The Library of Congress named Stephanie Stillo the new chief of the Library's Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Stillo joined the Library in 2016 and previously served as the curator of the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection and the Aramont Library — two of the division's notable collections. The Rare Book and Special Collections Division is North America's largest collection of rare books. Spanning eras and subjects, its holdings include nearly 1 million books, broadsides, pamphlets, theater playbills, title pages, prints, posters, photographs, and medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. President Thomas Jefferson's library is at the center of the collection, which was sold to Congress in 1815. As division chief, Stillo will lead the collection's development, stewardship, interpretation, promotion, and service to meet the needs of government officials, scholars and the public. During her time at the Library, Stillo has collaborated with division staff to launch several engagement initiatives — including the division's first crowdsourcing campaign and two large symposiums — as well as the Artists and Archives program, which manages an archivist every year to process archival arrearage relating to the contemporary book arts. She also oversees the division's popular video series “From the Vaults” and co-manages the division's blog, Bibliomania. “Over the past seven years as Curator of the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection and the Aramont Library, I have had the p... [more Library of Congress Names Stephanie Stillo Chief of Rare Book and Special Collections]

Max Beerbohm: The Price of Celebrity The New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Gallery Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY October 20, 2023–January 28, 2024 Today we live in a world of celebrity culture. Celebrity became an international industry in the late-nineteenth century, and the English artist and author Max Beerbohm (1872–1956) was at the center of it. From the 1890s through the 1920s, to be a celebrity meant the hope—and fear—of turning up in a drawing or a parody by “Max,” as he was known in both Britain and the U.S. His brilliant skewering of famous people in his visual caricatures and of their writing styles in his satirical works made him a celebrity himself. This was an identity he enjoyed, but later shrank from. In essays and fiction, he explored the price in human terms of achieving and maintaining celebrity status in ways that still resonate with us now. This exhibition maps the career of Sir Max Beerbohm (knighted in 1939) in relation to the idea of celebrity, following him from his early days in the Decadent circles of Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley through his late career as a radio performer on BBC broadcasts during World War II. Along the way, he knew, drew, and wrote about many other celebrities, from Henry James to Virginia Woolf and George Bernard Shaw to members of the Royal Family. The New York Public Library is the perfect place for this show. A wit and a dandy, renowned for always b... [more Max Beerbohm: The Price of Celebrity at the NYPL]

Rare Book and Manuscript Cataloguer In our fifty years in business, Donald Heald Rare Books has established itself as one of the leading authorities on fine antiquarian books, manuscripts, prints, drawings and maps. From Donald Heald Rare Books' beginnings in London in the early 1970s, to our present location on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, we have honed our specialized knowledge of Americana and Canadiana, voyages and travels, illustrated books, prints, maps and atlases. We have also been fortunate to have contributed to some of the most important public collections worldwide and built some of the finest private collections. Our inventory is unrivalled in content and quality, our client service is of the very highest standard, and our genuine enthusiasm for our remarkable material is unmatched. Rare Book and Manuscript Cataloguer responsibilities: Cataloging of new acquisitions Researching histories of individual items and their creators, authors, artists, etc. Working with owner to craft accurate, engaging descriptions of new materials Organization and management of private library catalogues Inventory acquisition and sales Creating new catalogues and posting on our website and Internet bookselling sites. Professional and effective correspondence with fellow rare books professionals, prominent auction houses, and private clients from all over the world Physical, database and website maintenance of large inventory of books, maps, and prints Meeting with clients in perso... [more Job Posting: Donald A. Heald Rare Books is Hiring a Rare Book and Manuscript Cataloguer]

