Over the past half century, Second Story Books has provided the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area access to an unlimited and rich reading experience. From their original small second floor location on Connecticut Avenue, Second Story Books, an ABAA/ILAB member since 1976, has evolved as an internationally respected bookseller dealing in antiquarian and out-of-print books, art, ephemera and general used books with two locations. In this interview, owner and founder Allan Stypeck discusses his long career in bookselling and appraising and his parallel career in television and documentary making. On the present: One of the traditional advantages of having a walk-in bookstore in Washington D.C. was the customer base, consisting of local residents, tourists, and the large federal government bureaucracy, which includes the collateral organizations and law firms associated with the government (aka the K Street Corridor). The average Washington-area family demographic is above average with two-income, college-educated households and was thought to be recession proof. With the advent of the Covid outbreak, that stability was greatly challenged. Like the rest of the country, we were forced to shut down operations for over a year and then reopen with very restrictive social distancing regulations. Compounding these issues was the reality that the majority of government workers primarily began working remotely and tourism became almost non-existent. Local Metro ridership (essentia... [more Allan Stypeck: 50 Years of Bookselling]

Jeff Weber is proprietor of Jeff Weber Rare Books, Montreux and Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He is a member of ILAB, ABAA and VEBBUKU/SLACES (Switzerland). What, by its nature, would be rarer than an original Gutenberg Bible? The invoice that recorded the sale of the first books printed with moveable type! The receipt! Yes, those most-often tossed slips of paper, recording a seemingly trivial event, those receipts are golden to the researcher today if receipts would be appreciated. The receipt will never be as valuable as the item itself, but the tossed data is where the story of how a book (or another item) was distributed, who was involved, and when. When that receipt is tossed, its recorded history is lost, perhaps never to be recognized again. The purpose of writing about receipts is to make the point that there is scholarly value in saved receipts, particularly when they unlock the mysterious ties between buyer and seller. I will refer to a number of personal projects that have benefitted from saved receipts or would have benefitted more had those receipts been kept. By some pertinent examples, I hope that the reader will consider the value of using receipts in their research. This, by my purpose, is to encourage institutions and collectors as well as those who inherit personal papers, to keep notes, receipts, email archives, manuscripts, all kinds of primary research data that can be used in the future to understand more by using those receipts and other materials, to advan... [more Book Receipts: Ephemera with Essential Intellectual Value]

The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest awards ceremony was held at the Library of Congress on September 13, 2024. The Contest was established in 2005 by Fine Books & Collections Magazine to recognize outstanding book collecting efforts by college and university students--the program aims to encourage young collectors to become accomplished bibliophiles. ABAA Member and collector Rebecca Romney was the featured speaker and made the winners and guests feel welcome. 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 (the Library of Congress) jointly assumed leadership of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest in 2010. The Grolier Club, a noted book collectors organization, joined us shortly afterward. Incidentally, each winner has a year-long membership at the Grolier Club in New York City. We thank this year's judges who are part of these partner organizations: Shannon Struble, Jennifer Larson, and Sharon Gee; Sheryl Jaeger, Declan Kiely, Olivia Loksing Moy, and Nancy Boehm who are each collectors and bibliophiles in their own right. Incidentally, each winner has a year-long membership at the Grolier Club in New York City. We also thank Susan Jaffe Tane, the noted collector and philanthropist, for nurturing the next generation of collectors. Prizes are awarded to both the winning students and the libraries of the ... [more Meet the 2024 NCBCC Winners]

Edit: The recording of this event is now available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfeHt5PvU6U The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America was founded in 1949 to promote interest in rare and antiquarian books and book collecting, and to foster collegial relations. The association invites you to attend the September Brown Bag Lunch Series, a panel discussion: Meet the ABAA: Demystifying the Application Process. You'll gain insights into the present-day ABAA, membership benefits, and how to become a part of it. The panelists will include the president and the executive director of the ABAA, as well as ABAA members Robin Beck of Primary Sources and Sunday Steinkirchner of B & B Rare Books. The webinar is moderated by Lizzy Young, ABAA member and the Chair of the Gender Equity Initiative. September 24th @ 2 PM ET Meet the ABAA: Demystifying the Application Process CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Panelists: Alexander Akin, President (member since 2019) Alexander Akin, co-owner of Bolerium Books in San Francisco, specializes in radical political ephemera, Chinese books, and publications of Asian-American immigrant communities. He is the current president of the ABAA. Susan Benne, Executive Director Susan Benne has worked in the rare book trade for 25 years. She began her career cataloging children's and illustrated books for a rare bookseller in New York, then moved into managerial roles, first as the director of the New York Antiquarian Book Fair, then as th... [more September Brown Bag]

