Mark Catesby was a British naturalist who in 1722 was sent by the London Royal Society to explore the southeastern American colonies, specifically the Lowcountry of South Carolina, and the Bahamas. He spent four years travelling through the region and documenting flora and fauna, and spent the subsequent twenty years compiling his writings and illustrations into a thorough two volume book, Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. Catesby's tome was the first published, and fully illustrated, natural history of North America. (The volume included over 200 beautifully illustrated plates, all done in Catesby's hand.) This November marks the tercentennial of Catesby's exploration and the Catesby Commemorative Trust plans on celebrating in a very special way. From November 4-9, a symposium will be held in which experts from America and Europe will discuss Catesby's influences, drawings, science, and impact on natural history. In addition to these meaningful discussions, participants will be treated to a tour of places visited by Catesby and have the chance to view some of his beautiful etchings. The six-day, three-city symposium will take place in Richmond, VA, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina. Catesby's Natural History will be on display in all three cities: in Richmond at the Wilton House, in D.C. at the Natural History Museum, and in Charleston at the Charleston Library Society. Please note that one does not have to participate in the entire ... [more Mark Catesby's Tercentennial in America: A Celebration of Natural History]

I came across this cool blog called Underground New York Public Library that uses photographs to document what New York subway riders are reading. The blog is of obvious interest to me as a New Yorker, avid reader, and daily subway rider, but I recommend checking it out. Besides providing me with a great place to read, my favorite part of riding the subway is scoping out what other people are reading. Now you can do the same while avoiding the crowds, smells, and other unpleasantries of the subway system (ok, those links make it seem worse than it is: don't be scared of NYC's public transportation system, I don't know what I and other millions of residents would do with out it!). Plus, the site has really nice photos. [more Underground Library]

Artists Sebastian Schmieg and Silvio Lorusso have released a pretty awesome piece called 56 Broken Kindle Screens. It's a compilation of photos depicting broken Kindle screens. Oh, and did I mention that it is a print on demand paperback? From Schmieg's website: The book takes as its starting point the peculiar aesthetic of broken E Ink displays and serves as an examination into the reading device's materiality. As the screens break, they become collages composed of different pages, cover illustrations and interface elements. [more A Book of Broken Kindles]

Next Monday, September 10, John Crichton, past-President of the ABAA and proprietor of Brick Row Book Shop, will give a talk on The Bay Area Antiquarian Book Trade, 1850-2000 (Second Edition, Revised). Sponsored by the Book Club of California and the Northern California Chapter of the ABAA, the talk will take place at 6pm at the Book Club of California (312 Sutter Street, First Floor, San Francisco, CA). Libations and hospitality will commence at 5pm. [more Member Lecture on the Bay Area Antiquarian Book Trade]

These items were still reported missing as of June 12, 2019. The following books, among others, have been recorded as stolen in August 2012 from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection of the Temple University Libraries (Philadelphia, Pa.): Asimov, Isaac. Currents of Space. 1952. First edition. Asimov, Isaac. Foundation. 1951. First, with d.j. Asimov, Isaac. Foundation and Empire. 1952. First, with d.j. Burroughs, Edgar Rice. Tarzan of the Apes. Chicago, McClurg, 1914. 1st. Dick, Philip. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968. First, d.j. Lovecraft, H. P. Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Arkham House, 1943. d.j. Lovecraft, H. P. Notes and Commonplace Book... 1938. Lovecraft, H. P. The Outsider and Others. Arkham House, 1939. Lovecraft, H. P. The Shunned House. Recluse Press, 1928. Verne, Jules. 7 Hetzel editions: Claudius Bombarnac ... L'ile Mysterieuse .. Mathias Sandorf. 1885. Mirifiques Aventures de Maitre Antifer. Robur-le-Conquerant.. Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-vingts Jours. Une Ville Flottante .... 1872. If you have any information on these volumes and selected other science fiction or fantasy titles which may have indications of Temple ownership please contact Margery Sly, Director of Special Collections, at msly@temple.edu. [more Rare Science Fiction Lit Missing From Philadelphia Area]

