In 1863, Union Army Captain William A. Treadwill of the 4th New York Regiment took a book of court records from a Virginia county courthouse and shipped it north to Boston, presumably to keep the book as a relic. The book made its way from Boston to Jersey City, where it remained in the Jersey City Free Public Library for the past 150 years. The book was recently unearthed while librarians were parsing through the library's holdings in order to prepare for an upcoming exhibit to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. It contains transcribed summaries of court records from 1749 to 1755. Carl Childs, the director of Local Record Services at the Library of Virginia, was thrilled to hear of the book's discovery. The vast majority of pre-Civil War records from the Stafford County Court were destroyed, so this book helps shed some light on that period. Some interesting entries in the book include: A judge's order that a man is paid 50 pounds of tobacco for serving as a witness for two days. A lawsuit of an unhappy widow who challenged the decision that she be awarded a dowry of just one-third of her late husband's estate. Details of a case in which someone being fined for cursing in church. The book was given to Childs, and back to Virginia, last week. It will be copied for the public, and then bound and restored to be kept in the Library of Virginia. Jersey City library returns spoils of Civil War, a 220-year-old book of court records, to Virginia county [more 220-year-old Book of Court Records Returned to Virginia]

I found a great post about Books of Hours on a French blog about medieval manuscripts, and it provided several videos on various Books of Hours. Below I have included a short informational video on the structure of a medieval manuscript, as well as the link to the blog. Enjoy! The Structure of a Medieval Manuscript Videos: Books of Hours [more Videos: Medieval Manuscripts and Books of Hours]

In anticipation of the 75th anniversary of the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, Harper Collins has announced that it will be releasing 110 of Tolkien's original illustrations for the book, twenty of which are previously unpublished. The illustrations were compiled into a book entitled The Art of The Hobbit, which will be released on October 27. The drawings have been in Tolkien's archive at the Bodleian Library at Oxford, but were only recently 'discovered' by Harper Collins after the images were digitized. captionThe illustrations include line drawings in ink, watercolors and sketches, and contain "his conceptual sketches for the cover design, a couple of early versions of the maps and pages where he's experimenting with the runic forms, as well as a couple of manuscript pages", notes David Brawn, publisher of the new collection. Brawn hopes that The Art of The Hobbit coupled with the upcoming anniversary will allow the spotlight to shine on "the book which started it all", as well as give novel insight into Tolkien and The Hobbit, his first book. Of the The Art of The Hobbit, Brawn says, "It shows that Tolkien's creativity went beyond the writing, that it was a fully thought out conception. When he writes about the hobbit hole , he's designed it as well. And by doing that, it makes his description more vivid ... Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist. He was a great admirer of Arthur Rackham and you can see a little bit of that style coming through." Also sla... [more Original Tolkien Illustrations for 'The Hobbit' to be Released]

It has just been announced that ABAA member Larry McMurtry of Booked Up in Archer City, TX will be stepping in as the "New Books" columnist for Harper's Magazine. He will be filling in for Zadie Smith, who is on temporary leave. Congrats, Larry, we can't wait to read the column! 'Lonesome Dove' author Larry McMurtry writing books column for Harper's Magazine [more Member in the News: Larry McMurtry]

Please click here to read an article about ABAA member John W. Freas of Tamerlane Books. Nice article, John! John Freas' library is his portrait [more Member in the News: John W. Freas of Tamerlane Books]

Last fall, Johns Hopkins' Sheridan Libraries acquired the Dr. Elliott and Eileen Hinkes Collection of Rare Books in the History of Science. The collection is comprised of more than 300 items, which Dr. Hinkes acquired over the course of two decades, and will be on display for the public in an exhibit entitled Eureka!. Earle Havens, the William Kurrelmeyer Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Sheridan Libraries, said, "The historical sweep and ambition of the Hinkes Collection are staggering, from telescopic visions of the heavens from the ancient world to the most seminal subatomic reflections upon the fundamental nature of matter and energy in the modern era." The collection includes a 1495 edition of the celestial works of Aristotle, early editions of pioneering works from the European Enlightenment, and rare off-prints of groundbreaking essays from the early to mid-twentieth century. Eureka! is on display at the George Peabody Library (17 E. Mount Vernon Place) and will be open to the public from October 24, 2011-February 29, 2012. 'Eureka!' opens at the George Peabody Library EUREKA! The Dr. Elliott and Eileen Hinkes Collection of Books of Scientific Discovery [more 'Eureka!' Exhibit opens at Johns Hopkins' George Peabody Library]

