The Columbia News Service published a brief article about the trade, which included quotes from Michael DiRuggiero of The Manhattan Rare Book Company and Michael Thompson of Michael R. Thompson Rare Books. Despite E-Books, Rare Books Aren't Endangered [more Members in the News: Michael DiRuggiero & Michael R. Thompson]
Bookseller News
The Raab Collection is currently offering a three page letter penned by William H. Herndon, one of Abraham Lincoln's closest friends, that offers unique insight into Lincoln's religious beliefs. Historians have had little substantiation on this topic since Lincoln refused to discuss religion and did not belong to a church. In his 1866 letter, which was written to the current clerk of the House of Representatives, Edward McPherson, Herndon writes that "Mr. Lincoln's religion is too well known to me to allow of even a shadow of a doubt; he is or was a Theist - a Rationalist, denying all extraordinary -– supernatural inspiration or revelation". Please click here to read the full article on CNN. Congratulations to The Raab Collection on acquiring such an important historical documnet! Letter from close friend offers rare glimpse into President Lincoln's 'theist' beliefs The Raab Collection [more Member in the News: The Raab Collection]
Today the book world lost a giant: Peter B. Howard of Serendipity Books in Berkeley, CA has passed away. Peter was interviewed in February at the San Francisco Fair. You can view the interview in its entirety here. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family. [more Sad News: Peter B. Howard]
Read this excellent piece about ABAA member Elmar W. Seibel and his firm, Ars Libri. Congratulations, Elmar! Turning the Page [more Member in the News: Ars Libri]
Here is a prospectus to Jeff Weber's latest book, An Annotated Dictionary of Fore-edge Painting Artists & Binders (Mostly English & American). Part II: The Fore-edge Paintings of Miss C. B. Currie; with a Catalogue Raisonné, which was previously posted about in this blog. [more Prospectus for Jeff Weber's Latest Book on Fore-edge Painting]
On Monday, March 7th at the Salmagundi Club in Manhattan, James Cummins will be giving a lecture entitled, “Points of Issue: Appraising Rare Editions of 19th Century Literature”. This lecture is part of the Freeman's Lecture Series, and the Appraisers Association of America has graciously offered ABAA members free admission to the event. More details are below. Please attend if you are able and support a fellow ABAA member! Freeman's & the Appraisers Association of America cordially invite you to a presentation of “Points of Issue: Appraising Rare Editions of 19th Century Literature” Presented by James Cummins James Cummins Bookseller, New York Monday, March 7, 2011 6:00pm, Reception to follow at 7:00pm Lecture will be held at the Salmagundi Club 47 Fifth Avenue at 12th Street, NYC Free for AAA/ISA/ASA/RICS/ABAA/Salmagundi Members $20 General Admission Kindly RSVP one week in advance to 212.889.5404 x11 or online at www.appraiserassoc.org On Monday, March 7th at the Salmagundi Club in Manhattan, James Cummins will be giving a lecture entitled, “Points of Issue: Appraising Rare Editions of 19th Century Literature”. This lecture is part of the Freeman's Lecture Series, and the Appraisers Association of America has graciously offered ABAA members free admission to the event. I have included more details below, as well as attached an informational flyer. Please attend if you are able and support a fellow ABAA member! Freeman's & the Appraisers Association of America c... [more James Cummins Lecture]
Last weekend at the 44th California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco, the ABAA held a raffle in support of the Elisabeth Woodburn Fund. For those who are unfamiliar, the Elisabeth Woodburn Fund is non-profit charitable fund established by former ABAA President Elisabeth Woodburn in 1990. It is overseen by the Trustees of the Benevolent Fund and the Executive Director of the ABAA, and gives financial assistance for scholarly research and education relevant to the antiquarian book trade, such as scholarships to the Colorado Antiquarian Bookselling Seminar and the California Rare Book School, contributions to the ILAB Bibliographical Prize, and support of the Bibliographical Society of American and the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. The Elisabeth Woodburn Fund also houses the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Fund, which was created to encourage and educate new book collectors and to support the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest, which is now cosponsored by the ABAA. The raffle prize was a photo collage celebrating 50 Years of ABAA Fairs. Emeritus member Barney Rosenthal supplied the photographs, which were taken at the 1961 New York Fair, and he also compiled and signed the collage. Barney was also kind enough to come to the Fair on Sunday to draw the winning ticket and present the collage to the winner. ABAA member Sam Hessel was the lucky winner, and he generously donated the piece to Headquarters for archival purposes... [more San Francisco Raffle Photos]
Eight years ago, Paul Ryall and Ed Smith made this documentary for the ABAA. It was shot at the 36th Annual California International Book Fair held in San Francisco. Here is the link. Enjoy! [more 'Bibliomania' Now on YouTube In Its Entirety]
ABAA members James Bryan and Mary Hill, proprietors of Carpe Diem Fine Books, were featured in an article in the Monterey County Herald this past weekend. The link to the article appears to be broken, so I have posted it below. Congrats, James and Mary! ******************************************** First editions seize the day at downtown bookstore By DAVE DE GIVE Special to The Herald Posted: 02/06/2011 01:38:57 AM PST; Updated: 02/06/2011 01:38:57 AM PST Sixteen years ago, James Bryant and Mary Hill were living in Utah when they had the idea for selling books. Hill, previously from Monterey, followed a job that had moved to Utah, but Bryant, who was in the wine business, found that sales were slow in Salt Lake City. Eager for something new, "we took the opportunity to seize the day and start a book business," said Bryant. The couple eventually moved back to the Peninsula, and for the past five years have operated Carpe Diem Fine Books in a historic neighborhood in Old Monterey, specializing in first-edition, rare and used books. The location is fitting for a store that stocks rarities from the past. A segment of Monterey's Path of History winds its way along Pearl Street, passing Carpe Diem's 1930s Carmel-stone building before turning up Houston Street toward the Robert Louis Stevenson House, where the famous author lived in 1879. The location is fitting for a store that stocks rarities from the past. A segment of the Monterey's Path of History winds its way along Pearl Stre... [more Members in the News: Carpe Diem Fine Books]
The 44th California International Antiquarian Book Fair will be held this weekend, February 11th-13th, in San Francisco at the Concourse Exhibition Center. Over 200 members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) will be exhibiting their diverse inventories, providing a rich selection of books, manuscripts, maps and other printed materials. The theme of this year's fair is music, and there will be a special exhibit of rare musical books and manuscripts from the Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library of the University of California at Berkeley. Additionally, there will be several lecture and seminars taking place during the fair; a schedule of events can be found here. If you are attending the fair, please drop by the ABAA booth! The 44th California International Antiquarian Book Fair Concourse Exhibition Center 635 8th Street at Brannan Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Hours: Friday, February 11, 2011 3 pm - 8 pm Saturday, February 12, 2011 11 am - 7 pm Sunday, February 13, 2011 11 am - 5 pm For more information, please visit sfbookfair.com. [more This Weekend: 44th California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco]