UFA colour lithograph poster for 'Metropolis', Designer - Heinz Schulz-Neudamm, Berlin, 1927. Items from or pertaining to Metropolis, Fritz Lang's 1927 silent science-fiction tour de force, have a high collectible value; seven years ago an original movie poster for the film sold for $690,000. One can only imagine the excitement then that an antiquarian book firm experienced upon uncovering a 32 page program from the film's London premiere (and the added surprise of discovering it among their own inventory!). The film premiered at the Marble Arch Pavilion and the program was created especially for the event. The program is comprised of anecdotes about filming; photographs; firsthand accounts on the backstory of the movie, including the perspective of the director and his wife and colloborator, Thea von Harbou; and essays about the making of the film and themes it explores. (It sounds like the bits on the special effects in the film would make for quite an interesting read on their own.) Peter Harrington, the London firm that rediscovered and currently has the program, said that only three surviving copies are known to exist. Click here to view the complete booklet. A few interesting facts about the film: More than 37,000 extras were used in the film, including 1,100 bald men (The 'Tower of Babel' scene required 6,000 bald men, but since they could only hire 1,000, the bald extras had to be filmed six times to create the illusion.) The film took 2 years to shoot and is one of ... [more 'Metropolis' Program from Film's 1927 London Premiere Unearthed]

These items were still reported missing as of June 17, 2019. On Thursday, June 7, 2012, staff at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) at Saint John's University discovered that a 16th century printed book was missing from the work carrel of one of its catalogers. HMML staff conducted a thorough search of both HMML and Alcuin Library to ensure that the item had not been misplaced. The staff immediately reviewed a list of rare materials that had been used that week in presentations during a workshop being held at the library. It was discovered that two manuscript items from the Arca Artium collection were also missing, one of which had been used on Wednesday afternoon (June 6). It is believed that all three volumes were stolen. The manuscripts had already been photographed digitally and can be viewed in Vivarium, the online image service from the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (www.hmml.org/vivarium). Officers from Life Safety Services at Saint John's University and from the Stearns County Sheriff's Office began an investigative process that involved interviewing staff and library visitors. New security precautions have since been put into place. The missing books are: Item 1: Two printed works in Latin, together in one volume. (Call number: PA8517.D4 1532). These are bound in blind-stamped pigskin over wooden boards, with raised bands and two clasps. The volume measures approximately 16-17 cm X 10 cm X 4-5 cm. The two titles are: Desiderius Erasmus. D. Erasmi Roteroda... [more 16th Century Printed Book & 2 Manuscripts Stolen from Saint John's University]

This item was still reported missing as of June 11, 2019. The following item has been reported stolen: Title : 2 Aquatints from J. Atkinson's "An Account of the State of Agriculture and Grazing in New South Wales" Author : Atkinson, J. Date of publication : 1826 Description : 1: An Exploring Party in New South Wales. 2: Party preparing to bivouac If you have any information on this item, please contact Louis Kissajukian at info@antiqueprintroom.com or (02) 9267 4355. [more Stolen: 2 Aquatints from J. Atkinson’s “An Account of the State of Agriculture and Grazing…”]

First Edition Cover Art of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' by C.S. Lewis A rare inscribed first edition of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be auctioned in London this Thursday, July 19. This copy is especially rare because the author inscribed it with his nickname, Jack, which only close friends and family called him. No other copy of the book with an inscription of Lewis's nickname has ever gone on sale. The inscription reads, "Nicholas Hardie, with love from Jack Lewis", and was given to the son of Colin Graham Hardie, one of Lewis's best friends. Lewis would often visit the Hardie household, Nicholas Hardie, now 66, remembers, and spent many evenings reading Dante aloud with his father. "He was a distinguished old man," Mr. Hardie said. "I remember being eight years old and my mother telling me I had to be on my best behavior because C.S. Lewis was coming around." It was on a Christmas visit for tea in 1950 when Lewis gave Mr. Hardie the copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Max Hasler, a modern first editions expert at Bloomsbury Auctions, said the book is "an exciting find" because "only a few books signed by C.S. Lewis have ever come to auction, and none of them have been signed 'Jack'". The book is valued to be worth up to almost $19,000. Rare first-edition Narnia book given to your boy by C.S. Lewis up for auction at �12,000 [more First Edition Narnia Book Inscribed by 'Jack' Lewis Goes to Auction]

Check out this vintage vending machine for books. A great new idea for the battle against sugary beverages: replace all Coke and Pepsi machines with Book-O-Mats! Smarter and healthier people will ensue! Image via Book Riot (click photo to enlarge) [more Book-O-Mat]

