UPDATE: These items were recovered. The following items were stolen during the BuchWien last weekend: Schindelmayer, C.R.: Taschen-Atlas in XXXXV Karten. Wien, Schraembl, 1807. With engraved title and 45 engraved and partly coloured maps. Oblong 8°. Half-calf (around 1900). Hofmannsthal, Hugo v.: Die Frau ohne Schatten. Berlin, Fischer 1920. With engraved title by Hans Meid. Original red calf with gilt edges. Number 160 (of 160) numbered copies, signed by the author. Franck, Sebastian: Sprichworter, Schöne, Weise Klugreden, Darinnen Teutscher und anderer Spraachen Höflichkeit Frankfurt, Egenolff, 1575. Small 8°. Contemporary full calf over wooden boards. If you are offered one of these items or have any information on their whereabouts, please contact Andreas MOSER at office@antiquariat-moser.at [more UPDATE: Three Items Stolen During the BuchWien Last Weekend]
The following items have been reported stolen: Title : THE F.B. NIGHTINGALE ARCHIVE PRIVATE STEREO PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHINA : 1920-1921 Authors : Frederick B. Nightingale (1885-195?) Date of publication : 1920-21 Publisher : Frederick B. Nightingale, China Description : OVERVIEW OF THE ARCHIVE These one hundred thirty one stereo photographs, all black and white and all 3 1/2” x 7”, were taken by F.B. Nightingale in 1920 and 1921 in China. He took photographs in Changan (2), Hangchow (45), Harmen (3), Ningpo (1), Palawoo (1), Pu-Tu (14), Shanghai (12), and Soochow (53). Thus he was probably based in Soochow. As far as we are aware these photographs were made for Mr. Nightingale`s private use-they were not published.He identified the subject, noted the location, and made lengthy comments in manuscript on the verso of every stereo photograph. He signed his manuscript comments with his initials (FBN) and dated them as to year. There is some internal evidence which suggests that Mr. Nightingale was an American. There is, however, a reference in the King's College Archives, Cambridge University, to an F.B. Nightingale who did a specifications document. Consequently Mr. Nightingale may be a British subject. Research on the names of the people named on the verso of some photographs may help to clarify his nationality. Further research is needed also to determine Mr. Nightingale`s background.The condition is fine unless otherwise noted, with images crisp and clear. Mr. Nightingale was... [more Stolen: Photo Archive and Two Original Images Transmitted by 'Radiovision']
The awards ceremony for the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest was held last month in the Library of Congress and included a special presentation by Mark Dimunation, in which he showed off some of the Library's treasures. As one would imagine, the excitement was palpable during Mark's presentation. Winners and attendees were also treated to a lecture by noted bibliophile and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Dirda. The talk was entitled The Thrill of the Hunt: The Serendipitous Pleasures of Book Collecting. You can view the awards ceremony and Michael's lecture, which begins at the 29 minute mark, in the video below. [more NCBCC Awards Ceremony]
Last weekend's 35th Annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair was a great successlots of incredible material was being offered by dealers and each day the fair was filled with enthusiastic attendees both young and old. If you could draw your attention away from the books, prints, maps, ephemera, etc., you could even see a few celebrities! According to the Boston Globe: Rocker Peter Wolf, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough, and Italian novelist-essayist Umberto Eco were among the 4,500 visitors spotted at the 35th Annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair over the weekend. The event, held at the Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, drew 120 rare book dealers from around the world, offering not only first editions of Melville, Wilde, Frost, and Hemingway but also antique maps, letters, political documents, and an array of pop culture totems. Among the latter: a 1967 Bob Dylan album signed by Jimi Hendrix; film directorFrank Capra's manuscript copy of James Hilton's novel “Lost Horizon''; a notepad autographed by members of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and other iconic '60s bands; and an Indiana State University yearbook with a youngLarry Bird on the cover, firing up his patented jump shot. Fetching one of the highest sums - $112,000 - was a hand-written letter from Alexander Graham Bell to his parents, detailing his invention of the iPhone (just kidding). No word on what if anything the Woofa Goofa took home with him, but we hear he's a b... [more Boston Fair a Great Success (And Included Some Celebrity Sightings)]