Associate Bookseller Position Based in the historic Union Building in Old Pasadena, Whitmore Rare Books has been serving a range of collectors for over a decade, placing rare book and manuscript materials at some of the most influential private collections and institutional libraries around the globe. In 2023, our shop seeks to recruit an Associate Bookseller to assist us in expanding our operations. This is a full-time salaried position based in our Pasadena shop that includes a set in-shop schedule with potential travel to and from book fairs. Salary is commensurate with experience and includes health insurance and paid time off (range $65,000 - $85,000). Interested parties should email a resume and cover letter to info@whitmorerarebooks.com. What the position entails: Research and Writing: • Cataloguing o Assisting with backlog and overflow cataloguing • Editing o Assisting with editing print and digital catalogues o Regularly checking on/editing/revising existing descriptions • Book Fairs o As needed, traveling to or from book fairs to assist in set-up and break-down o As needed, providing on-floor sales support at book fairs Front of shop support: • Shop Walk-ins o Welcoming walk-ins to the shop o Handling in-shop sales o Collecting client information • Phone Call and Email Support • Managing door for deliveries/outbound packages Marketing: • Social Media o Collaborating in developing on-brand content for social media channels o Scheduling and releasing soc... [more Associate Bookseller Position at Whitmore Rare Books in Pasadena, CA]

On the 100th anniversary of her birth, an exhibition, entitled GET HAPPY! celebrates the life and artistic contribution of actress, singer and cultural icon Judy Garland. Garland's expansive career hit nearly every popular genre of entertainment during her lifetime, including Vaudeville, blockbuster Hollywood films, sold-out concerts, best-selling records and a television variety show in her name. After 50 plus years since her passing, Garland continues to capture new fans and remains one of the most beloved cultural icons of all time. The exhibit will be situated on the 3rd Floor in the President's Tea Room. Most of the costumes and memorabilia have never been seen by the public, and they include highlights spanning from her most beloved role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, to what many historians consider her pinnacle performance in A Star Is Born. This is a rare opportunity to see a true tribute to one of the greatest stars that ever lived. Woolsey Ackerman of ABAA member firm Walter Reuben, Inc. is assisting with the exhibiton. The last exhibit of this kind, which Woolsey also helped launch, was at the Lincoln Center Library, 30 years ago on the occasion of what would have been Garland's 70th birthday. The exhibit will be open to the public for a limited time at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre where Judy performed as a child on June 11 – June 12, 10am – 1pm. Contact Hailey Simmons (323-931-1277 ext. 159) for more information. [more Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles Hosts Judy Garland Exhibit in June]

The ABAA is now accepting entries for the 2022 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest, where more than $6,000 in prizes will be awarded to student collectors. The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest is open to all prizewinners of college book-collecting contests, whether or not first prize, as well as to interested students whose institutions do not offer formal contests or whose contests may have been canceled this year. (More information can be found here.) All entries should be submitted here... All entries for the 2022 competition must be submitted by June 15, 2022. For more information on the contest, please visit contest.abaa.org... The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest is jointly administered by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), the Grolier Club, and the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress. The Contest prizes are funded by noted collector and philanthropist Susan Tane. Meet the winners of the 2021 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest… [more 2022 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest]

Research documenting rare bindery dust jackets from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. Adapted from the Spring 2019 Journal of The Private Libraries Association, Pinner, Middlesex, England. Reprinted by permission. The practice of issuing dust jackets on new books is generally thought to have begun with the introduction of publishers' bindings around 1820. Books issued before then (and after) in provisional bindings are believed to have neither needed nor received jackets.1 But while this understanding of early jacket use has long seemed correct for British, American and European books, recently examined evidence shows that dust jackets were issued long before the 1820s in the German states and probably elsewhere in Europe. Most of the surviving examples of these jackets, including the earliest ones, are of German origin, which is where this previously undocumented and all but unknown chapter of book history begins. I. Two-piece bindery jackets 1760s–1860s Throughout the latter decades of the eighteenth century and beyond, German binderies produced a distinctive and durable type of dust jacket for the simple board bindings of that period. This practice continued well into the era of publishers' bindings in the nineteenth century. Examples of these jackets have been examined on about thirty titles, all bound in paper-covered boards, from the 1760s to the 1860s.2 These early jackets had several characteristics that were common to them throughout the entire period of t... [more Early Bindery Dust Jackets]