Update: We are pleased to report that these items have been recovered. Three volumes of a 5-volume set of the Works of Rabelais, printed by John Hart for Brindley, 1750: Volumes II, III, and V, 12mo volumes, approximately 6²x4², dark brown leather, with plates. Lost in Berkeley, CA. Please contact: Stephen Whitehead classicalsteve@comcast.net 510-457-8066 cell 510-842-3063 home [more UPDATE: Rabelais Works Missing from Berkeley, CA area]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America is delighted to announce the winners of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest! First Prize: Jordan Haug, University of California San Diego, "Mormon Fundamentalism & Polygamy" Second Prize: Jessica Anne Kahan, University of Michigan, "Romance Novels in DJ, 1925-1935" Third Prize: Andrew Ferguson, University of Virginia, "Bibliography & Puzzle of R.A. Lafferty" Essay Prize: Kevin Baggot Roberts, Johns Hopkins University, "Cheap Thrills: Sex in American Publishing, 1924-1970" Congratulations to the winners! [more 2012 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Winners Announced!]

The blog will be silent until after Labor Day as I will be enjoying a little vacation. In the meantime, please visit our Facebook page to get your bookish fix. Enjoy the last days of summer! [more Vacation!]

A photo of the book, '1938-1941: Vier Jahre, Hermann-Göring-Werke', courtesy of La Grange Park Public Library Like many libraries, the La Grange Park Public Library in Illinois happily accepts donations. Last spring they received a rare Nazi artifact that may have been trashed had it not been for a sharp librarian. Circulation Services Director Ursula Stanek grew up in Germany, so any donated German books end up on her desk. A few months ago a book marked "Geheim!", German for 'secret', caught her eye. Upon further examination Stanek realized the library had a rare Nazi text in its possession. Entitled 1938-1941: Vier Jahre, Hermann-Göring-Werke, the book detailed the Nazi's four-year economic blueprint for{cke_protected_1} a steel-producing industrial site in Salzgitter, Germany. The book was given to workers in the steel mill as a Christmas gift. Stanek also made an exciting discovery within the book. Inserted in the book's pages was letterhead and an envelope from the desk of Hermann Göring, who was commander in chief of the Luftwaffe from 1935 until the end of the war. Stanek contacted the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. and curators recognized the book right away. The museum had actually purchased a reproduction some time ago, but they were elated to have an original in their possession as it is now the only known copy in a U.S. library or museum. (There are several copies of the text in Europe.) Lenore Bell, Library Director at the USHMM,... [more Rare Nazi Artifact Found at Illinois Library]

Paper Passion Here's a way to take your bibliophilia to a whole other level. Fashion icon Karl Lagerfield, publisher Gerhard Steidl, Wallpaper* magazine, and perfumer Geza Schoen have collaborated to produce a perfume that smells like a book. (On its website, Steidl says the perfume allows you to "celebrate all the glorious sensuality of books".) The idea for the perfume arose last year at a Wallpaper* party in Milan. Lagerfield commented that "the smell of a freshly printed book is the best smell in the world". No argument there (although I always balk when something is touted to be the "best"), but Schoen quickly realized that reproducing the scent would be a little tricky. “It was hard,” says Schoen. “The smell of printed paper is dry and fatty; they are not notes you often work with.” In the end, Schoen only needed five "woody" ingredients to recreate the aroma dubbed Paper Passion. The packaging for Paper Passion is perfection, as one would expect considering it was designed by Lagerfield; the perfume comes in a white bound book in which the pages are cut out to house the bottle. Inside the pages of the book are texts from Karl Lagerfeld, Günter Grass, Geza Schoen and Tony Chambers. You can purchase Paper Passion at the Steidl website; it retails for $98. So what do you thinkwould you wear it or buy it for your favorite bibliophile? [more You, Too, Can Smell Like a Book]