The ABAA is launching an Exhibitions page on our website, which can be found at the following link: http://hq.abaa.org/books/antiquarian/exhibitions. This page will provide listings of book-related exhibitions throughout the country. (You can also access this page by visiting abaa.org, clicking on 'Events' in the top right corner, and then clicking on 'Book Related Exhibitions'). We are actively researching and compiling listings, but our page also allows users to submit events. If you are aware of a current or upcoming bookish exhibition, please visit our page to submit information about it. Our goal is to compile a comprehensive database so that a person can find a book related exhibition wherever they may be. Thanks in advance for your help! [more ABAA Book Related Exhibitions Page]

The Rare Book School had some wonderful course offerings this year (as they do every summer!). ABAA member and past President Tom Congalton of Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. was there as instructor for his fourth year, co-teaching Printed Books since 1800: Element of Description and Analysis. He wrote a great blog post reviewing his course and experience. Click here for a very enjoyable read! [more Read Past ABAA President Tom Congalton's Report on the Rare Book School]

The New-England chapter of the ABAA is pleased to invite members of the ABAA, the trade in general, and all interested observers to a special one-day "unseminar" entitled "New Tools: Marketing Approaches, Platforms, & Technologies for Antiquarian Booksellers," to be held Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. We plan a full day of presentations, speakers, and open discussion. Since all of our distinguished panelists are either active book dealers or people serving the larger community of antiquarian booksellers, we are calling "New Tools" an "unseminar" to emphasize the participatory and "bottom-up" character of the event. Participants include Dan Gregory of Between the Covers, who will deliver two full presentations during the morning session. First up is "Rare Book Photography for the Busy Professional Bookseller" which is very similar to the same talk Dan gives every August at the famed Colorado Antiquarian Rare Book Seminar in Colorado Springs. Following a short break Dan's second presentation will be "The Printed Rare Book Catalog in the Digital Age - New Tech Tools for an Old Sales Channel," a highly-praised talk that he delivered last year at the ILAB Congress in Bologna, Italy. Following lunch on your own at any of our local restaurants, our afternoon session will feature three highly successful and innovative booksellers, and a web designer known to many in the ABAA: 1. Greg Gibson of Ten Pound Island (and "Bookman's Log") on b... [more New England Chapter “Unseminar” on New Tools: Marketing Approaches, Platforms, & Technology]

Flavorwire has a great post entitled 10 Unconventional Bookstores For Your Browsing Pleasure. Browse away, the photos are great! (And my new mission is to find the 'speakeasy-style' bookstore in NYC!) 10 Unconventional Bookstores For Your Browsing Pleasure [more 10 Unconventional Bookstores]

Over the past three years, the Center for Book Arts in New York City undertook a collections initiative spearheaded by executive director Alexander Campos. The goal of this initiative was to "organize, rehouse, catalogue and digitize" the work of books artists who have trained, exhibited or worked at the CBA over the past four decades. The results of this project will be displayed at the CBA in an exhibition entitled Multiple, Limited, Unique: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Center for Book Arts, and will run through September 10. The exhibition will then travel to the Savannah College of Arts and Design (Fall 2011), Minnesota Center for Book Arts (Winter 2012), Museum of Printing History (Spring/Summer 2012), Lafayette College (Fall 2012), and the Book Club of California (Winter 2013). To view the CBA's online collections database, please click here. Collecting at the Center for Book Arts [more "Multiple, Limited, Unique: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Center for Book Art]

Sadly, Bartleby's Books closed its brick and mortar shop in Georgetown last weekend. Click here to view a brief video on the story. No matter where they are selling from, I'm sure John and Karen will have much continued success, and we wish them all the best. Video: The Next Chapter for Bartleby's Books [more Bartleby's Books Brick & Mortar Shop Closes (Video)]

Today is Bloomsday, the day of celebration for James Joyce's tome, Ulysses. (The novel follows protagonist Leopold Bloom through Dublin over the course of one day, June 16, 1904.) Below I have included some links to Bloomsday articles, posts and activities to commemorate Joyce's iconic work. Most of them are brief and include additional links, so they are definitely worth a glance. At the very least, I recommend listening to a rare recording of James Joyce reading from Ulysses or Irish actress Marcella Riordan reading of the last 50 lines of the book, often referred to as Molly's soliloquy, and taking a glance at Ulysses Unseen, an electronic comic book version of the novel. Happy Bloomsday! It's Bloomsday! Listen to Molly's Soliloquy! 8 ways to celebrate James Joyce and Ulysses Bloomsday: How to Celebrate James Joyce's Ulysses Tweeting Ulysses: Fans Put A Twist On Bloomsday What Would Joyce Do?: Ulysses RevisitedIn Comic Form Computer helps solve Bloom's riddle 'Ulysses' Leopold Bloom's Journey Through Dublin Photo Gallery [more Happy Bloomsday!]

In early April, I posted about an amazing find that member Ken Sanders made at a charity event in Sandy, Utaha German language Nuremberg Chronicle from 1494. The owner had no idea what he possessed; it was passed down from a great uncle and has been sitting in his attic for decades, which impacted the condition of the book greatly (only about 1/3 of the full text is present). Despite its condition and the fact that it's not incredibly rare, with an estimated several hundred copies in circulation worldwide, the text is still quite a find and has significance for historians and bibliophiles alike. Heather O'Donnell, a book buyer at fellow ABAA member firm Bauman Rare Books, commented that the Nuremberg Chronicle is a "landmark of printing" and each individual page possesses a "genuine value". Collectors, she says, "see it as a part of western civilization and want to pass it on". Since he 'found' the book in April, Ken says that his shop has been flooded with calls and emails from interested buyers. It is now on sale at Ken Sanders Rare Books for $35,000. 500-year-old- book on sale in Utah for $35K [more Member in the News: Ken Sanders]

The British Library has just unveiled a new iPad application that allows users to peruse more than 60,000 19th century books. All of the titles are in the public domain and, unlike e-books, are scanned versions of the original texts and include maps and original illustrations. The British Library partnered with Bibliolabs to create the app. Bibliolabs is a development company that specializes in the digital distribution of antique and rare books. Mitchell Davis, the company's founder, commented that the "iPad allows for a level of intimacy with these antiquarian books that evokes a sense of engagement and curiosity that is not possible in a browser based experience." Many have been wringing their hands over the future of the rare book trade in the age of e-books and digitalization, but I think this project exemplifies that the two are not mutually exclusive. In my opinion, this app is so exciting because it expands the audience of rare book enthusiasts; it allows those who are interested but may be intimidated to handle the materials to have a closer look at the original texts (I currently fall under this category!), and it has the potential to be a great marketing tool for booksellers (I am thinking virtual, interactive catalogues). There is no question that holding an iPad, even when loaded with images of rare texts, does not compare to seeing and holding the actual book. It may, however, prompt people to want to see, hold or possess the actual textthe best of both worlds.... [more British Library Launches Rare Book iPad App]

Kenneth Karmiole has received the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2011 from the UCLA Library and Information Studies Alumni Association. A graduate in the MLS class of 1971, he is the first antiquarian bookseller to be so honored. An award dinner was held at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on May 19th, where Ken was presented with the award. A keynote address was given by Kevin Starr, author and historian, best known for his multi-volume series "Americans and the California Dream". Congratulations, Ken! [more Member in the News: Kenneth Karmiole]