Below is a video of renowned chef Daniel Boulud talking about his favorite items from his rare book collection. Chef Boulud began collecting as a young chef, and his library currently houses thousands of volumes. Thanks to Gilt Taste for posting this video! Reading about Eating from Gilt Taste on Vimeo. [more Video: Daniel Boulud's Rare Book Collection]

One of the very cool special exhibits at the 45th International California Antiquarian Book Fair was hands-on demonstration of how a colonial era printing press worked, courtesy of The International Printing Museum. Below is a very brief video from the fair demonstrating how the press works. Thanks to AbeBooks for posting this video in their blog. And a personal thanks to another special exhibit by the Society for Calligraphy, Southern California, which had two representatives making beautiful gratis bookmarks for anyone interested. (And you didn't even have to waityou could drop-off your name and return when you were done at the fair!) Here's mine: [more Colonial Era Printing Press]

In 1898 author Morgan Robertson published the novella Futility, in which the largest ship in history, the Titan, which was proudly touted as "unsinkable", hits an iceberg on its maiden April voyage and sinks. Sound familiar? The actual RMS Titanic experienced an eerily similar fate to the fictional ship fourteen years later on April 14, 1912. There are many distinctions between the sinking of the fictional Titan and the actual Titanicmost notably in the number of survivors (705 survived the Titanic and only 13 survived the fictional sinking), the course taken by the ship, how it hit the iceberg, and how long it took to sinkbut even some of those differences have odd similarities (for instance, the Titanic was travelling from England to New York when it sank whereas the Titan was headed on the opposite course). As Mark Dimunation, Chief of the Rare Books and Special Collections division at the Library of Congress, commented, "I challenge anyone not to raise an eyebrow. It's all within inches of being completely identical." The remarkable similarities between the plot of Futility and the actual disaster of the Titanic fourteen years later has fascinated historical experts and Titanic authorities for years. Adding to that intrigue is the fact that very few first editions of Futility exist, with only one known copy in circulation in the United States. The owner of that copy, Vaughn Barber of Bicentennial Books in Kalamazoo, Michigan, bought the book years ago and plans to put ... [more Rare Book that 'Foretold' the Titanic Disaster to be Sold]

Today marked the public opening of Torn in Two: the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, a new exhibit at the Grolier Club that presents a history of the U.S. Civil War through historical maps and other rare items. The exhibition was organized by The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center of the Boston Public Library, and revolves around the monumental role geography played as a cause of the Civil War. Grolier Club Director Eric Holzenberg observed that "Torn in Two is the first large-scale public show in the Grolier Club's 128-year history to tell a story exclusively in maps." This cartographic narrative is supplemented by other rare historical items, however, and photographs, prints, letters, political cartoons, and press clippings are on display as well. Included in these additional items are photographic images of 19th-century slave life, the first American demographic map, and Ensign, Bridgman and Fanning's railroad map, which highlights the contrast between the industrialized North and the agrarian South. New Yorkers will have a special connection to the exhibit, as Curator Ronald Grim notes that newspapers were the main source of information at the time and that "these newspapers had some of the first maps in them, and most of them were published here in New York City. The New York Times, the New York Tribune, the New York Herald&and Harpers Weekly, all had maps and illustrations that told the story of the war". Torn in Two will be on display, free and open to the public for vi... [more Rare Maps the Focus of Civil War Exhibit at The Grolier Club]

On Tuesday the Morgan Library & Museum opened an exhibit that will display nearly thirty rare works taken from its extensive holdings. The following items provide a taste of the exhibit, and I'm sure they will entice you to plan a visit. The only surviving portion of The Scarlet Letter manuscript, a single sheet containing the title and table of contents. A letter from Madame Roland to Jacques-Bernard-Marie Montané, written while she was imprisoned during the Reign of Terror (only two months before she met her fate at the guillotine) The typescript of two chapters from Henry James's novel What Maisie Knew Paul Revere's first bound printing of a compilation of Handel's music, which is though to be the first American publication of the composer's work A first edition of Faulkner's only pulp novel, Sanctuary The first edition of Edmund Spenser's The Shepheardes Calender, which is "considered by many to be the first great non-dramatic work of the Elizabethean era" Tarot cards from the 15th century A receipt by Picasso that includes a quick sketch of his Woman Seated in an Armchair This exhibit will be on display in the Morgan's McKim building (which was recently restored and is breathtaking) until June 3, 2012. The Morgan Library and Museum [more Rare Works of Americana, Literature, and Music on Display at The Morgan Library & Museum]

