I hope you've all had a delightful holiday season, and here comes 2018, ready or not.
- A bit more on the Philips Library from the Salem News, and the petition mentioned in my last post continues to garner signatures, with 2,988 as of this morning.
- From Past is Present, a post by Kathleen Major about her work on attempting to identify the authors of anonymous diaries in the AAS collections.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased a 14th-century illuminated Hebrew Bible prior to its scheduled sale at Sotheby's.
- The Library of Congress highlights some of the maps scanned and made available this year.
- The National Library of Scotland has announced the availability of the Peter Sharratt Collection.
- Caleb Crain's "Notes, 2017" is a fascinating commonplace book of the year.
- The Guardian is running a fun end-of-year short stories podcast series; the first features Penelope Lively introducing M.R. James' wonderfully creepy "Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad," accompanied by Simon Callow's reading of the story.
- Police in Norwich are seeking information about the theft of several books from a delivery van.
- Amelia Hugill-Fontanel's "Mind Your Thorns & Eths," about a visit to bookshops and letterpress outfits in Iceland, has given me a few more things to add to my list of places to go when I'm there in March!
- At NPR, Victoria Schwab says "Just Trust Me: In Praise of Strange Books."
- Try your hand at the Guardian Christmas quiz and their big books quiz of the year.
- The Library of Congress has updated their policy on the Twitter archive. Dan Cohen has a post on "The Significance of the Twitter Archive at the Library of Congress."
- Hoaxter Clifford Irving of Autobiography of Howard Hughes fame died, aged 87. See the NYTimes obit.
- Katherine Skiba profiles Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden for the Chicago Tribune.
- In Signature, Lorraine Berry on "The Sensational Allure of Lost Books in Fiction and Nonfiction."
- Ian Cobain reports for the Guardian on the thousands of documents reported removed from public access at the National Archives (mostly by civil servants, it seems) and not returned.
- Mike Hanlon summarizes some of the end-of-year auction action at New Atlas.
- The Bodleian Library has announced that several previously unseen J.R.R. Tolkien "Father Christmas" letters to his children will be part of a major exhibition opening in May.
Reviews
- A.N. Wilson's Charles Darwin: Victorian Mythmaker; review by Jerry Coyne in the WaPo. Wowsers. This and several other Darwin-related books are reviewed by Claire Pettit in the TLS.
- Christopher de Hamel's Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts; review by Helen Castor in the NYTimes.
- Robert Irwin's Wonders Will Never Cease; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
- Martin Salisbury's The Illustrated Dust Jacket, 1920–1970; reviews by Ernest Hilbert in the WaPo and Agatha French in the LATimes.
- Anders Rydell's The Book Thieves; review by Ashley Valanzola in the LARB.
Upcoming Auction
- Books and Ephemera at National Book Auctions on 6 January.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Year-End Reading Report 2017
I think it's somewhat fair to say that 2017 will be another year I won't be sad to see the back of, but I have high hopes for 2018.
I read 174 books this year, and here are my favorites (excluding re-reads). I went with ten each this year, for no real reason at all other than I wanted to. These are the books that made me think, or laugh, and/or cry this year.
Fiction
Kristin Lavransdottir by Sigrid Undset
Tales by H.P. Lovecraft (the Library of America edition)
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
When the English Fall by David Williams
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
Non-Fiction
An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice by Khizr Khan
March by John Lewis (with graphics by Nate Powell)
The Early Life of James McBey: An Autobiography (edited by Nicolas Barker)
H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald
Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Watching the English by Kate Fox
Printer's Error by Rebecca and J.P. Romney
A Short Residence in Sweden, Norway and Denmark and Memoirs of the Author of the 'Rights of Woman' by Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin
The Victory with No Name by Colin Calloway
Happy New Year to you all, and good reading!
Previous year's reports: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006.
I read 174 books this year, and here are my favorites (excluding re-reads). I went with ten each this year, for no real reason at all other than I wanted to. These are the books that made me think, or laugh, and/or cry this year.
Fiction
Kristin Lavransdottir by Sigrid Undset
Tales by H.P. Lovecraft (the Library of America edition)
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
When the English Fall by David Williams
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
Non-Fiction
An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice by Khizr Khan
March by John Lewis (with graphics by Nate Powell)
The Early Life of James McBey: An Autobiography (edited by Nicolas Barker)
H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald
Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Watching the English by Kate Fox
Printer's Error by Rebecca and J.P. Romney
A Short Residence in Sweden, Norway and Denmark and Memoirs of the Author of the 'Rights of Woman' by Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin
The Victory with No Name by Colin Calloway
Happy New Year to you all, and good reading!
