SUNDAY: You could easily be excused for thinking that in the seven-month-long hiatus between major American book fairs (April in New York, November in Boston) there would be a sort of doldrums in which booksellers settle down and catalogue away, alone in their lairs (or maybe even just go fishing). Not so. Each summer beginning in June an institution called, simply, "Rare Book School," hosts a series of week-long sessions on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Rare Book School (from here on in I'll just call it "RBS") is dedicated to, well -- the study of rare books. It's death-by-chocolate for serious book addicts, attracting dealers, collectors, librarians, researchers, academics, students -- really anyone with a deep and abiding interest in everything books. 2015's season began on the 7th of June, on a Sunday evening, with a welcoming lecture by the dynamic director of RBS, Michael Suarez. His topic was "The Library (capital L) as both community and as cure for the soul." It was a moving and inspiring talk, and the assembled crowd drank it up, then dispersed to talk of bookish things with their fellow students (there may have also been either drinking or dining involved), before falling into bed, ready to dive into book heaven bright and early Monday morning. MONDAY: 8 am. The RBS doors open, and a lavish spread of bagels and cream cheese, yogurt and granola and fresh local fruit, and an assortment of juices, teas, and coffee awaits. I recognize se... [more Rare Book School Journal]

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon has been hailed by the Times Literary Supplement as “the most significant English-language poet born since the Second World War.” In addition to earning a bundle of superlatives, he is also a professor at Princeton University and the poetry editor at the New Yorker. He is musically inclined, and plays guitar in the rock band, The Wayside Shrines. He released a volume of lyrics called The Word on the Street in 2013. And, before his day jobs were entirely belletristic, he worked as a TV and radio producer for the BBC. It is probably not surprising that such an accomplished poet was precocious. As a university student in Belfast, he was taught by Nobel laureate and poet Seamus Heaney. The reality is a tad fuzzy — even Muldoon can't recall it precisely — but the legend goes that the young Muldoon sent his poetry to Heaney, asking him to tell him what was wrong with it. Heaney replied, tersely, with “Nothing.” This intergenerational bond, from one great Northern Irish poet to another, was for Muldoon, more than a special meeting of minds. Seamus Heaney was substantially responsible for jump-starting Muldoon's literary career. Heaney connected this young talent with the poetry editor at Faber & Faber, enabling Muldoon to publish his first collection of poetry while he was still a student, at the age of 21. After graduation, he began working for the BBC in Belfast, before finding work in academia. He taught at Cambridge and East A... [more Paul Muldoon & Barry Moser Collaborate]

Gardens grow in the mind and the spirit as much as in the soil. Our western culture offers so much garden literature to the collector who is interested in the Eden-like connection between the inner and outer world, where the garden is both a personal and cultural vision. Possibly the most classic expression of an earthly Eden comes from one of the pre-eminent minds of Western civilization, Sir Francis Bacon, born in London in 1561. It is a good place to begin. 1. Bacon, Francis. OF GARDENS. (ca. 1625). This brief essay is part of the author's ESSAYES, a series that began in 1597 and grew to contain 58 essays by 1625. "Of Gardens" painted a vivid portrait of a late Tudor ideal. Bacon calls a garden "the greatest refreshment to the spirits of man". In just a few passages, he describes his ideal garden, how it should be configured, where light and shade should play a part, and what should grow in it. His clearly articulated vision has been a standard inspiration for garden lovers ever since. 2. (HILL, Thomas) MOUNTAIN, Didymous , (pseud). THE GARDENERS LABYBRINTH: CONTAINING A DISCOURSE OF THE GARDENERS LIFE. London: 1577. In 1558, Hill, a translator and astrologer, authored a book generally regarded as first English book devoted to gardening: "A most briefe and pleasaunte.treatise....", but this, his second book, was aimed at a wider audience and featured charming woodcut illustrations and an engaging writing style. Hill offered more material in this book, much of it openly bor... [more Ten Gardening Books for New Collectors]

