Over the course of a year, the various ABAA bloggers write frequently about the significance of individual books, their rarity, their historical significance, and occasionally their value. However, far more often the significance of a rare book is much more personal and idiosyncratic. For many of us, the thrill of the hunt or the surprise of the find makes books memorable, and book collectors are far more likely to have stories of books unexpectedly found in unlikely places than items of great value. Rebecca Rego Barry's new book, Rare Books Uncovered, is dedicated to the stories of the favorite finds, the books discovered in unlikely places that collectors remember years, even decades later. Barry -- whose day-job is as editor of Fine Books & Collections Magazine -- has interviewed dozens of collectors and booksellers -- including a great many ABAA members -- about their most-memorable finds. The stories are all short essays, and I imagined I might dip into the book from time to time and read it over a week or two. In fact, I read it cover to cover in a single sitting. Barry conveys the enthusiasm of each collector and their excitement about their discoveries is palpable. The pages turn easily, and left me with the urge to trawl through used bookstores and estate sales instantly. While there are many tales of obscure 16th-century manuscripts kept under sofas or found in estate sales, Barry's correspondents also also provide many examples of valuable or rare books being found... [more Rare Books Uncovered: True Tales of Fantastic Finds]
"The Grolier Club Collects II" is an exhibition of books, manuscripts and works on paper drawn from the international membership of the Grolier Club, on show at The Grolier Club in New York City from December 9 through February 6, 2016. Terry Belanger, Founding Director of the Rare Books School, gave this poetic address at the opening of the exhibition, on which occasion he was also invested as the Poet Laureate of The Grolier Club. (Note: For each item Belanger cites, the lender's name can be found to the left, including quite a few ABAA members.) Proem Collecting isn't shopping. Discipline Is key: lack it and you're flying blind. What subjects are you interested in? Whatever they are, they need to be defined, The titles rare, perhaps one of a kind, Or printed skillfully, with illustrations, Or nicely bound in calf, and gilt, or signed: For what's the point of sprawling aggregations Of books that could be picked up cheap by one's relations? 1 Rare books can cost the earth – unless they don't: Taste, not cash, is crucial for cohesion. Want it? A modest checkbook balance won't Rule out an acquisition you believe in. Must-have books are never out of season; You're not required to be a millionaire. Collecting's rationalization over reason: Purchasing what you think's passing fair Resulting in a book to treasure and to share. 2 Jean Grolier was a royal tax inspector, Treasurer-General to the King of France, Celebrated as a book collector: A man of means, well-suited to enhance ... [more A Sentimental Library: Grolier Collects II]
Randall House Rare Books is pleased and proud to have successfully completed negotiations for the sale of two unpublished Charlotte Brontë manuscripts to the Brontë Society in England. The discovery of the manuscripts is called “extraordinary” by Brontë expert Dr. Juliet Barker who went on to say "It's so unusual to get unpublished manuscripts in this day and age. To find an unpublished one like this - that we had no knowledge of its existence - is extraordinary." Dr. Barker wrote the seminal history of the Brontë Family. She has further stated that there is no question about the authenticity of the material. The manuscripts and other autograph material are in a book that belonged to Charlotte's mother, Maria, titled “The Remains of Henry Kirke White” by Robert Southey. The boat carrying Maria's belongings, including this book, prior to her marriage to Patrick Brontë, suffered a shipwreck but were recovered. On an inside page in the book there is a Latin inscription, in Patrick Brontë's handwriting “the book of my dearest wife and it was saved from the waves. So then it will always be preserved.” The manuscripts consist of a short story fragment and a poem. The short story is set in 1833 and written in the pseudonym of “Lord Charles Wellesley” one of Charlotte's favourite male alter egos. The writing is, according to Dr. Barker “a satirical take on life in Haworth .” The poem is set in the fantasy world created by the Brontë children, including her ... [more Unpublished Brontë Manuscripts Brought to Light]