In 1998, a 13th century Greek Orthodox prayer book sold at auction at Christie's New York for $2 million. Why did it sell at such a high price? It's a palimpsest, an erased and overwritten document, and the true value of the book lays beneath the prayers, where one can make out the faint markings of a much older textthe only surviving copy of the essential works of Archimedes. The palimpsest had been identified in 1906 by Johan Ludvig Heiberg, a famous Danish historian who was able to decipher and transcribe portions of the text. The scope of his research was limited, however, by the limited technology at the time and because he was working with the bound text. As soon as the palimpsest was sold in 1998, William Noel of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore contacted the buyer to request permission to loan the palimpsest and put it on temporary display at the Walters. To Noel's surprise and delight, the buyer arrived in Baltimore with the palimpsest in hand and offered to fund an extensive scholarly project to conserve and study it. Noel was appointed director of the Archimedes Palimpsest Project, and he embarked on a twelve year journey 'into' the text. Conservators, historians, manuscript experts, and scientists from around the world assisted the project, and Noel pointed out that "dedicated scholarship has brought these erased texts back to light." X-rays were particularly helpful in revealing text beneath saints' portraits, but regular x-ray beams were not focused nor powe... [more Lost Texts and Diagrams by Archimedes Found In a Medieval Manuscript]

The ABAA is pleased to announce that member interviews can now be viewed on abaa.org. A few years ago, Michael Ginsberg embarked upon an archival journey for the ABAA. Recognizing the absence of member histories in the ABAA annals, Michael began conducting video interviews of members at our three annual fairs. The interviews cover members' personal histories as well as their involvement in the rare book trade. The ABAA extends many thanks to Michael, as well as Taylor Bowie, who has also conducted a number of interviews. Click here to visit the ABAA Bookseller Interviews Homepage. [more ABAA Bookseller Interviews]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America is delighted to announce the winners of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest! First Prize: Mitch Fraas, Duke University, Anglo-American Legal Printing 1702 to the Present Second Prize: Maggie Murray, Johns Hopkins, Literature of the Little Review: In Which Margaret Anderson Enters an Antiquarian Bookstore Third Prize: Sarah McCormick, University of California-Riverside, Desert Dreams: The History of California's Coachella Valley Essay Prize: Emily Brodman, Stanford University, Sourcing the Sanctuary Movement After a two year hiatus, the contest was reinstated last year under the joint leadership of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, the Center for the Book, and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress, with major support from the Jay I. Kislak Foundation. Students who entered the contest were top prize winners of book collecting contests at their respective institutions. Judges were once again impressed by the scope and genres represented among the collections. Jean Kislak, a trustee of the Jay I. Kislak Foundation and lifelong collector, served as a member of the competition judging panel. "It was very exciting to see such a diverse array of book collections. These young collectors have shown such skill and creativity in assembling their outstanding collections." Mr. Fraas' collection began when he was studying ... [more 2011 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Winners Announced!]

The Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford has just undergone a $122 million renovation and is christening its new gallery with an exciting exhibition of the library's most precious holdings. Treasures of the Bodleian is an especially interesting exhibit because of its interactive nature. Curator Stephen Hebron asked each staff member of the library to choose their favorite, 'unmissable' item from the vast collection, and then he whittled the list down to 75 pieces. Visitors to the exhibit are invited to suggest which pieces deserve to be given permanent display in the new gallery. A few treasures in the exhibit: Magna Carta Gutenberg Bible in pristine condition Jane Austen's handwritten compendium of her own earliest writings Mary Shelley's draft of Frankenstein with suggestions scribbled in by Shelley The Codex Mendoza The earliest almost complete copy of a poem by Sappho, from a cache of documents found in a rubbish dump in Egypt in the 19th century Three charred scrolls from a library in Herculaneum buried by the eruption of Vesuvius Shakespeare's First Folio Treasures of the Bodleian will be on display from September 30-December 23, 2011. Bodleian Library shows off treasures, from Magna Carta to Shakespeare [more Treasures of the Bodleian]