Looking at the history of book banning worldwide, from Henry VIII's destruction of Catholic iconography and religious books during the dissolution, to Hitler's famous bonfires of any work deemed insufficiently Germanic in the 1930s, and up to today's over-zealous parents eager to shield children from whatever they imagine was absent in their own childhoods, some books simply appear to attract more negative emotion than others. These challenges usually cite the same few justifications: sex, violence, racism, or the presentation of facts or theories outside of mainstream belief. To mark Banned Books Week, we pick out a selection of the most-frequently challanged books, and a couple whose publication spawned landmark freedom-of-speech cases. Almost anything by Judy Blume Before the young adult genre became best known for daring fiction that pushes the envelope, Judy Blume was one of the most-challenged authors in America because she wrote honestly about adolescent sexuality before it was trendy, with novels like Tiger Eyes, Forever, Are You There God It's Me, Margaret, Deenie, and Blubber appearing on the annual lists of frequently challenged books throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Deenie by Judy Blume (First Edition) Scarsdale, NY: Bradbury Press, 1973. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good+ binding/Very Good dust jacket. A clean First Edition with no marks of any kind. Like many of Ms. Blume's young adult novels, this one has been banned in schools for dealing openly with topics ... [more Infamous Banned Books]

Today's entry has to do with the way Tahiti looked to Gauguin, but it is also about colleagues, and buying things, and about surprises – about whether or not they can be surprises if we expect them. Last week at the Brooklyn Book Fair my cellphone went off. It was colleague John Thomson calling me from across the room. He'd found something in DeWolfe & Wood's booth. I scooted over for a look. It was a lot of 24 cabinet photos of Tahiti. About a dozen of these had captions on the back; just enough info to assure me they were actually photos of Tahiti. I bought them because I'd never seen their like before. As I wrote somewhere else, this becomes more and more a reason for buying something. If it's new to you – buy it! I also asked John if he wanted to go in on the photos with me. Not because I didn't have the money, but as a courtesy of the trade. He'd scouted it up for me, so he was entitled to a share. I own tens of thousands of dollars worth of things with other people – some of which, I'm sure, will disappear without a trace. No matter, buying things together is a good way to network and, like the old New England ship captains, who seemingly always owned things together, it's an excellent way to share the risk. In this case there was little risk. We were sure to sell the photos for at least what we'd paid and almost certainly at a modest profit. Because we'd paid a healthy sum to obtain them, the ceiling on this lot didn't seem high, but there was always a chance tha... [more Gauguin’s Model]

The second installment of Kaitlin Manning's new series on taking better pictures of rare books and ephemera. (Review the first part here...) Setting up a home studio does not need to be an expensive affair. Besides your camera, there are two basic elements to a studio: a backdrop and lighting. For the backdrop, the simplest and most effective method is to create a “scoop” background (sometimes called an endless background) where there is no visible horizon line. This effect can be created very easily: place a box or other upright, sturdy object (even a folding chair will do) on your workspace and drape a large piece of paper or fabric over it so that it curves gently down onto the surface on which you will place your books. I find that a large roll of butcher paper works quite well – simply roll out a fresh background whenever it gets dirty or wrinkled (black, white, or a neutral grey are best). You can find this at arts and crafts shops or specialty photography shops for a very reasonable price. Lighting your workspace will take a little more effort and experimentation, but shouldn't be intimidating. The basic idea is to fill your background with a soft, diffuse light in order to capture every detail and avoid any harsh shadows. This effect can be achieved in several ways: you can buy several desk lamps (the clip-on kind works really well), or a couple of entry-level, standing flood lamps at a photography shop ($100 will get you a fine set at B & H Photo). Set these li... [more The Savvy Bookseller: A guide to taking better photos, part II]

One reason books have not been replaced by electronic approximations -- despite many predictions of doom -- is the appeal of the physical objects themselves. Lavish illustrations, careful design, and artistic typography elevate a book from text to art. A page from the Kelmscott Chaucer (to give just one example) will never look as good on your phone. Long before pixels and digital everything, publishers understood that books should be works of art, and worked to create illustrations to compliment the prose. Some works lend themselves to being illustrated better than others, and Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market has proven irresistable to artists since its first publication. (Of course having a famous artist for a brother, it was perhaps inevitable that her work would be richly illustrated.) Here are a few of the beautifully illustrated editions of her classic work Goblin Market currently available from ABAA members. Rossetti's more-famous brother, the poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, contributed two illustrations for the first publication of Goblin Market & Other Poems in 1862 (a second edition followed in 1865). Goblin Market and Other Poems Cambridge: Macmillan, 1862. First. hardcover. good. With Two Designs by D. G. Rossetti. Small 8vo, blue cloth stamped in gilt. Cambridge: Macmillan, 1862. First Edition. The binding is lightly rubbed; inner hinge cracked, one signature spring, corners bumped. Housed in a blue, half morocco solander case. (Offered by Argosy Book ... [more Illustrating Goblin Market]

This item is still missing as of 6/2/2019. Mace Neufeld reports that a 2 volume set of HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF THE PAPER CURRENCY OF THE AMERICAN COLONIES (1865) with numerous examples of colonial currency tipped into the volumes, was recently stolen from his library. The author was Henry Phillips Jr. The theft was reported to the Beverly Hills police on August 10, 2015. Mace Neufeld can be contacted at Bigmace@mnprods.com [more Missing in Beverly Hills: 2 vol Historical Sketches of the Paper Currency of the American Colonies]

