The 55th annual New York Antiquarian Book Fair takes place in New York City from April 9 to 12, 2015. Many ABAA member dealers will be exhibiting. Here are a selection of their featured items that will be available at the fair. Urban, Sylvanus (ie. David, Henry), ed. THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE: AND HISTORICAL CHRONICLE. FOR THE YEAR MDCCLXXIV MDCCLXXXIII . London: Printed at St. John's Gate for D. Henry, 1774-1783. 120 issues plus 8 supplements as issued (no supplements issued in 1774 and 1783). Illus. with 164 engraved portraits, figures, maps, and plans (75 folding, 1 facsimile) plus numerous in text drawings. 8vo. Full modern brown calf, five raised bands, red morocco spine labels, gilt titles and rules, in period style. ($14,500) Offered by Kaaterskill Books (Booth B6) --- Bartolo of Sassoferrato . . . Collation: a10, b-z8, A-C8, D-E6. 221 of 222 ff. Final leaf, a blank, lacking. Folio (16-1/2" x 11-1/4"). Contemporary quarter calf with blind tooling over wooden boards, raised bands and later hand-lettered title label to spine, clasps (and buckles) lacking. Several tiny wormholes, a few cracks to spine, chip to foot of spine, Signatures a and E6 partially detached, bookplate of Robert Proctor and bookseller description from the Rosenbach company to verso of front board, pastedowns lacking (or never present). Text printed in 60-line gothic type on wide-margined paper, initial spaces filled in alternate red and blue, most with flourishes, seven-line initial "Q" at beginning o... [more NY Antiquarian Book Fair: Featured Items]
UPDATE: These items were recovered and are no longer missing! The following items were stolen in Baltimore, MD (Federal Hill area) sometime between Dec. 23-28, 2014: Signed letters, some with gold leaf on the letterhead, from various people in the government all pertaining to the Statue of Liberty and the work that was done; Onion skin paper of carbon copies identifying every item used and the price per unit (e.g., x number of screws at x cents/screw, x feet of x wire at x cents/foot, etc.); A bill introduced to Congress to pay Joseph Sanbach or Joseph Schoenbach the $20,000 that was withheld because the work was completed 24 hours past the contract deadline; Pictures of Joseph Sanbach or Joseph Schoenbach with drawings of the Statue of Liberty; Newspaper articles about the work; Newspaper clipping about Joseph Sanbach or Joseph Schoenbach approaching President Hoover at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC to address his not having been paid. If you have any information about these items, please contact Helene Goldberg. [more Items Stolen in Baltimore]
What could be more fun than spending two days pouring over old magazines, pamphlets, prints, letters, diaries, photos, advertising, account books, political fliers and broadsides, trade cards, baseball cards, posters, menus, valentines, historical documents, song sheets and songsters, alphabets, juveniles and primers, post cards, labels, stock certificates, passports and old newspapers – to name only a few? If your answer is “Nothing!” you needed to be at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Greenwich, CT this weekend, for the 35th annual Conference and Paper Show of the Ephemera Society of America. The theme this year was “The Sporting Life” and conference organizers provided a full slate of sports oriented lectures, presentations, book signings, social events, an auction and, oh yes, a paper and ephemera show. Of course, since we are still in the grips of the memorable “Winter it Snowed,” it snowed. Over six inches in as many hours – just like a Viagra ad! The white stuff brought its usual quotient of misery during load in but, interestingly, had little effect on attendance. Most of the attendees were there for the other Conference events, and were already ensconced in the comfortable Hyatt Regency hotel. For this reason, and because of continuity of venue and promoters, AND (big “and” here) because of the credibility provided by the Ephemera Society, this is the most stable of all provincial fairs. The benefits of stability are many – there are no unpleasant s... [more What Could be More Fun?]
The following items were reported missing in San Francisco: A set of Pound's “Inquest” series, published by William Bird, at Three Mountains Press, Paris, 1924 (170 copies of each edition), including, 1. Hemingway, IN OUR TIME 2. Windeler, ELIMUS 3. Ford Madox Ford, WOMEN & MEN 4. Pound, INDISCRETIONS 5. BMG Adams, ENGLAND 6. WC Williams, GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL* * At one time, the first 5 titles were together in a custom slipcase, while #6, Williams' GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL, was kept separately. Seeing the titles in a slipcase (whether 5 or 6) may be an indication that these are the missing books in question. Pound, HOW TO READ. TO Publishers, . Pound's copy, with his penciled corrections. Later ownership signature of poet Ronald Duncan, to whom EP gave it. Poor condition. If you have any information about these items, please contact ABAA Security Chair Garrett Scott at garrett@bibliophagist.com or (734) 741-8605. [more Missing: In Our Time, Inquest Series, Pound]
The following item was reported missing, possibly stolen from the Washington Antiquarian Book Fair held Friday March 6 and Saturday March 7, 2015: DAILY FLIGHT INSPECTION FORM, dated September 5, 1944, from Roi Island -- SIGNED by Charles Lindbergh. Partially printed "NAVAER-3119 Daily Flight Inspection Form" on yellow paper, 14" x 8". Pilot Lindbergh has placed check marks on the form to verify that the craft (a Vought F4U-1D Corsair) is airworthy, e.g. engine, landing gear, wings, etc. At the end of the form where the pilot is to note any defects, Lindbergh has written "Tower advises 'check radio.' Otherwise OK." and signed. Document creased from folding, and shows some oil stains, but is very legible. If you have any information regarding this item, please contact Allan Stypeck at (301) 770-0477, ext. 13 or research@secondstorybooks.com. [more Missing: Signed Lindbergh Flight Inspection Form]