Boston in Autumn (image by Rebecca Kennison via Wikipedia Creative Commons) There's still plenty of summer ahead, but it's the perfect time to plan a weekend getaway for the fall, when heat and summer holidays seem a distant memory. Where to head, you ask? New England is the place to be in autumn, and the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair is the perfect reason to plan a long weekend in the historic city. Just released details on this year's fair are below. The annual fall gathering for booklovers, the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, will return to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston's beautiful Back Bay, November 16-18, 2012. The offerings are wide and diverse from over 120 dealers from the United States, England, Canada, France, Hungary, The Netherlands, and Argentina who will exhibit and sell rare, collectible and antiquarian books, illuminated manuscripts, autographs, maps, atlases, modern first editions, photographs, and fine and decorative prints. Seminars and events punctuate the weekend, including, The Annual Ticknor Society Roundtable, a panel discussion of collectors talking about their collections. More events will be announced, and folks can visit www.bostonbookfair.com for up to the minute details. Friday, November 16 5:00-9:00pm Tickets: $15.00 - Opening Night (tickets valid throughout the weekend) Saturday, November 17 12:00-7:00pm Tickets: $8.00 each day Sunday, November 18 12:00-5:00pm Tickets: $8.00 each day Hynes Convention Center 900... [more Autumn, Books & Boston? Yes, please!]

Last year the city of Troy, Michigan was facing a serious funding deficit and considered closing the town's public library. Funding to save the library could have been raised through a "minuscule" tax increase, but powerful anti-tax groups in the area joined together to oppose it. That's when Leo Burnett Detroit, a local advertising agency, decided to support the library by creating a reverse psychology campaign that promoted closure of the library and a subsequent book burning party. Residents of the town were outraged and the campaign ending up saving the library from closure. Watch below. via ilovelibraries.org [more Reverse Psychology Saved a Michigan Library]

Bookmark and page from 'The Sound and the Fury' color coded Folio Society edition (via Folio Society) While William Faulkner was working on his masterpiece The Sound and the Fury in the 1920s, he corresponded with his editor about how to make the mutli-narrative clearer for readers. "I wish publishing was advanced enough to use colored ink&as I argued with you and Hal in the Speakeasy that day," he wrote. "I'll just have to save the idea until publishing grows up." What Faulkner was specifically referring to was the Benji section of the book: "If I could only get it printed the way it ought to be with different color types for the different times in Benjy's section recording the flow of events for him, it would make it simpler, probably." It's taken a while, but the Folio Society has worked hard to fulfill Faulkner's request. Last week they released a special edition of The Sound and the Fury in 14 colors. As the LA Times reports, "It's a fine press edition, quarter-bound in leather, with a slipcase and an additional volume of commentary. It also includes a color-coded bookmark that reveals which time period is designated by each color." The Folio Society worked with two Faulkner scholars to determine how to color code the text. It was decided that only one character's section will be colored, Benji's, a mentally disabled man whose narrative can be difficult to follow because it shifts between different time periods. The color coding will allow for a greater comprehension of... [more Faulkner in Color: Special Edition of 'The Sound and the Fury']

Sketch leaf of piano exercises by Beethoven, once owned by Chopin (image via Sotheby's) André Meyer (1884-1974) assembled one of the most significant private collections devoted to music, which Sotheby's will be offering at auction in Paris on October 16 and 17. Comprised of manuscripts, printed music, paintings, furniture, sculpture, drawings, and musical instruments, Meyer's collection was acquired during the first half of the twentieth century. (He began collecting in 1899 when he was only 15 years old.) Meyer devoted his entire life to music as a critic, patron, and collector, and generously opened his library to anyone with interest. The most exciting piece in the collection is a sketch leaf of piano exercises by Ludwig van Beethoven that was once owned by Frédéric Chopin, a Beethoven enthusiast. Other exciting items include: the first collected edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's Six Partitas for Keyboard; a signed autograph manuscript of Arnold Schoenberg's String Quartet; a first edition of Jean-Philippe Rameau's Traité de l'Harmonie, Corrected & Annotated by Rameau prior to the 2nd Edition in 1726; a variety of portraits of composers, including Chopin, Schubert, and Schumann; and a piece of pearwood paneling that is decorated with musical trophies, circa 1730. The viewing will take place at Sotheby's Paris on October 12, 13, and 15. Sotheby's to offer the most important private collection of printed musical scores in private hands in Europe Collection Musicale An... [more Sotheby's to Offer André Meyer's Remarkable Collection of Musical Scores]

Shakespeare in O.P. (that's original pronunciation, FYI)! Below is a really interesting video that examines the original pronunciation of Shakespeare's plays in juxtaposition with our modern pronunciation, and explores how hearing the o.p. leads to a greater understanding of, and appreciation for, the texts. Enjoy! [more Shakespeare Original Pronunciation (Video)]