The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America's Diversity Initiative Committee is proud to announce a paid summer internship program co-sponsored by AbeBooks. We invite you to apply and share this opportunity with qualified applicants at your institution and beyond. This 10-week paid, hands-on, learning-oriented program seeks to provide an opportunity for entry to historically underrepresented individuals in the trade—Black, Indigenous, people of color, and/or LGBTQ+, by offering tools, experiences, and exposures necessary to pursue a career in the antiquarian book trade. The intern will gain experience in research, cataloging, customer relations, and more with an ABAA member as host. Application Requirements Self-identify as Black, Indigenous, person of color, and/or LGBTQ+. Minimum requirement of a high school diploma, OR be a currently enrolled student in any degree program, OR be a recent graduate (< 1-year post-grad). Must be detail-oriented, have independent research experience, strong writing skills and time management, and be comfortable working on solo and collaborative projects. Prior experience working in a bookstore, library, or customer service setting is a plus. Ability to secure summer housing independently and ability to coordinate commute if necessary. The application is a 2 stage process. Stage 1 application can be found here. Stage 2 of the application can be found here. The application deadline for Stage 1 and Stage 2 is April 30, 2024. Please note... [more 2024 ABAA x AbeBooks Internship]
Bookselling
The Raab Collection is looking for a Medieval Manuscript Specialist. See below the job description. Medieval Manuscript Specialist at The Raab Collection Rare opportunity to help build and develop a medieval manuscript department from the ground up, joining an established firm in the historical document field, The Raab Collection. Main Responsibilities – Acquire and catalog inventory, following dealer and auction sites – Liaise and be a point of contact for buyers and sellers – Write blog posts and other pieces that aid promotion – Maintain relevant sections of the website using WordPress content management system (no coding required) – Support public relations efforts Requirements: – Self-starter, multi-tasker, well-organized – Existing network of contacts within the collecting community – Background in Medieval art history or paleography, particularly English - Minimum 3 years industry experience - Salary commensurate with experience. Full-time position Starting date: ASAP Location: this is a remote position; no location requirement. Occasional visits to Philadelphia. Interested applicants should contact nathan@raabcollection.com, attaching their resume. [more Job Opening: Medieval Manuscript Specialist at The Raab Collection]
J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians LLC, established in 1977 and long-time members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Professional Autograph Dealers' Association, the Music Library Association, the American Musicological Society, &c., are internationally recognized dealers in rare printed and manuscript music, rare books on music, autograph letters of composers, and music-related iconography, 15th - 21st centuries. We pay special attention to the particular collecting interests of our clientele and over the last 46 years have helped to develop some of the most important antiquarian music collections, both institutional and private, in the U.S. and abroad. We aim to provide accurate and informed descriptions of material offered to best enable our customers to make the wisest decisions regarding their acquisitions. We operate from private premises in the township of Syosset, on the north shore of Long Island. The area is known for its attractive parks, pleasant villages, and proximity to the Long Island Sound, as well as very good schools, hospitals, and high-level healthcare. Syosset is approximately one hour by train from New York City. This is a full-time, on-site position, with compensation commensurate with qualifications and experience but in the range of $45,000-$60,000. Responsibilities - Create original cataloguing for rare music-related material utilizing an in-house music reference library of approximately 5,000 volumes together with online reso... [more J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians LLC Seeks Cataloguer]