The Kenneth W. Rendell Collection on the Detection of Forged Handwriting Donated to the Grolier Club. The Grolier Club Library is pleased to announce the receipt of a major gift, the Collection on the Detection of Forged Handwriting, which is the most important and comprehensive collection on the subject known to exist anywhere. The gift is from club members Kenneth W. Rendell and Shirley McNerney. Rendell, a leading dealer in historical letters and documents, has exposed numerous famous forgeries such as the Hitler Diaries fraud, Mussolini's diaries, the Mormon forgeries and murders, and Jack the Ripper's forged diary. This collection was formed over a 60-year period and consists of thousands of forgeries, facsimiles of handwriting, reference books, and archival files concerning major cases in which Rendell has been involved. The collection is wide-ranging, encompassing historical letters and manuscripts from the early 17th century to the modern day. Classic forgeries of Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Schiller, Washington, Lincoln, Franklin, Berlioz, Wagner, Poe and numerous others are included. Rendell made every effort over his long and distinguished career to acquire original examples of past forgers from many sources, including the files of dealers such as Charles Hamilton, Mary Benjamin and Goodspeeds. The gathering together of so many “original” forgeries – often destroyed and notoriously difficult to collect – alongside genuine examples of handwriting and a specia... [more Kenneth W. Rendell Collection on the Detection of Forged Handwriting]

ABAA-member Ken Sanders, owner of Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City, has announced an exciting new tactic in the battle to keep his famous bookstore afloat. After offering "investment" gift certificates during the early days of the pandemic, and then launching a successful GoFundMe campaign, Sanders has now partnered with a local brewery to create small-batch beers in commemorative cans celebrating the characters of Edward Abbey's famous novel The Monkey Wrench Gang featuring artwork by the noted cartoonist R. Crumb. Sanders credits Colby Frazier, one of the owners of Fisher Brewery, for "proposing the idea as a fundraiser for KSRB." Salt Lake City's Fisher Beer are crafting six different small-batch brews and have been releasing one approximately every two weeks since the end of November. The batches have been selling out quickly, as this podcast report from Roger McDonough of KCPW.org reports. Edward Abbey fans outside Utah who want to get hold of these commemorative cans will have to settle for a set of empties, as Utah law prevents beer from being shipped out of the state. Commemorative six packs containing each of the cans can be ordered from the brewery for delivery after the final batch is released. Ken Sanders is also currently making a few individual empty cans and a commemorative poster available on abaa.org -- while stocks last! Sanders originally commissioned R. Crumb to create the artwork for a calender project to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Monk... [more Ken Sanders’ Collectible Beer Cans]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund Since its founding in 1952 by a group of ABAA members, the Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund has been dedicated throughout its history to providing timely financial assistance to those in the book trade who find themselves in a time of need. Originally known as The Charles Grand Memorial Fund (a founder's reminiscence can be found below), it was specifically meant to provide “for the assistance of needy persons, regardless of affiliation, who are or have been engaged in the business of selling and dealing in books, manuscripts, and printed matter in general,” with the only proviso being that funds may be granted only for personal needs, not for business needs. In a typical year, the Fund gives a total of $40,000 in one-time disbursements to booksellers in need, the majority of whom are not members of the ABAA. Historically, the Fund has been sustained by donations from ABAA members, their generosity born out of their understanding of how precarious a livelihood in the book trade can sometimes be. Most antiquarian booksellers are individual proprietors with limited capital, and are especially vulnerable to unanticipated ill-health, accidents, natural disasters or other types of misfortune. The Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund is administered by a group of Trustees comprised of the three most recent Presidents of the ABAA. The ABAA regards its stewardship of the Benevolent Fund as one of its most important responsi... [more Donate to the Benevolent and Woodburn Funds]