The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) condemns the actions of the two individuals sentenced today in the Carnegie Library thefts. John Schulman ceased to be a member of the ABAA within days of his indictment. As antiquarian booksellers, we are the custodians and caretakers of cultural materials. This incident is not only a violation of that responsibility and our rigorous Code of Ethics, it is also a tremendous loss to scholarship in the Pittsburgh community and beyond. When we were alerted to the thefts, the ABAA published lists of the stolen and missing material. Our members continue to assist the authorities and collectors around the globe in identification and recovery activities. We co-sponsored an international seminar on provenance at the Grolier Club in 2019 and as a result, bolstered our communications efforts and stolen and missing books blog. We are continuing to work with our colleagues and law enforcement agencies throughout the world and our counterparts in special collections libraries to develop a more robust international stolen books database and increase awareness on the importance of security and provenance. [more ABAA Statement re Carnegie Library Thefts and Sentencing]

Here's the description of a book that was stolen from a local FedEx in NYC last week on or after 6/1/20. If anyone is offered the below, please contact Josh Mann of B&B at 646-652-6766. Hemingway, Ernest. Green Hills of Africa. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1935. Decorated by Edward Shenton. First edition, first printing. Publisher's green cloth, stamped to front board in gilt with author's facsimile signature, stamped in black and gilt to spine; in the original green, black, and white dust jacket with a photograph of the author to rear panel. A near fine copy with some fading to extremities, particularly the spine, toning to page edges, small bookseller's sticker to rear pastedown; in a very good dust jacket with toning to spine and wear to extremities, some shallow chipping to spine head, rubbing to folds, a few scattered scratches. Overall, a nice copy that presents well. Hanneman A13a. [more Hemingway’s Green Hills of Africa]

These items were reported stolen May 14, 2020 from Columbus OH. West Point Atlas of American War. 2nd addition signed by President Esinhower with the addition of personal words from him to me it reads, " to Rex Brown with best wishes D. W. Esenhower. 1965." "The History of the Scottish Clans and Family's" one printing 1905. Sent to a listed names of 500 odd persons. Please contact Rex.w.brown47@gmail.com with any information. [more Stolen Columbus OH: West Point Atlas of American War and History of the Scottish Clans and Families]

ABAA Member Peter Kraus remembers bibliophile, collector, and seller Colin Franklin. I was lucky enough to have not one, but two, truly great booksellers as mentors. The first, and most important, was my cousin, Hans Kraus. From my mid teens on, he initiated me into the world of rare books, Teaching me how to use a bibliography and exposing me to everything from Egyptian Books of the Dead to a first edition of Ulysses. However, In 1967 I was lucky enough to meet Colin when he was still working at his family publishing house of Routledge and Kegan Paul, which had been the publisher of a book by my great grandfather, and I was working for the Kraus companies. We hit it off immediately, and he invited me to pay a visit to Culham, which was then his country house. There he proudly showed me his latest purchase, a complete set of Kelmscott Press Books, all on vellum, except the Chaucer, which was on paper and Inscribed by Morris and Burne-Jones to Swinburne. At that point I had never heard of the Kelmscott Press, nor did I know what a private press book was. Colin was the perfect teacher, there being no one better able to transmit their passion for books, and to explain them in a readily comprehensible manner. Many years later he did the same thing with Japanese books, giving me the courage to deal in them, although neither of us could speak or read a word of Japanese. Anyway, I was now hooked, purchasing my first press book the following week in the form of the Kelmscott edition ... [more Remembering Colin Franklin]

UPDATE: This item was recovered 5/18/20. The following item was reported missing and last seen at the ABAA Fair in Pasadena this past February: Nightingale, Florence. Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not. London: Harrison, . First edition, early issue. 79pp. Octavo in flexible black textured cloth with gilt title on front wrap. Rebacked, with original wraps. Light wear to extremities; hinges reinforced, interior unmarked. With publisher's advertisements for the year 1860 on endpapers. With ads for Burke's Peerage and the Foreign Office List, both for 1860 (with the '8' in the Peerage ad's '1860' in slightly larger type); with 'The right of Translation is reserved' appearing in brackets at the foot of the title page; and with spelling errors uncorrected on pages 40 and 44. Identification number is 56736. If you have any information on this item, please contact Ken Sanders Rare Books at ecannon@kensandersbooks.com or (801) 521-3819. [more Missing: Early Issue of “Notes on Nursing” by Florence Nightingale]

The ABAA is accepting entries for the 2020 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest, which is jointly administered by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), the Grolier Club, and the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress. The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest is open to all prizewinners of college book-collecting contests, whether or not first prize, as well as to interested students whose institutions do not offer formal contests or whose contests may have been canceled this year. (More information can be found here.) All entries should be submitted at apply.abaa.org. All entries for the 2020 competition must be submitted by June 16, 2020. For more information on the contest, please visit contest.abaa.org. Meet the 2019 NCBCC winners... Don't miss any articles on The New Antiquarian blog! Subscribe to the ABAA email newsletter! * indicates required Email Address * Email Format html text #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:420px;} /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ [more 2020 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest]

