The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) is pleased to announce that Susan Jaffe Tane will fund the prizes for the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. The prize is now known as The Susan Tane Prize for Student Book Collectors. Established in 2005 by Fine Books & Collections Magazine, the ABAA, along with 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 jointly assumed leadership of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest in 2010. The program aims to recognize outstanding book collecting efforts by college and university students, and to encourage young collectors to become accomplished bibliophiles. Ms. Tane has been listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Women for over three decades and was the 2018 recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a longtime bibliophile and philanthropist. Susan possesses the foremost privately held collection of Edgar Allan Poe books, manuscripts, and artifacts in the world. Appropriately, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Edgar Allan Poe Museums and Foundation in Richmond, Virginia. Susan was also the Executive Producer of the recent American Masters PBS documentary “Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive,” which aired in the fall of 2017. In addition to Poe, Susan has also established notable collections of works by Mark Twai... [more Susan Tane Funds National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Prize]
Get ready for the RBMS Booksellers' Showcase: a virtual book fair in conjunction with RBMS' annual conference. This virtual fair will take place at abaa.org/vbf from Tuesday, June 21 to Friday, June 24, 2022. Explore the finest rare books, manuscripts & ephemera. Shop the virtual booths of ABAA members and discover their latest acquisitions and rare finds. Learn more: www.abaa.org/vbf... The doors will be open continuously from 12pm EDT on Tuesday, June 21 until 8pm EDT on Friday, June 24, 2022. Never visited an ABAA virtual book fair before? Read "How to Shop a Virtual Book Fair"... [more Don’t Miss the RBMS Booksellers’ Showcase!]
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]
Book Fairs are back! After two years without an in-person fair, the ABAA has been able to safely hold two so far this year with Boston coming up this fall. California and New York by all accounts were a success for exhibitors and customers alike, with New York particularly robust for sales and visitors, and exuberant crowds and attendance at record levels. At the height of the pandemic, some feared that Virtual Book Fairs would overtake in-person fairs in popularity. VBF's have been complementary, especially for those sellers and customers who are unable to travel, but are not replacements for in-person fairs as is apparent in these photos from the two events. Profile photo: Sunday Steinkirchner at the New York Book Fair, photo by Meredith Nierman. NCC Book Fair Committee triumphantly opens the Oakland Book Fair! L to R: Alexander Akin, James Bryant, Mary Hill, Michael Hackenberg, Laurelle Swan, Ben Kinmont, and Beverly Garcia-Garst. Photo by Joseph Driste. aGatherin' in Oakland, photo by Joseph Driste. Laurelle Swan awards the California Young Book Collector's Prize to Stacy Shirk. Photo by Joseph Driste. David & Caroline Brass in NY, photo by Meredith Nierman. Kiley Samz (B&L Rootenberg), photo by Meredith Nierman. Megumi Hill, photo by Meredith Nierman. Miranda Garno Nesler (Whitmore Rare Books), photo by Meredith Nierman. Michael Jennings (Neatline Antique Maps), photo by Meredith Nierman. [more Notes from the Field: Book Fairs are Back]
The following list of items were stolen from a post office in the Sellwood district of Portland, Oregon during a break-in on Saturday, April 30, 2022. The books had been enroute to a Portland book dealer and were accompanied by an invoice stating their value. These items may be offered to bookdealers in the area, or to dealers that specialize in conceptual art. The books are: 1. Dieter Roth. Preisliste. Dieter Roth-Ausstellung Galerie Ernst Hannover 1969. 6 hectographed pages with illustrations drawn on the matrix by Dieter Roth. Stapled. - Original edition. - Signed and dated Hannover 69 by Dieter Roth in ink at upper right. - "The list is typed as a continuous text by Roth and decorated with small drawn illustrations. It begins: 'Once upon a time there was a man who sat on a sausage, one of the famous and notable literary sausages at 300 marks a piece, and he wrote'. Roth had the six-page story with illustrations and prices reproduced using a matrix. The text forms, as it were, the only surviving contemporary overview of part of this early group of works. In addition to the aforementioned literary sausages, several piles - one of which is doused in chocolate - the large-format collage book Snow (1969.54) and the smaller-format bookstore edition as well as the deluxe edition of Poeterei 3/4, the cheese and sausage objects play an important role here". (=Dirk Dobke: Melancholischer Nippes . Dieter Roth's Early Objects and Material Pictures (1960-75) Dissertation Hamburg 1997)... [more Conceptual Art Books Stolen in Portland, OR]