Associate Bookseller Position Based in the historic Union Building in Old Pasadena, Whitmore Rare Books has been serving a range of collectors for over a decade, placing rare book and manuscript materials at some of the most influential private collections and institutional libraries around the globe. In 2023, our shop seeks to recruit an Associate Bookseller to assist us in expanding our operations. This is a full-time salaried position based in our Pasadena shop that includes a set in-shop schedule with potential travel to and from book fairs. Salary is commensurate with experience and includes health insurance and paid time off (range $65,000 - $85,000). Interested parties should email a resume and cover letter to info@whitmorerarebooks.com. What the position entails: Research and Writing: • Cataloguing o Assisting with backlog and overflow cataloguing • Editing o Assisting with editing print and digital catalogues o Regularly checking on/editing/revising existing descriptions • Book Fairs o As needed, traveling to or from book fairs to assist in set-up and break-down o As needed, providing on-floor sales support at book fairs Front of shop support: • Shop Walk-ins o Welcoming walk-ins to the shop o Handling in-shop sales o Collecting client information • Phone Call and Email Support • Managing door for deliveries/outbound packages Marketing: • Social Media o Collaborating in developing on-brand content for social media channels o Scheduling and releasing soc... [more Associate Bookseller Position at Whitmore Rare Books in Pasadena, CA]
Book Fairs are back! After two years without an in-person fair, the ABAA has been able to safely hold two so far this year with Boston coming up this fall. California and New York by all accounts were a success for exhibitors and customers alike, with New York particularly robust for sales and visitors, and exuberant crowds and attendance at record levels. At the height of the pandemic, some feared that Virtual Book Fairs would overtake in-person fairs in popularity. VBF's have been complementary, especially for those sellers and customers who are unable to travel, but are not replacements for in-person fairs as is apparent in these photos from the two events. Profile photo: Sunday Steinkirchner at the New York Book Fair, photo by Meredith Nierman. NCC Book Fair Committee triumphantly opens the Oakland Book Fair! L to R: Alexander Akin, James Bryant, Mary Hill, Michael Hackenberg, Laurelle Swan, Ben Kinmont, and Beverly Garcia-Garst. Photo by Joseph Driste. aGatherin' in Oakland, photo by Joseph Driste. Laurelle Swan awards the California Young Book Collector's Prize to Stacy Shirk. Photo by Joseph Driste. David & Caroline Brass in NY, photo by Meredith Nierman. Kiley Samz (B&L Rootenberg), photo by Meredith Nierman. Megumi Hill, photo by Meredith Nierman. Miranda Garno Nesler (Whitmore Rare Books), photo by Meredith Nierman. Michael Jennings (Neatline Antique Maps), photo by Meredith Nierman. [more Notes from the Field: Book Fairs are Back]
Research documenting rare bindery dust jackets from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. Adapted from the Spring 2019 Journal of The Private Libraries Association, Pinner, Middlesex, England. Reprinted by permission. The practice of issuing dust jackets on new books is generally thought to have begun with the introduction of publishers' bindings around 1820. Books issued before then (and after) in provisional bindings are believed to have neither needed nor received jackets.1 But while this understanding of early jacket use has long seemed correct for British, American and European books, recently examined evidence shows that dust jackets were issued long before the 1820s in the German states and probably elsewhere in Europe. Most of the surviving examples of these jackets, including the earliest ones, are of German origin, which is where this previously undocumented and all but unknown chapter of book history begins. I. Two-piece bindery jackets 1760s–1860s Throughout the latter decades of the eighteenth century and beyond, German binderies produced a distinctive and durable type of dust jacket for the simple board bindings of that period. This practice continued well into the era of publishers' bindings in the nineteenth century. Examples of these jackets have been examined on about thirty titles, all bound in paper-covered boards, from the 1760s to the 1860s.2 These early jackets had several characteristics that were common to them throughout the entire period of t... [more Early Bindery Dust Jackets]
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund Since its founding in 1952 by a group of ABAA members, the Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund has been dedicated throughout its history to providing timely financial assistance to those in the book trade who find themselves in a time of need. Originally known as The Charles Grand Memorial Fund (a founder's reminiscence can be found below), it was specifically meant to provide “for the assistance of needy persons, regardless of affiliation, who are or have been engaged in the business of selling and dealing in books, manuscripts, and printed matter in general,” with the only proviso being that funds may be granted only for personal needs, not for business needs. In a typical year, the Fund gives a total of $40,000 in one-time disbursements to booksellers in need, the majority of whom are not members of the ABAA. Historically, the Fund has been sustained by donations from ABAA members, their generosity born out of their understanding of how precarious a livelihood in the book trade can sometimes be. Most antiquarian booksellers are individual proprietors with limited capital, and are especially vulnerable to unanticipated ill-health, accidents, natural disasters or other types of misfortune. The Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund is administered by a group of Trustees comprised of the three most recent Presidents of the ABAA. The ABAA regards its stewardship of the Benevolent Fund as one of its most important responsi... [more Donate to the Benevolent and Woodburn Funds]