The ABAA has recently approved several new members, all of whom have successfully proven themselves to be, in the words of the ABAA Guarantee, "established, knowledgeable, and of excellent reputation." These new members were sponsored by existing members, and have undergone a rigorous screening process. We welcome the newest members of the ABAA. Full Members Charles Bartman of Charles G. Bartman, Bookseller, Louisville, KY Michael Fagan of Michael Fagan Fine Art & Rare Books, Newton, MA James Gray of James Gray Bookseller, Princeton, MA Heather O'Donnell of Honey & Wax Booksellers, Brooklyn, NY --Heather O'Donnell got her start in rare books in the stacks of the Beinecke Library, where she was a curatorial assistant during her grad school years at Yale. After three years in the Princeton Society of Fellows, she left academia to pursue the rare book trade full-time, working in the New York gallery of Bauman Rare Books. In the fall of 2011, Heather launched Honey & Wax Booksellers in Brooklyn, specializing in literature and the lively arts. She is a graduate of the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar and Rare Book School, a member of the Grolier Club, and the founder of the annual Brooklyn Holiday Book Fair, now in its fourth year. Marco Panella of Auger Down Books, Brattleboro, VT --Marco Panella is a bookseller based in southern Vermont. He specializes in music, scholarly non-fiction and books on the arts. A longtime bibliophile, he studied history and photography at Brown Univ... [more New Members]
The annual National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest aims to encourage young collectors to become accomplished bibliophiles. This year's winners have built up fascinating collections on topics as diverse as formalist Russian composers, women in the Spanish Civil War, and 20th Century Southern Literature. We asked the four winners to tell us more about their collections... 1st prize: Alexander P. Ioffreda (Harvard University) Formalists! Musical Scores of Repressed Soviet Composers ABAA: Could you give us a brief description of your collection? Alex Ioffreda: My collection explores the conflict between musical expression and state ideology in the Soviet Union through rare period sheet music and associated ephemera. Thematically and historically, it centers on the Zhdanovshchina, the traumatic 1948 campaign to repress “formalists” and instill the doctrine of Socialist Realism into music. The story is told through 70 items dating 1931-1971: 59 musical scores – nearly all first editions – representing 9 composers, and 11 articles of ephemera. ABAA: What first interested you in Soviet-era Russian composers? Alex Ioffreda: I discovered Soviet composers concurrently with my foray into Russian literature and history at age 13. I was captivated by the emotional depth of their music, which both encapsulates the Soviet experience and transcends it. I connected with their music further as I performed it in concert as a classical flutist, researched its history in an academic co... [more Interviews with the 2015 NCBCC Winners]
By Jeff Weber, with contributions by Merle Bobzien, Ryan Parks, Paul Naiditch. With deep appreciation to Elizabeth Krown Spellman. Franklin Victor Spellman was born August 15, 1945 in Stamford, Connecticut, moving to the Bronx, New York, at 8 years. He is named in honor of Franklin Roosevelt and his middle name was in celebration of V-J day. Although Jewish, he was born in a Catholic hospital where the nuns prevailed upon his mother to give him a middle name of Victor. He was not a fan of Roosevelt, but Franklin did love his name. He has an older brother Douglas Spellman, and a younger sister, Jill Polan. Frank married Elizabeth, née Krown, March 15, 1969, the Ides of March, they were married close to 47 years. Frank got his start in bookselling at Pageant Book Co., NYC, at 13 years of age, working on weekends, holidays, and summer vacation. As a child he loved science fiction, fantasy and horror literature. He wrote and produced with some schoolmates stories in these same fields. He even corresponded with the founder of Arkham House, August Derleth (1909-1971). He fostered friendships with several well-known writers in the genres of science fiction and fantasy literature. He started collecting Lord Dunsany (something he continued collecting throughout his life), took his Bachelor's degree in History and English Literature at City College of New York, then continued at CUNY and earned his Master's degree in English Literature. In 1970 Frank moved to Los Angeles, matriculatin... [more Franklin Victor Spellman (1945-2015)]
This item is still missing as of 5/31/2019. Missing from Boston Book Fair. Please contact Josh Mann if you are offered this item. The Dharma Bums Kerouac, Jack Hard Cover. New York: The Viking Press, 1958. 1st Edition. Fine / Dust Jacket Included. First edition, first printing. Publisher's black cloth, lettered in metallic green and silver; in the original dust jacket designed by Bill English, with an illustration of two mountain climbers to the front panel, portrait photograph of Kerouac by Keith Jennison to the rear panel. A fine copy, with a hint of wear to the spine ends, some light toning to the front endpapers, otherwise bright and fresh pages; unclipped dust jacket, with a hint of wear to the extremities, minor rubbing to the hinges, bright and clean panels with much less rubbing than usual. An excellent copy and very scarce in this condition. Joshua R. Mann B & B Rare Books, Ltd. Office: (646) 652-6766 Mobile: (917) 673-3439 jmann@bbrarebooks.com [more Missing from the Boston Book Fair: The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac]