The New York Antiquarian Book Fair will enthrall bibliophiles at the Park Avenue Armory from April 9 through 12, 2015. “The Best Book Fair in the World” This three-day event is one of the largest antiquarian book fairs in the United States, and draws over 200 rare book dealers from across the country and around the world. Sponsored by the Antiquarian Bookseller's Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, the event is the centerpiece of Rare Book Week, a “coordinated effort to focus attention on the antiquarian book fairs, book & manuscript auctions, rare book & fine art exhibits, and bookish browsing available in New York City from April 7-15,” according to Fine Books Magazine. Where: Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, NY, NY 10065 When: April 9 - 12, 2015 Friday: Noon-8pm Saturday: Noon-7pm Sunday: Noon-5pm Rare Book Week's events include two shadow shows, and numerous exhibitions and auctions of rare books and ephemera around New York City. Featured item: Allen, John Fisk. VICTORIA REGIA; OR THE GREAT WATER LILY OF AMERICA. With a brief account of its Discovery and Introduction into Cultivation: with Illustrations by William Sharp, from Specimens Grown at Salem, Massachusetts, USA. Boston: Printed and published for the author, 1854. A cornerstone of American color printing. These images were drawn on stone and printed by Sharp, America's first chromolithographic printer. This was the earliest example of large scale color print... [more New York Antiquarian Book Fair 2015]
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America are pleased to announce the 2015 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest! Established in 2005 by Fine Books & Collections Magazine to recognize outstanding book collecting efforts by college and university students, the contest aims to encourage young collectors to become accomplished bibliophiles. The magazine conducted the annual competition program for three years before turning over leadership to a collaboration of institutional partners (The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), and the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress, with major support from the Jay I. Kislak Foundation. Competitions are held at more than three dozen colleges and universities across the United States. Some contests have been conducted for decades, dating back to Swarthmore College's first competition in the 1920s. All college or university prizewinners are encouraged to enter. Student collectors whose institutions do not offer a book collecting contest also may enter. All entries for the 2015 competition must be submitted by May 31, 2015. Full rules and details can be found at https://www.abaa.org/ncbcc/the-national-collegiate-book-collecting-contest... [more 2015 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest]
People tend to get carried away by the romance of old books and paper, and it's easy to see why. The thrill of the hunt, the joys of discovery, and the marvelous stories locked up in dusty old letters, journals, and books provide a perfect escape – an antidote to the stresses of our daily lives. Unfortunately, overworked librarians and book dealers often find that their interaction with books and manuscripts devolves into an insistent time/money proposition. As much as we'd like to linger over an ancient text, or just sit down and read the damned thing, we've got to get that bugger cataloged and shelved. There's work to be done! We wind up stressing out over the very things that should be affording us relief. So it's a delight when, every once in a while, something comes along that is so arresting and charismatic that it commands our complete attention and gobbles up our time, productivity be damned. I came across just such a lot on my way to the Washington Book Fair ten days ago, and I'm happy to report that this material has been holding me hostage all week. The lot consists of thirty or so nineteenth century sea charts. They're all in good condition, and they're certainly marketable, so they merited some individual attention. Naturally, the closer I looked, the more interesting they became. Many of them bore pencil markings of courses sailed, of dates, of sailing directions, and of notes about navigational sight lines and hazards. On closer inspection the dates grouped a... [more Carried Away]
You Know You're a Serious Book Collector When . . . The insurance value of your book collection is greater than the value of your home. You will skip watching any sporting event to attend a Book Fair. You have a separate credit card just for book purchases. The high balance on your book credit card “doesn't really count." You fantasize more about books than the opposite sex. You realize you may never see that rare book again but you can always make more money. You sell your piano to make room for another large bookcase. You can't wait to get the kids out of the house so you can use their rooms for books. You quietly worry about the structural integrity of your home. You can scout bookstores all day long and forget to eat. You have a tumultuous relationship with your postman. Most of the emails you receive are “want matches” from book sites. Much of your day revolves around checking these want matches. You often have books sent to the office instead of your home. Book dealers send you advance catalogues. Book dealers extend you credit. Book dealers take you to lunch. Auction houses send you complimentary catalogues. You have experienced auction fever. You can spend hours going through dealer pamphlet bins for fun. You examine the decorative books at furniture stores in hopes of a find. Guests grow silent in amazement when they walk through your book-laden home. Your master bedroom is full of books. You have book shelves in your bedroom closets. A library space is the mos... [more You Know You’re a Serious Book Collector When…]
Chris Bohjalian is the author of 17 books, including three historical novels, Skeletons at the Feast, The Light in the Ruins, and The Sandcastle Girls. He has received numerous awards for his fiction, as well as the ANCA Freedom Award for educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide. Rich Rennicks spoke with Chris Bohjalian about book collecting, his much-loved first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird, how his mother's passion for literature helped shape his later career as an author, the research behind his books, and how an unpublished WWII diary informed his first historical novel. ABAA: Do you think of yourself as a book collector? Chris Bohjalian: I love old books, but I wouldn't say I'm an old book collector. There are certain books that have been in my family since I was a boy and that matter to me greatly. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those books, Night of Camp David by Fletcher Knebel is another and The Old Man and the Sea is another. Those are books that were my mother's. The sort of old books that I collect tend to be books by Scott Fitzgerald, I have at least nine different editions of The Great Gatsby, at least four different editions of The Beautiful and the Damned. My favorite editions of The Great Gatsby are the pulp paperback editions from the 1950s -- not especially valuable, but great fun. I have one particular edition, a Bantam paperback, and Gatsby looks just like George Clooney. Jay Gatsby as a George Clooney lookalike? You be the judge. I'm an Armen... [more An Interview with Chris Bohjalian]