This past weekend's 45th California International Book Fair in Pasadena was an overwhelming success! It was our first year holding our biannual LA Book Fair in Pasadena (every other year it is held in San Francisco) and we couldn't have been happier with the location. The venue, the Pasadena Civic Center, was a beautiful space, equipped with wide aisles and excellent lighting (an exhibitor's dream!), and Pasadena was a lovely destination, with plenty of great restaurants and things to do. We had record attendance and our exhibitors' offerings made it well worth the visit (as did the various seminars and special exhibits). Thank you so much to all our exhibitors and to Winslow & Associates for putting together an amazing show. Lastly, a big thank you to all who attendedyour energy and enthusiasm truly made the fair! Please click here to read an exhibitor's (Greg Gibson, Ten Pound Island Book Company) review of the fair. [more LA Book Fair a Great Success!]

That's what we will be doing, as will many ABAA members, ILAB dealers, and book lovers, because tomorrow is the start of the 45th California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Pasadena! I know I can't stop talking about it, as you've probably noticed from previous blog entries, Facebook postings, etc., but it's all with good reasonthe exhibitors'material looks amazing and fairs are a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues in the rare book world. Visitors to the fair should feel equally enthusiastic; obviously an ABAA fair is a book collector's dream come true, but they provide all book lovers with a wonderful opportunity to see incredible materials up close, to learn about the trade, collecting, and appraisals, and the chance to have their own materials appraised for free. Here's a full list of events at the fair. We hope to see you there! The 45th California International Antiquarian Book Fair Pasadena Convention Center (click for map) 300 East Green Street Pasadena, CA 91101 TICKETS & HOURS: Friday, February 10, 2012 3 pm to 8 pm Saturday, February 11, 2012 11 am to 7 pm Sunday, February 12, 2012 11 am to 5 pm A three-day admission ticket can be purchased at the door on Friday, February 10th for $25.00. Proceeds from Friday night tickets will benefit the Huntington Library. Tickets purchased on Saturday or Sunday are $15.00 and include return entry throughout the remainder of the Fair. $5.00 off for students with valid identification. [more Go West, Young Bibliophile!]

Today marks the bicentennial of Charles Dickens's birth and there are some notable festivities occurring! I've previously posted about the wonderful exhibit at the Morgan Library & Museum in NYC, which I highly recommend visiting if you're in the area. In case you need additional incentive, the Morgan is offering free admission today to anyone who mentions Dickens's birthday. The exhibit is only open until the 12th, so get there soon! Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, joined a host of dignitaries, actors, and Dickens's descendants today to hold a special memorial service held in London's Westminster Abbey. Prince Charles laid a wreath of white flowers on Dickens's grave in Poet's Corner, actor Ralph Fiennes read from Bleak House, and prayers were said for the poor as well as writers chronicling modern society. Of the ceremony, historian Judith Flanders, said it was an "enormously moving" service and that Dickens "would have hated it". Flanders explained that Dickens famously stated in his will that "he wanted no public ceremonies, no statues, no public acknowledgement. He wanted to be buried and die as a private man. He wanted his books to be his monument." There was also a simultaneous memorial event held in Portsmouth, where Dickens was born. The British Council, the UK's cultural relations body, has organized a number of Dickens-related global initiatives and events "to develop global activity that will include brand new film adaptations, art exhib... [more Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Dickens!]

We can help you out! In addition to having a number of ABAA members in Southern California who perform qualified appraisals, there will be two events at the 45th California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Pasadena next weekend that are perfect for anyone looking to learn more about appraisals and/or to have their own books appraised. On Sunday at 12:15pm, ABAA members Sam Hessel and Sheryl Jaeger will be presenting a seminar entitled, Do You Need An Appraisal? It is aimed at book collectors or others with books of value and will answer the following questions: What is a formal appraisal? Who should get one for his/her collection? How do I go about the process? Following the seminar is Discovery Day, which is a feature of every ABAA fair and offers attendees the opportunity to receive free mini-appraisals on up to three books. This is the perfect opportunity to have a qualified professional take a look at your books! Click here to read about other seminars and events at the fair! 45th California International Antiquarian Book Fair [more In SoCal and need an appraisal?]

The Center for Jewish History in New York, which houses the collections of the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, announced earlier this month that it will establish a rare books room with the $2.5M gift from the David Berg Foundation. The new rare books room will "provide the center's partners with a state-of-the-art facility in which to showcase some of their most important printed materials, including seminal first editions and a cross-section of rabbinical literature, Jewish philosophy and intellectual history that dates back hundreds of years." It will be open to the public, and the grand opening is slated for the fall. N.Y. center gets $2.5 million gift for new rare books room [more Rare Book Room to be established at the Center for Jewish History]