Two ABAA members have received presigious awards recently. At the 73rd World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention during the Hugo Awards Ceremony, David Aronovitz of The Fine Books Company was awarded the very prestigious "San Moskowitz Archive Award.” It is a Lifetime Achievement Award given to excellence in amassing a world class collection and publishing books which emanate from the collection. Arongvitz has published 19 books to date and is the 14th person to be given this award. For an example of his collection, see this hand-corrected manuscript of Robert Heinlein's novel Friday, which he recently listed. Bob Fleck of Oak Knoll Books was awarded the ILAB Medal during the 2015 October Seville Presidents' Meeting “in recognition of services rendered to the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers” over several decades of service. For full details, read this appreciation... [more Members Receiving Awards]
Since 1975 the William Reese Company has served a large international clientele of collectors and private and public institutions in the acquisition of rare books and manuscripts and in collection development. With a catalogue inventory of over forty thousand items and a general inventory of over sixty-five thousand items, we are among the leading specialists in the fields of Americana and world travel, and maintain a large and eclectic inventory of literary first editions and antiquarian books of the 18th through 21st centuries. Our offices are located in downtown New Haven, Connecticut and are open by appointment only. The William Reese Company is seeking to add a new team member to its Americana Department. This person needs to be detail oriented, personable and outgoing, and willing and able to lift reasonably large boxes of books. A foundational knowledge of American history is a must, as is a basic grounding in bibliographical knowledge. Previous experience in antiquarian book selling or library work is preferred but not essential. Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, are necessary, as is proficiency in the use of databases. The job description includes a range of the many tasks required in running a large rare book business, but primary duties are cataloguing and researching new inventory; working with customers and selling books in person, on the phone, and by catalogue or internet listing; maintaining inventory control; and possible travel to attend... [more Job Posting: William Reese Co. Seeks Rare Book Cataloguer in Americana Department]
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) is delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest: First Prize Amanda Zhao (Georgetown University) for "War's Little People". Zhao's sponsor notes he was particularly impressed with her focus on exploring WWII history with an eye towards the effects of the war civilians and an ultimate the goal of expanding her own knowledge and writing a novel. Second Prize Dennis Schäfer (Princeton University) for "Charting the Visual Universes of E.T.A. Hoffmann Illustrators". Shäfer's interest in Hoffman was initially academic in nature, but this soon blossomed into a passion after he received a beautifully illustrated edition of Hoffmann's The Golden Pot upon joining the E.T.A.-Hoffmann-Society. The awards celebration will be held at the Library of Congress's Whittall Pavilion on September 13th at 5pm. The ceremony will feature Rebecca Romney, a renowned book dealer, appraiser, and author, as the keynote speaker. All are welcome to attend. The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest is jointly administered by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), and the Grolier Club, and is supported by the Rare Books and Special Collections Division (the Library of Congress). Noted collector, bibliophile, and philanthropist Susan Jaffe Tane funds the prizes for the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. The priz... [more NCBCC 2024 Winners]
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) is delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest: First Prize Amanda Zhao (Georgetown University) for "War's Little People". Zhao's sponsor notes he was particularly impressed with her focus on exploring WWII history with an eye towards the effects of the war civilians and an ultimate the goal of expanding her own knowledge and writing a novel. Second Prize Dennis Schäfer (Princeton University) for "Charting the Visual Universes of E.T.A. Hoffmann Illustrators". Shäfer's interest in Hoffman was initially academic in nature, but this soon blossomed into a passion after he received a beautifully illustrated edition of Hoffmann's The Golden Pot upon joining the E.T.A.-Hoffmann-Society. The awards celebration will be held at the Library of Congress's Whittall Pavilion on September 13th at 5pm. The ceremony will feature Rebecca Romney, a renowned book dealer, appraiser, and author, as the keynote speaker. All are welcome to attend. The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest is jointly administered by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), and the Grolier Club, and is supported by the Rare Books and Special Collections Division (the Library of Congress). Noted collector, bibliophile, and philanthropist Susan Jaffe Tane funds the prizes for the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. The priz... [more 2024 NCBCC Winners]
The following has been reported missing in transit last month (June 2024), lost by UPS somewhere between Kentucky and Alabama. Please contact us if you have any information. The copy can be identified by the inscription on the title page: “For June / best wishes / Louise Fitzhugh.” Fitzhugh, Louise. Harriet the Spy. New York: Harper & Row, (1964). Single volume, measuring 8 x 5 inches: , 298, . Original color pictorial paper boards, original color pictorial dust jacket. Black-and-white illustrations throughout text. Inscribed “For June / best wishes / Louise Fitzhugh” on title page. Chipping to jacket, with loss to lower corner of front panel and flap, spine ends, and top corner of rear panel; two small tape repairs to verso. The first edition of a landmark in American children's literature, inscribed by Louise Fitzhugh. First issue dust jacket, priced at $3.95, with no mention of Fitzhugh's 1965 sequel, The Long Secret. A very good copy, scarce inscribed. [more Missing in Transit: For June / best wishes / Louise Fitzhugh]
The ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF) -- officially sanctioned by Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) and produced and managed by Sanford L. Smith + Associates -- returns to the Park Avenue Armory in New York City from April 4-7, 2024, for its 64th Edition. This year, the ABAA is celebrating its 75th anniversary and will present a series of special events & programs tied to the Fair. The NYIABF is a cultural pillar of New York and returns as a much-anticipated highlight of the spring season. Universally referred to as the world's finest antiquarian book fair, NYIABF features nearly 200 exhibitors this year from around the world -- continuing to live up to its reputation as a highly international fair. The Fair attracts a diverse audience of literary luminaries, influencers, celebrities, art, design and book enthusiasts and collectors both seasoned and entry level. In recent years, the NYIABF has increasingly captured the attention of young collectors seeking one-of-a-kind offerings at more accessible price points. Fair highlights encompass art, science, medicine, literature, history, gastronomy, fashion, first editions, Americana, philosophy, children's books and much more. From the historic and academic, the religious and spiritual, to the bedrock of secular culture, finance, politics, the NYIABF boasts offerings in every conceivable genre and subject! This year, the NYIABF... [more New York Book Fair 2024]
Meet the latest members of the ABAA. Full Membership Robin Beck, Primary Sources, Uncharted Americana Born and raised in the foothills of western North Carolina, Rob Beck came to bookselling after twenty years of deep and focused collecting in a very narrow slice of the Americana pie. In 2017, he and his wife, Laoma, launched Primary Sources, Uncharted Americana, specializing in rare, unique, or unusual American paper, whether printed, manuscript, or visual. Primary Sources is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and operates primarily through catalogues, having issued seven to date. Rob received his BA in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, his MA in Anthropology from the University of Alabama, and his PhD in Anthropology from Northwestern. He has been a professional archaeologist for more than thirty years and has worked in Bolivia, Peru, China, and much of the eastern United States. He continues in that career as a university professor, but he's always on the hunt for exciting new material for Primary Sources. Scott Givens, Crooked House Books & Paper Scott Givens founded his first bookstore in 2001 and opened a second in 2006. After twenty years in the retail trade, he sold his bookstores and started to specialize in more rare, collectible, and vintage books at Crooked House, although he still keeps a decent inventory of books priced under ten dollars just for fun. Scott exhibits at book fairs along the West Coast, and is delving into printing single-subject “creative cata... [more The Latest Members of the ABAA]
The 56th California International Antiquarian Book Fair (Feb. 9-11, 2024) will feature several presentations from leading experts from around the Golden State. Saturday, February 10, 2024 1:00pm Liberation Through Duplication: Press Power of the Long 1960s Lincoln Cushing | Independent archivist and historian, Docs Populi | Instructor, University of California, Berkeley This presentation explores a marginalized segment of the printed ephemera world during the 1960s and 1970s - politically motivated propaganda. Activists who'd never before even touched a press or a squeegee learned how to print as a means to an end. Much of this material was rough around the edges but full of spirit and style. Lincoln Cushing has at various times been a printer, artist, archivist, author, and academic librarian at the University of California. He is committed to documenting, cataloging, and disseminating oppositional political culture of the late 20th century. His books include Revolucion! Cuban Poster Art (2003), Visions of Peace & Justice: 30 Years of Political Posters from the Archives of Inkworks Press (2007) and Agitate! Educate! Organize! - American Labor Posters (2009). He curated the 2012 exhibition All Of Us Or None — Poster Art of the San Francisco Bay Area at the Oakland Museum of California and is the author of its catalog. 2:30pm Typographic Jazz, The Monoprints of Jack Stauffacher Rob Saunders | Executive Director and Curator, Letterform Archive Based on the exhibit currently a... [more CA Book Fair: Speaker Schedule]
The California International Antiquarian Book Fair returns to San Francisco February 9-11. Widely recognized as one of the world's largest exhibitions of antiquarian books for sale, more than 100 exhibitors from around the world will present rare books, maps, illustrations, historical documents, and ephemera on a vast array of subjects and genres. Here is a small preview of the material exhibitors will have available. THE UNIQUE ORIGINAL AMBROTYPE Ostendorf #14. Housed in an 1865 period frame, with mourning ribbons setting off the ambrotype at the corners. Cole, Roderick A. (attributed) Abraham Lincoln. Ninth-Plate Ruby Glass Ambrotype. Peoria Illinois: circa 1858. Displayed in a plain, but handsome, period wooden frame with the back opened in order to observe the painted backing and the “ruby-red” tone. Ambrotypes are negative images produced on a glass plate, viewed as a positive by the addition of a black backing; sometimes this backing is a piece of velvet and other times, such as the present one, a thin varnish. The ruby-red quality of the glass is quite apparent. 1856-1858 were the peak years of the ambrotype, into which this example falls. But just as the ambro was displacing the daguerreotype, the care-de-visite and the tintype were waiting in the wings, about to displace this technique. The Cole image was popularized on campaign ribbons and button ferrotypes during the 1860 presidential campaign. Probably obtained during that campaign, kept in a drawer, and then,... [more California Book Fair Preview]
Renowned chef, restaurateur, and pioneer of California cuisine, Alice Waters will be a guest at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair on Saturday, February 10, where she will appear at California bookseller Ben Kinmont's booth (#217) for a book signing at 3pm. The event is a fundraiser for The Edible Schoolyard, a project to transform the food experience that Waters began in a public middle school in Berkeley, California, in 1995, and which has now grown to serve public schools throughout the United States and abroad. This “edible education” program increases children's understanding of nutrition, farming, and the preparation of food, and views gastronomy as connected to economics, social justice and climate change. It is also part of a much longer history, from the emergence of soup kitchens during the French Revolution to the Black Panther Party's Free Breakfast Program that began in Oakland. In the words of author Michael Pollan: “To spend time in an Edible Schoolyard is to realize how much more is going on here than teaching kids how to garden or cook....The Edible Schoolyard is an eloquent and practical answer to some of the most pressing questions facing us as a society.” In recent years, Kinmont has been working to expand the idea of gastronomy to include issues around economic precarity. Realizing that most culinary historians focus on food for the top 1% of the population, Kinmont has “been looking for works that reveal the role of gastronomy i... [more Meet Alice Waters at the California Book Fair]