The 2015 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair takes place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA, over the weekend of November 13-15. Many ABAA members will be exhibiting. Here is a brief selection of the special items they're planning on bringing to Boston. Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus Boethius a.d.480-525 Small folio 11 ¼ x 7 inches. First illustrated edition. In this copy many of the seventy eight woodcuts have very nice original color, it is bound in full blind stamped calf over wooden boards. It is also rubicated throughout. (Offered by James Gray Bookseller) Cicarelli's rare treatise on the truffle, Opuscule sur les Truffes (1813). Ciccarelli believed he had identified the seed of the truffle and lays out a method for its propagation. Ciccarelli, Alfonso; . Opuscule sur les Truffes, trad. libre du Latin, d'Alphonse Ciccarellus, auteur du XVIe siècle ; avec des annotations sur le texte, et un préambule historique par Mr. P.-J. Amoreux. Montpellier: J.-G. Tournel,1813. Octavo, 180 pages. Pages uncut. Some light wear to wrapper edges, other wise very good. Rare. 9OCLC locates eight copies only, none in the US; not in Volbracht, Myko Libri) (Offered by Rabelais Fine Books on Food and Drink) LELAND, Charles F. (attributed to). ''F.A.T.'': HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT OF WEEKLY HUMOR PERIODICAL WITH COLOR DRAWINGS. A total of 6 issues, 12 pages each, bound with original wrappers in cloth (4-1/2" x 7"). Handwritten in ink throughout, with many watercolor drawin... [more Featured Items: Boston Book Fair]
The 39th annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair takes place in Boston, MA from November 13 to 15. The leaves are falling, Maine is experiencing its first snowfall, and the world series is upon us; It must be nearly time for the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair. 2015 marks the 39th annual antiquarian book fair in Boston, MA, and more than 120 dealers from around the world will rendevous at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston's Back Bay over the November 13-15 weekend. Special Events Special events at this year's Boston Book Fair include a talk by Peter Sokolowski, editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster, about the 19th century dictionary wars; a behind-the-scenes look at Antiques Roadshow with the show's executive producer Marsha Bemko; the annual Ticknor Society Roundtable, a panel discussion of books collectors talking about their collections; and, the Boston debut of the Typewriter Rodeo, a group of poets who create custom poems on vintage typewriters -- you'll have to see it to believe it! Featured Items One of the oldest and most respected antiquarian book shows in the country, the Boston Book Fair is an event that offers the 'crème de la crème' of items that are available on the international literary market. This year's featured items includes rare and first editions of works by Erasmus, Ezra Pound, Winston Churchill, Aimé Césaire, Philip Levine, and J. M Barrie; an inscribed first-edition of Clement Moore's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas; signe... [more Coming Soon: 2015 Boston Book Fair]
Friday, October 16 marks 161 years since the birth of Oscar Wilde. In that time be became the toast of the literary scene in 19th-century London, an international pariah, and finally, decades after he died, one of the most well-known poets and dramatists in history. No well-rounded collection of rare books should be without some of Wilde's work. Below, we collect some of the most-interesting items by Oscar Wilde currently being offered by ABAA members. Signed Books Anything with an author's signature is almost always more highly prized that something without a signature, and the general rule of thumb is the more writing by the author the better. (For example, a book annotated or inscribed by the author with a personal message would likely be more interesting to collectors than one with a simple signature.) There are several signed books and other items by Wilde currently available on abaa.org: An Ideal Husband London: Leonard Smithers and Co., 1899. First Edition. Hardcover. Slight browning to the endpapers, as customary, otherwise a clean copy with mild bumping to the corners and spine tips, some fading to the spine with a rather faint stain, and mild soiling to the covers. Near Fine. Small quarto (7-1/4" x 8-7/8") in original gilt-stamped and decorated lavender cloth with gilt designs by Charles Shannon. Copy #21 of only 100 SIGNED by the author. Wilde's third comedy, very scarce in the limited signed edition. The Balled of Reading Gaol London: Leonard Smithers, 1898. Third... [more Rare Items by Oscar Wilde]