Located! These items were recovered as of 10/3/2015. The following four items were allegedly stolen from the home of a collector in Georgia (USA) on July 18, 2015. Please contact us if you are offered any of these items. Abraham Lincoln-ADS on blue paper, twice signed by Lincoln for Weldon and Lincoln docketed 1856. Sinatra- Small Photograph Signed in green ink, early '60s Marlon Brando ALS ca 1992 Marilyn Monroe, ANS on Hotel Fountainbleu stationery, “Love and kisses”. [more Missing from Georgia: Autographs]

A selection of featured items from among those offered by ABAA members, including very rare inscribed, pseudonymous novels by Agatha Christie, a first edition H.G. Wells, rare Robert McCloskey, and an unusual piece of Titanic memorabilia. Titanic Among the various anniversaries and milestones that occur in September is the 30th anniverary of the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic. While this discovery ended any notions of attempting to raise the famous ship (as explored in Clive Cussler's bestselling 1976 thriller Raise the Titanic), it did reignite a slumbering fascination with the world's most infamous shipwreck -- a fascination that's lead to the world's #1 blockbuster movie, a new museum in the city that built the Titanic, and innumerable novels and books about the voyage. One interesting item among our member's offerings is this copy of the 1912 official report on the sinking: Shipping Casualties - Loss of the Steamship "Titanic": Report of a Formal Investigation into the Circumstances Attending the Foundering on the 15th April, 1912, of the British Steamship "Titanic", of Liverpool, After Striking Ice In or Near Latitude 41 46' N., Longitude 50 14' W., North Atlantic Ocean, whereby loss of life ensued London. His Majesty's Stationery Office. Printed by J. Truscott and Son. 1912. Bound in imprinted blue wrappers. Housed in archival clamshell box. Tall 8vo. The First Edition. The British inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic was headed by a former judge, Lord Mersey,... [more Featured Items: September]

Rounding up the rare book news for August... Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Competition Yes, there really is an Ernest Hemingway look-alike competition. This is the guy who won it this year... Lost Colony Relocated? A clue to the lost colony is discovered in a repaired map... Featured item: THE ARRAIGNMENT AND CONVICTION OF SR VVALTER RAWLEIGH, AT THE KINGS BENCH-BARRE AT WINCHESTER. ON THE 17. OF NOVEMBER. 1603 . . . COPPIED BY SIR THO: OVERBVRY London: Printed by William Wilson for Abel Roper, 1648. FIRST EDITION. Hardcover. 191 x 133 mm (7 1/2 x 5 1/4"). 1 p.l. (title), 38 pp. This is a rare copy of a text relating to the accusation, in 1603, that Raleigh had conspired with fellow courtier Baron Cobham to facilitate a Spanish invasion to prevent James Stuart from inheriting Elizabeth's throne. An educated poet, courtier, explorer, buccaneer, and one-time favorite of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh (1552?-1618) lived a life full of adventure and controversy. Among many other things, he had an important intersection with American history as the person who attempted to found Roanoke Colony in Virginia in 1587. This is a rare book: since 1978, ABPC records just one other copy at auction. (Offered by Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books) For the Love of Font The Paris Review indulged in a spot of fontification this week: Civil War throgh Japanese Eyes An 1872 history of the United States published in Japan was recenlt acquired by the LSU Libraries' Special Collections Department. The... [more Rare Book News: August 2015]

We thank all who submitted applications. Once again, the ABAA is delighted to be a part of the contest. Without further ado, the 2015 Winners of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest are: 1st prize: Alexander P. Ioffreda (Harvard University) Formalists! Musical Scores of Repressed Soviet Composers 2nd prize: Laura A. Hartmann-Villalta (Northeastern University) Representations of the Spanish Civil War: Testimonies, Pamphlets, Novels, and Scholarship 3rd prize: Rose Berman (University of Chicago) Antoine de Saint Exupéry: Pilot, Author, and Friend Essay Prize: Anne P. Steptoe (Duke University) Look Homeward: Journeying Home through 20th Century Southern Literature The Awards Ceremony will be held at the Library of Congress (James Madison Building, Montpelier Room) in Washington, DC on October 16th at 5:30pm. Our featured speaker is Ellen Dunlap of the American Antiquarian Society. [more 2015 Winners of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest]

Ted Hughes was born on August 17, 1930. He became one of the most-famous poets of the Twentieth Century, and was Great Britain's Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death in 1998 (Poet's Laureate traditionally served for life -- the exception being John Dryden, who was dismissed from the post in 1688 because he would not tale a loyalty oath to the new king, Wiliam III -- but the institiution was amended after Hughes' death, and the new-normal is for the Poet Laureate to serve for 10 years). Hughes published a vast wealth of poetry and children's stories during his life -- and that life provided fodder for an even-vaster wealth of books about the poet and his tempestuous romantic liasions. ABAA members offer a large selection of signed items, first editions, and fine-press or other scarcities. Here is a selection of some of the more eye-catching items. (You can find a full listing of current offerings by or related to Ted Hughes here...) Meet my Folks! (Signed, First Edition) London: Faber and Faber. (1961). First. First edition. Illustrated by George Adamson. Fine in near fine dustwrapper with a little rubbing. Contemporary owner names on the front fly, under which is a Signed sentiment from the author: "with good wishes, Ted Hughes." The author's third book and first book of children's verse. A very nice copy. (Offered by Between the Covers Rare Books) Crow (Signed, First American Edition) New York: Harper & Row. (1971). First. First American edition, hardcover issue. A modest... [more Ted Hughes: Signed & Scarce Items]