This week saw the anniversary of George Orwell's birth and the first publication of Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth, among other milestones. We've featured a few items below that mark these anniversaries, or which simply caught the eye as being a little bit different or interesting. Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire (Illustrated by Henri Matisse) 1947, Paris. Decorative wrap, designed by Matisse. Slipcase and chemise. One of 300 numbered copies on papier de Rives, signed by Matisse in colophon, from a total edition of 320 copies. With one original aquatint on chine appliqué (frontispiece), 33 full-page photo-lithographs with 29 portraits of women in which Matisse captures expressions and gestures of the passionate and loving feminine nature, 38 line-drawn decorations (10 full-page), of which 2 on the covers, and 33 wood-engraved lettrines; all by Matisse. Condition: Very Good. Offered by Marinart, Inc. Harry S. Truman Signed Certificate of Merit awarded to Dr. Henri Gaston Busignies Washington, DC, March 1, 1948. 11" x 10". Partly Printed Document Signed "Harry S. Truman" as President and "Owen J. Roberts" (Supreme Court Justice 1930-1955) as Chairman, Medal for Merit Board, 11" x 10". Washington, March 1, 1948. Completed in type. Mounted on identical size rigid board, rectangular toning from prior display. Fine condition. By 1940, German U-boats were so damaging that Winston Churchill later commented that it was the only time in World War II that he thought Britain wou... [more Featured Items: June 26]

While every newspaper is publishing appreciations of the late James Salter, who died last week, few of these pieces mention his exemplary short fiction, instead focusing on the novels. Fewer still will mention an exquisite fine-press, limited edition of his short story "Bangkok," as only 110 were ever printed. Salter's story "Bangkok" first appeared in the Paris Review in 2003. Raven Editions published a limited edition as part of their series of special editions by distinguished American authors (other books included stories by Raymond Carver, Andre Dubus, and Richard Ford) one year later, in 2004. The story was later included in his 2005 collection of short fiction, Last Night (Knopf). Publisher's Weekly singled out "Bangkok" for particular praise in their review of Last Night: "Bangkok" offers a different take on the reunion angle, as a woman tries to tempt an old flame into joining her and her female traveling companion on a sexually adventurous, last-second trip to the Far East, despite his being happily married and claiming to be satisfied with his sedate, settled life. Bangkok (Signed, Limited Edition) by James Salter., West Hartford: Raven Editions, 2004. First edition. Hardcover. Fine. Wide 8vo. Lovely fine press chapbook containing a single short story by Salter with an original frontis illustration by Dente. A fine copy. This is # IV of XXV special copies SIGNED by Salter and initialed by the artist with the hand colored monoprint by Dente. The whole edition was on... [more James Salter’s Rarest Book]

UPDATE: RECOVERED, 6/29/15 Reported missing from a private library in Walnut Creek, California -- James Joyce's serialized Ulysses in the LITTLE REVIEW, housed in what sounds like a custom grayish-blue box lettered in gilt on the upper cover "Ulysses by James Joyce." The owner received these as a college graduation present from her father 55 years ago. She cannot speak to completeness/number of issues present or to any distinguishing marks. If you are offered or have any information on these items, please contact the owner, Anne Brown at (925) 788-0664. [more Missing: James Joyce’s Serialized Ulysses in the Little Review]

Randolph Caldecott was born in March of 1846 in a city called Chester, England. He left school at the tender age of fifteen and went to work in a bank branch. In 1861 he saw published his first drawing – and despite the fact that he was to be most remembered for his humorous depictions and lively countryside scenes, Caldecott's first published work would be of a catastrophic fire at the Queens Railway Hotel in Chester which, along with his write-up of the event, appeared in the Illustrated London News. In his early twenties Caldecott was able to transfer to the Manchester & Salford Bank in the thriving Northern city and began to take night classes at the Manchester School of Art, all while continuing to have his sketches published locally. Upon making the acquaintance of Henry Blackburn and getting published in the London Society, Caldecott realized his talent could be enough to support him and at the young age of 26, he quit his banking job to move to London. In 1869, Caldecott exhibited an illustration in the Royal Manchester Institute, and seven years later was displayed once more, this time at the Royal Academy. In 1872, he was elected to the Royal Institute of Watercolour Painting. R. Caldecott's Picture Book Containing The Diverting History of John Gilpin; The Three Jovial Huntsmen; An Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog. London: Frederick Warne. Early Edition. Hardcover. Good Condition. Undated ca. 1900 - early edition, variant cover. (Offered by Pazzo Books) In 1877 Ca... [more A Tribute to Randolph Caldecott]

National newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic were abuzz over the weekend with the news that a first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit had sold for a record price at auction. The book sold for �137,000 (about $210,500). To put this in perspective, the previous record price was �50,000. Why did this sale outperform expectations so astonishingly? Well, it might have had something to do with the fact that this was one of the most-sought-after of all signed books, a presentation copy, given by Professor Tolkien to one of his students, Katherine Kilbride. Tolkien did not inscribe many presentation copies, so the book is certainly rare. Not only that, but he added an inscription in Middle English. The "Kilbride Hobbit" (Image source: Sothebys) ABAA-member Mark Hime of Biblioctopus in Century City, CA has intimate knowledge of this particular copy, having sold it twice in past decades. Hime commented to another bookseller, Brad Johnson of The Book Shop in Covina, CA, that “to my knowledge, the presentation copy of the Hobbit to Kilbride, was the first 20th century novel ever priced or sold for five figures -- though Margie Cohn had a set of the three Ulysses priced $10,000 in her catalog about a year earlier.” When we contacted him for any further thoughts on the sale, he had this to say: "I was answering Mr. Johnson's question about that copy's appearance for sale at $12,500 in a 1980 Biblioctopus catalog. The key phrase in the quotation is 'to my knowledge.' Instituti... [more The Hobbit Fetches World Record Price]

Another controversy over Shakespeare erupted recently. By itself, this fact would not be worth reporting, as controversy swirls around the legacy of William Shakespeare like that of no other writer. However, this one revolved around something that collectors of rare books will have special interest in and knowledge of: printers marks. First, the Claim and Supporting Evidence Cover of the May 20th edition of Country Life magazine, in which Mark Grffiths' revealed his theory. Botanist and historian Mark Griffiths was writing a book on 16th century horticulturist John Gerard, in the course of which he decided to determine who the four figures depicted on the title page of Gerard's magnum opus, The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes (1597), were, as it is thought these figures are allegorical. Search abaa.org for copies of John Gerard's The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes... Three of the four figures appear relatively straight-forward and uncontentious: the author himself, his patron -- Lord Burghley (who raised Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford and for many the prime suspect for who could have written the Shakespeare plays if William did not), and Rembert Dodoens, the Flemish botanist whose work Gerard was building upon. The fourth figure is less obvious, and this is the one Griffiths believes to be William Shakespeare. Title page of The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes by John Gerard (1597). The area around the bottom-right figure has been artificially... [more Shakespeare’s Face?]

Items of interest for the week beginning June 1, 2015. Beatles' Autographs The Beatles are on people's minds -- and radios -- this week because on June 1, 1967, they released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, one of the first concept albums that was more than just a collection of singles or potential-singles. It was a massive hit, spending six months atop the charts. Between the Covers Rare Books has this cool vinyl picture disc of Sgt. Pepper (left), which is a rarity -- although it was released in 1978, as vinyl production technology wasn't sophisticated enough to allow this to be made in 1967. One of the ultimate collectibles for Beatles fans is autographs of all four band members. University Archives offer this set of all four signatures from July 1963, before they had become world-famous. The signature of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II June 2nd is the 62nd anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. James Cummins Bookseller Inc. has a very special and very rare item of great interest to monarchists and anglophiles, one of the first Letters of State the newly crowned Queen would have signed in 1953. View Letter of State to President of the Dominican Republic (1953)... Horseman, Pass By by Larry McMurtry This signed, first edition of Larry McMurtry's lauded first novel, Horseman, Pass By would be a fitting way to mark the author's 79th birthday on June 3rd. The novel was not only a huge influence on Texas literature, but on the movies as well, as it becam... [more Featured Items]