Update: The Booksellers begins a series of virtual cinema screenings on Friday, April 17, as release plans have obviously had to change because of shelter-in-place orders. Visit this page for information on which art-house cinemas are sponsoring virtual screenings in different cities from April 17. --- The hotly anticipated documentary about the rare-book world, The Booksellers, opens in New York City this week, just as the rare-book world itself descends on the city for the 60th annual New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. Described by The Hollywood Reporter as “a treat for anyone who appreciates the printed word,” the filmmakers interviewed book collectors, dealers, librarians, and bibliophiles over several years to capture a picture of the rare-book world at this point in time. Directed by D.W. Young, executive produced by Parker Posey, and produced by ABAA-member Daniel Wechsler, the film is a celebration of the book and book culture, as well as a survey of the influence technology has had on the book trade, and how interest — nay obsession — with finding and preserving significant books and related items has endured despite what alarmist mainstream media headlines might have us believe. The Booksellers features interview with a great many ABAA-members, as well as prominent collectors and writers, such as Fran Lebowitz, Gay Talese, Susan Orlean, and Kevin Young, resulting in a panoramic view of the trade from many perspectives. Trailer The film debuted to ... [more The Booksellers Documentary Opens]

Meet the latest members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America. Full Membership Daniel R. Danbom, Danbom & Son Books (Denver, CO) Dan Danbom is owner of Danbom &; Son Books, which deals primarily in modern first editions in Denver, Colorado. Before entering the book business, he was in journalism and corporate communication.. For many years, he was a humor columnist for several industry-related magazines and was a book reviewer for The Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post, where he still writes occasional features. He has also contributed to several books including “Slam Dunks and No-Brainers: Language in Your Life, the Media, Business, Politics and, Like Whatever” and “Speakeasy.” He started Danbom & Son in 2009. He is a former CABS attendee and is a member of the Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association. He places a high importance on community service and has a particular interest in placing books in the hands of children who are food bank recipients and in persons coming off homelessness through the St. Francis Center in Denver. Mark Funke, Mark Funke, Bookseller (Mill Valley, CA) Mark Funke started selling rare books in 2014 while living in Berlin, Germany. He attended the inaugural York Antiquarian Book Seminar in September 2014 and was hooked ever since. Funke was searching for a career that allowed for significant travel, and he has found it. Although he now lives in Northern California, Funke travels to Europe twice a year to atte... [more New Members]

ABAA members are adapting to the new reality of shelter-in-place orders and self-isolation in myriad different ways. Most are finding creative solutions to serve their customers while complying with state-mandated restrictions on movement and opening hours. While larger stores in states currently under shelter-in-place or similar orders are closed and staff are subsequently unable to get to the stores, many ABAA bookstores are family businesses or run from home, and as such are still able to meet their community's needs. Here are some of the different initiatives ABAA members have launched over the past two weeks: "Front Porch Deliveries" -- The Book Bin, Salem Oregon Obadiah Baird, owner of The Book Bin, a new, used, & rare bookstore in Salem, Oregon, has been putting in long days getting books, puzzles, and magazines to his self-isolating customers. As well as offering free home delivery and curbside pickup, Baird has partnered with a local coffee shop to stock their coffee beans while the cafe has to remain closed. Baird says he regularly ends his days “dropping books off on people's porches” — and now coffee, too! Musing that “under normal circumstances we booksellers can be a reclusive, skittish, introverted lot,” Baird declared “but now is not normal. We want to drive books to your home! We want to walk out to your cars! We are here for you. Please make use of us!” You can follow Baird's progress on The Book Bin Facebook page... Daily Special Offers on Fac... [more ABAA Members Adjust to Self-Isolation]

Editor's Note: Barbara Rootenberg was honored by the ABAA's Women's Initiative during a reception in Pasadena this February. What follows is a speech given by her granddaughter, third-generation bookseller Madison Rootenberg Schwartz. I grew up knowing my grandparents' house was different. While most kids were going over to their grandmas to eat cookies and watch cartoons (not to stereotype, but you get the idea), my grandma was teaching me how to hold 16th-century books and understand which medical device cured a headache in the 18th century. The full suit of armor in the entryway never intimidated me, as well as the monkey skulls lining her desk. That, is my grandparent's house. My grandma is a powerhouse. She is the one who taught me not to be shy, and to always speak my truths, loud and clear. She taught me to always stand up for what I believe in, and ask for what I want. Her seminal work with the ABAA can be seen from the onset - knowing she was stepping into delicate territory dealing in science and medicine before women were deemed “knowledgeable enough” to do so. Not only was she one of very few women book dealers 50 years ago (few enough to count on one hand) she was paving a path for women in books to succeed. She was the first to put out a list of stolen books through the ABAA newsletter (pre computers and email, she likes to remind me). She became president of the chapter in 1984 and chairperson to the LA book fairs at the Ambassador Hotel. In 1982, the ABAA ... [more Honoring Barbara Rootenberg]