Edit: The recording of this event is now available on our YouTube channel. The Brown Bag Lunch Series, presented by the ABAA Gender Equity Initiative, is a series of short virtual talks covering various topics, from crash courses in areas of expertise to best business practices. Please join the Gender Equity Initiative on Zoom on Tuesday, August 27th, 2024, at 2 PM ET for a Brown Bag Lunch Series with Alexander Akin. Alexander Akin, co-owner of Bolerium Books and current president of the ABAA, worked as a professional numismatist before becoming involved in the book trade. In this talk, he will explore an area of personal interest at the intersection of these worlds: poetic inscriptions on currency. We will see Persian couplets celebrating everything from territorial conquest to love for a beautiful partner, expressions of passionate religious piety, and a classical Chinese poem turned into a numbering system in Korea. August 27th @ 2 PM ET At the Intersection of Literature and Numismatics: 1,600 Years of Poetry on Money Alexander Akin, Bolerium Books CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Alexander Akin, co-owner of Bolerium Books and current president of the ABAA, holds a BS in Anthropology from UC Riverside and a PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. He worked as a professional numismatist before becoming involved in the book trade. Photo by Meredith Nierman. [more Brown Bag Series: August]

Meet the latest group of booksellers elected as members of the ABAA. Full Membership Obadiah Baird - The Book Bin For almost fifteen years Obadiah Baird has specialized in rare and collectible Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, while also running The Book Bin's two large general interest shops in Salem and Corvallis Oregon. A second-generation member of the ABAA, Obadiah has exhibited with his father, at book fairs up and down the west coast and as far away as York England. With an eye towards attracting a new generation of collectors, he has expanded the kind of genre material you can expect to see at an Antiquarian Book Fair, placing signed first editions of popular current authors alongside classic works in the field. Now a full member of the ABAA in his own right, Obadiah looks forward to connecting collectors to the perfect book (or pulp magazine, or script, or fanzine) for years to come. Kevin Sell - The Rare Book Sleuth Kevin Sell is a bookseller with more than 15 years of professional bookselling experience. Born and raised in northern Minnesota, Kevin began his bookselling career at brick-and-mortar shops, selling both new and used books, before starting The Rare Book Sleuth, a full-service online bookshop. His primary focus is on modern first editions, with an emphasis on literature, science, philosophy and counterculture, although his generalist tendencies often find him expanding in new directions. Kevin holds degrees in philosophy and psychology, is a graduate ... [more New ABAA Members]

Edit: the recording of this event is now available on our YouTube channel: The Brown Bag Lunch Series, presented by the ABAA Gender Equity Initiative, is a series of short virtual talks covering various topics, from crash courses in areas of expertise to best business practices. Please join the Gender Equity Initiative on Zoom on July 31st, 2024, at 2 PM ET for a Brown Bag Lunch Series with Jim Owens of Thorn Books. During the session, Jim will delve into a short overview of paper marbling, from the earliest known types in Japan ('suminagashi') through the rise and development of 'Turkish' marbling ('ebru'), and finally, a brief look at some modern work by noted marbling artists. Along the way, we will visit the marbling processes, speak to at least the more common patterns, and examine a few reference books. July 31st @ 2 PM ET Jim Owens - Thorn Books Marbled Paper: When, Why, and How CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Jim Owens, Thorn Books Jim Owens, an associate member of the ABAA and a Principal at Thorn Books, and his wife Lynne Owens (full member) since 1987. Jim's educational journey is a testament to his intellectual curiosity, with an undergraduate degree from St. Mary's of Moraga in Philosophy, Latin, English, and Vertebrate Zoology. Jim, also a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Ventura College of Law, has been involved in many volunteer works in public radio and television and for the Postal History Museum Foundation in Tucson, AZ. Beyond his professional pursuits, Jim's intere... [more July Brown Bag: Marbled Paper]