The ABAA Virtual Book Fair: New York Edition will take place May 4 and 5, 2022 at abaa.org/vbf... The ABAA Virtual Book Fair: New York Edition is the virtual component of the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, and as such will feature material from the foremost booksellers from around the world. As a virtual fair, collectors and librarians around the globe can enjoy the convenience of shopping the booths of international sellers and discovering their latest acquisitions and rare finds. As at the ABAA's in-person book fairs, where novice and younger collectors have been excited by unique offerings at accessible price points, dealers at the ABAA Virtual Book Fair: New York Edition will offer “Discovery” items priced at $100 or less. Featuring the finest rare books, manuscripts, autographs, periodicals, illustration, and ephemera, the ABAA Virtual Book Fair: New York Edition will bring the best of the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair to the world! The Fair opens at 12 pm EDT on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 and will remain open continuously until 8 pm EDT on Thursday, May 5, 2022. Visit www.abaa.org/vbf for more information… [more ABAA Virtual Book Fair: New York Edition]
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]
The New York International Antiquarian Book Fair takes place at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City, April 21-24, 2022. Here are some highlights from among the rare books and related ephemera ABAA members are bringing to the fair! The Roger Gozdecki Collection of E.E.Cummings Offered en bloc by johnson rare books & archives on behalf of the family of Roger Gozdecki. Volk, Leonard (1828-1895; sculptor) Bronze Life Mask and Hands produced by the “Lost Wax” method. Chicago: Jules Berchem, American Art Bronze Factory, c1886. Signed by Volk below the chin of the mask and on the cuff of each hand. THE YEAR 1886. A beardless Lincoln had suddenly become popular after the 1886 publication of Lincoln's secretary's 10-volume biography that used Chicago's Alexander Hesler's beardless photograph for their frontispiece. Hesler then began producing copies of these photographs –taken of the presidential nominee at the behest of the Republican Party in 1860 – and had wide success in selling them. As well, when Richard Gilder “discovered” the original mask residing with Wyatt Eaton, Gilder and Augustus St. Gaudens got up a subscription to purchase the mask to donate it to the National Museum (now the Smithsonian). Volk certainly saw this commercial angle for his shaven mask and took advantage of that popularity by issuing his own mask and hands, but only in bronze and not in “cheap plaster!” By Volk's commission, Berchem produced this (and at least one other known set) for ... [more New York Book Fair Featured Items]
The ABAA Women's Initiative Committee is proud to announce the second round of the ABAA Mentorship Program. In an effort to further the Association's mission, the mentorship program builds relationships between ABAA dealers and early-career booksellers, provides professional development opportunities for prospective ABAA members, and creates a recruitment pipeline that increases the number and diversity of qualified applicants to the ABAA. Apply as a Mentor (ABAA Members only) Apply as a Mentee During the year-long mentorship period, with support from ABAA Headquarters, mentors and mentees meet monthly to discuss aspects of their individual businesses and the trade as a whole. Knowing that “fit” is key to a successful mentorship, ABAA Headquarters and the Women's Initiative Committee carefully match mentors to mentees, taking into consideration special requests, areas of focus, and business models. Location may also be a factor, but with the availability of technology like Zoom, need not be a requirement. ABAA Headquarters will be available throughout the entire process, from applications to mentorship pairings through the completion of the program, to address any questions or concerns that may arise. More information including a full list of requirements for mentee and mentor applications can be found here... Please feel free to pass this opportunity along to employees, colleagues, or others who may be interested. Don't hesitate to reach out to Eloisa Amezcua, the ABAA's... [more ABAA Women’s Initiative Mentorship Program]
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]