The Boston Virtual Book Fair will take place at www.abaa.org/vbf from 11AM EST on Thursday, November 12 until 7PM EST on Saturday, November 14, 2020. Schedule: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 11AM EST Patron Preview Patron Preview tickets are available here... (A portion of proceeds supports the ABAA Benevolent Fund.) FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13 11AM EST Book Fair Opens for Free Admission 1PM EST Julia Child and Company: Culinary Delights at the Schlesinger Library Details and register for this event... 2PM EST Virtual Scavenger Hunt Begins Details to be shared via the ABAA Facebook page at 2PM EST on Friday, November 13. 3PM EST The Curious Case of Chloe Russell's “The Complete Fortune Teller and Dream Book” Details and register for this event... 5PM EST Reading the Drink/Drinking the Read Details and register for this event... SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14 11:30AM EST Boston Virtual Book Fair Tour: The Art of the Book Details and register for this event... 1PM EST Historical Artifacts and the Myths of the Women's Voting Rights Movement Details and register for this event... 3PM EST The Ticknor Society Collectors' Roundtable Details and register for this event... 7PM EST Virtual Book Fair Closes For more information about the Boston Virtual Book Fair visit www.abaa.org/vbf... For tickets to the Patron Preview click here... To register for all other events at the Boston Virtual Book Fair, click here... [more Boston Virtual Book Fair Schedule]
The ABAA has launched a program where seasoned ABAA members act as mentors, i.e. business advisors and guides, to novices in the rare book field and/or those not currently in the trade but whose background and interest in the vocation would make them good candidates to enter the field. The goals of this program are to: • Provide dealers early in their careers with the opportunity to advance their professional development • Build a recruitment pipeline for the Association that enhances the number of qualified applicants and diversifies the membership • Afford mentees the opportunity to build a relationship with an ABAA member • Educate potential candidates about a career in the trade (for example, graduate students looking for a profession outside of academia) Structure ABAA Headquarters is responsible for coordinating and implementing the program. Mentors and mentees will be paired with consideration of a variety of factors such as any specific requests, specialization/area of focus, and business structure. Location could also be a point of consideration but, with the availability of technology like Skype, need not be a requirement. Once paired, mentors and mentees will be introduced via ABAA Headquarters and, if both felt that it was a suitable fit, would commence a one year period of mentorship. Over the course of the year, mentors and mentees are required to have face to face communication for a minimum of 1-2 hours each month (this could be completed electronicall... [more ABAA Launches Mentorship Program for Novice Book and Manuscript Sellers]
JAMES CUMMINS BOOKSELLER of New York City is seeking an experienced antiquarian bookseller and rare book cataloguer familiar with the full range of material handled by the firm: printed books from incunables to modern literature, as well as manuscripts, autographs, archives, ephemera, and illustration art. The ideal candidate will have strong writing skills, as well as practical, demonstrable knowledge of descriptive cataloguing (including collation, bibliography, and knowledge of reference sources) from an antiquarian bookselling perspective, with suitable foreign language skills (at least one classical or modern European language beyond English). Sales experience is essential, including the ability to engage new customers (private and institutional), conclude sales, and maintain relations with existing customers. The ideal candidate will enjoy working collaboratively as a member of a small team in cataloguing, buying, researching, and selling rare books, and will have areas of particular expertise or specialization. This is a full-time position. Some travel will be required. Salary: $70,000 plus benefits, or commensurate with experience. Please send CV and references to Henry Wessells, henry@jamescumminsbookseller.com (e-mail only). [more Position Opening at James Cummins Bookseller]