The following item has been reported stolen from the collections of the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African, Studies, Northwestern University: Balthazar Telles The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia; containing I the geographical description of all the kingdoms and provinces of that empire...II travels in Arabia Faelix...III An account of the kingdoms of Cambate, Gingiro, Alaba and Dancali beyond Ethiopia in Afrik never travelled into by any but the Jesuits London: Printed for J. Knapton, A. Bell and J. Baker 1710 Binders title: Jesuits in Ethiopia Possible Northwestern University Library stamp or seal on p.99 [more Missing: The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia]
An unpublished manuscript written by a fourteen-year-old Charlotte Brontë will go up for auction at Sotheby's London next month. The manuscript is of a mini-magazine entitled The Young Man's Magazine, Number 2, and tells a story of murder and madness. Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby's specialist on Books and Manuscripts, said that the piece "provides a rare and intimate insight into one of history's great literary minds", and adds that a scene from the manuscript foreshadows a famous scene from Jane Eyre. The manuscript will go to auction on December 15. Sotheby's estimates that it could sell for 300,000 ($482,000). Manuscript By Teenage Charlotte Brontë To Be Sold [more Unpublished Charlotte Brontë Manuscript Up for Auction]
In commemoration of what would be William Golding's centennial birthday, the Bodleian Library at Oxford will be displaying the original manuscript of The Lord of the Flies. The exhibit was curated by the author's daughter, Judy Carver, and will also include several first editions of the author's works, family photographs, and the Nobel Prize he received in 1983 for The Lord of the Flies. According to the Fine Books & Collections' blog: First impressions of the first edition (with the dust jacket) from Faber start at about $3,000 online. The first American edition, published in 1955 by Coward-McCann, commands about half that price. Ironically, the first American edition is scarcer than the British edition. 2,383 copies of the first American edition were sold before the book initially went out of print. The first British edition, meanwhile, went through a print run of 3,040 copies. The exhibit will be on display at the Bodleian Library through December 23, 2011. Lord of the Flies Manuscript on Display Bodleian Library Exhibits [more 'Lord of the Flies' Manuscript on Display for the First Time]
ABAA members across the country are gearing up for next weekend's 35th Annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair and we hope to see you there! Over 120 dealers from the US and around the world will be exhibiting rare, antiquarian books, modern first editions, manuscripts, autographs, maps, atlases, and an abundance of ephemera. The Fair will be held in the Hynes Convention Center, and will run from Friday, November 11 through Sunday, November 13. Highlighted Items at the Fair Fair Activities Fair Hours Friday: 5pm to 9pm Saturday: 12noon to 7pm Sunday: 12noon to 5pm It's going to be a wonderful fair, so mark your calendars if you will be in the Boston area! Please click here to visit the Fair's website. [more 35th Annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair]
The following item has been reported stolen: Title : Les Plaisirs et les Jours Authors : Proust (Marcel) Date of publication : 1896 Publisher : Calmann Levy, Paris Description : Calmann Lévy, Paris, 1896. Un volume grand in-8 demi maroquin brun, dos à nerfs, titre doré, plats décorés de papier marbré, tête dorée, reliure signée Devauchelle, X + 271 pages, 14 pl. hors-texte de Madeleine Lemaire. Edition originale. If you have any information regarding this item, please contact Librairie Frérot at librairie.frerot@wanadoo.fr [more Stolen: Les Plaisirs et les Jours]
Below is a video by ABAA member Phil Pirages (Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books & Manuscripts) about book collectinghow and why people collect books, and the collaboration between the collector and the bookseller. Enjoy! [more "An Introduction to Antique Books"]