armada in 1588. In 1593 he sailed to South America to raid Spanish colonies on the Pacific coast. Years later he produced this account of his privateering venture, which was published in 1622. His “Observations”, aside from being a pirate classic, is the best account of Elizabethan life at sea. It was the first work published by the Hakluyt Society (1848), and has been reprinted several times since. most nota... [more Books of the Week]

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]

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]