What's better: a simple author signature, or an inscription? As a longtime bookseller -- a veteran of Borders, Waldenbooks, and independent bookstores -- I thought I knew the answer. But, once I began working for antiquarian booksellers, I discovered the question is much more complex. A comment on the ABAA Facebook page recently asked why some booksellers appear to prefer plain signed books, rather than inscribed ones? While trying to find the answer, I encountered an interesting tale of changing fashions and the dark side of book collecting. The prevailing wisdom in literary circles over the past decade or two has been to ask an author for a plain signature when getting a book autographed (some collectors even purchase two copies, asking the author to inscribe one to them for their 'permanent collection,' and to simply sign their name to the other one, which they will hold onto in the hopes its value appreciates -- sellers of new books have no qualms about endorsing this point of view, although antiquarian booksellers know there is no certainty of modern firsts becoming valuable collectibles, and strongly caution collectors against viewing them as such). To my shame, I've organized and helped run hundreds of book signings and never previously gave this standard advice much thought. inscribed -- a book, or other printed piece, with a handwritten and signed statement usually written for a specific named person(s) and often located on the end paper or title page; when "inscribe... [more Signed Books Vs. Inscribed Books]

Edit: The recording of this event can be viewed on our YouTube channel or below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U43Q7qerAEI The Brown Bag Lunch Series, presented by the ABAA Gender Equity Initiative, is a series of short virtual talks covering various topics, from crash courses in areas of expertise to best business practices. Please join the Gender Equity Initiative on Zoom on June 19th, 2024, at 2 PM ET for a group panel with Zhenya Dzhavgova, Andy Nettell, and Lizzy Young on a discussion unveiling who they are and what they do aside from being a rare book dealer. June 19th, 2024, at 2 PM ET REGISTER HERE Zhenya Dzhavgova, ZH Books Zhenya was born and grew up in Bulgaria at the tail end of Communism, in the Valley of Roses, where the highest quality rose oil in the world is produced. Her hometown is also the geographical center of the country. She went to college in Sofia, the capital, graduated with a degree in computer engineering, then came to the US in 2003. She returned to school and worked as a nanny and high-school math tutor. In 2010, in between jobs, she had been buying books at estate sales for herself and occasionally selling them, so when she heard of CABS, she applied for a scholarship, and the rest was history. She became a member of the ABAA in 2016, the same year her beautiful daughter was born. In 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic, She got very sick but got better, and then exactly a year later, in 2022 - she got even sicker. Immediately after reco... [more June Brown Bag Lunch Series]

Edit: The recording of this event is now available on our YouTube channel... The Brown Bag Lunch Series, presented by the ABAA Gender Equity Initiative, is a series of short virtual talks covering various topics, from crash courses in areas of expertise to best business practices. Please join the Gender Equity Initiative on Zoom on May 29th, 2024, at 2 PM ET for a Brown Bag Lunch Series with Jim Owens of Thorn Books. During the session, Jim will delve into the historical significance of Victorian bookcloth, examining the factors that led to its emergence as a replacement for leather on books. He will explore the various types of Victorian bookcloths and provide insights into the reasons behind their usage. Additionally, Jim will shed light on the decline of Victorian bookcloth and its impact on bookbinding practices. May 29th @ 2 PM ET Jim Owens - Thorn Books The Invention and Demise of Victorian Bookcloth CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Jim Owens, Thorn Books Jim Owens, an associate member of the ABAA and a Principal at Thorn Books, and his wife Lynne Owens (full member) since 1987. Jim's educational journey is a testament to his intellectual curiosity, with an undergraduate degree from St. Mary's of Moraga in Philosophy, Latin, English, and Vertebrate Zoology. Jim, also a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Ventura College of Law, has been involved in many volunteer works in public radio and television and for the Postal History Museum Foundation in Tucson, AZ. Beyond his professional p... [more May Brown Bag: Victorian Bookcloth]