Previous year's reports: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006.
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Links & Reviews
To start today, two petitions which may be of interest:
- First, Paul Lewis and others have written a letter and online petition to encourage Historic Boston, Inc. to explore the feasibility of turning the Old Corner Bookstore (currently housing a Chipotle) into a museum of Boston's literary history.
- Second, by way of followup to a story noted last week, there is an online petition calling on the Peabody Essex Museum to return the Phillips Library collections to Salem (with nearly 2,200 signatures as of this morning).
- Another excellent idea: in Smithsonian, Colin Dickey offers "A Plea to Resurrect the Christmas Tradition of Telling Ghost Stories." I highly recommend reading some M.R. James this holiday season!
- A neat acquisition by the Princeton Graphic Arts collection, the foundry book for the 21 April 1945 issue of the New Yorker, showing copy edits and proofs for the magazine.
- The Junto celebrates its fifth birthday. Many congratulations to all who have made this excellent blog what it is, and here's to many more years.
- The BBC has a short report on the sale of Richard Adams' library last week.
- There's an update on the Shakespeare's World transcription efforts and how they in turn feed back into the overall EMMO project.
- More than 27,000 images from the Gabriel García Márquez archive are now available via the HRC.
- Katherine Ruffin reviews another APHA panel, on "Printerly Identity, Subversion, and Nation-Building."
- Michael Dirda offers his holiday book recommendations (including a couple from our friends at Oak Knoll Press).
- Erin McCarthy writes for Mental Floss about Audubon's Birds of America (with a particular focus on the furniture built to house copies of the volumes).
- In Smithsonian, Jo Marchant reports on an ongoing study of palimpsest texts at St. Catherine's Monastery. The work so far has "revealed more than 284 erased texts in ten languages, including classical, Christian and Jewish texts dating from the fifth century until the 12th century."
Reviews
- James Delburgo's Collecting the World; review by Suzanna Fischer in the LARB.
- Ursula Le Guin's No Time to Spare; reviews by Michelle Dean in the LATimes and Jason Heller for NPR.
Upcoming Auctions
- The Sherlock Holmes Collection of Daniel Posnansky at Profiles in History on 19 December.
- Important Judaica at Sotheby's New York on 20 December.
- First, Paul Lewis and others have written a letter and online petition to encourage Historic Boston, Inc. to explore the feasibility of turning the Old Corner Bookstore (currently housing a Chipotle) into a museum of Boston's literary history.
- Second, by way of followup to a story noted last week, there is an online petition calling on the Peabody Essex Museum to return the Phillips Library collections to Salem (with nearly 2,200 signatures as of this morning).
- Another excellent idea: in Smithsonian, Colin Dickey offers "A Plea to Resurrect the Christmas Tradition of Telling Ghost Stories." I highly recommend reading some M.R. James this holiday season!
- A neat acquisition by the Princeton Graphic Arts collection, the foundry book for the 21 April 1945 issue of the New Yorker, showing copy edits and proofs for the magazine.
- The Junto celebrates its fifth birthday. Many congratulations to all who have made this excellent blog what it is, and here's to many more years.
- The BBC has a short report on the sale of Richard Adams' library last week.
- There's an update on the Shakespeare's World transcription efforts and how they in turn feed back into the overall EMMO project.
- More than 27,000 images from the Gabriel García Márquez archive are now available via the HRC.
- Katherine Ruffin reviews another APHA panel, on "Printerly Identity, Subversion, and Nation-Building."
- Michael Dirda offers his holiday book recommendations (including a couple from our friends at Oak Knoll Press).
- Erin McCarthy writes for Mental Floss about Audubon's Birds of America (with a particular focus on the furniture built to house copies of the volumes).
- In Smithsonian, Jo Marchant reports on an ongoing study of palimpsest texts at St. Catherine's Monastery. The work so far has "revealed more than 284 erased texts in ten languages, including classical, Christian and Jewish texts dating from the fifth century until the 12th century."
Reviews
- James Delburgo's Collecting the World; review by Suzanna Fischer in the LARB.
- Ursula Le Guin's No Time to Spare; reviews by Michelle Dean in the LATimes and Jason Heller for NPR.
Upcoming Auctions
- The Sherlock Holmes Collection of Daniel Posnansky at Profiles in History on 19 December.
- Important Judaica at Sotheby's New York on 20 December.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Links & Reviews
- Michael Blanding reports for the NYTimes on what looks like yet another modern forgery come to light: a ~1507 Waldseemüller
world map that was set to be sold by Christie's this week before doubts were raised about its authenticity by Alex Clausen, Barry Ruderman, Michael Peichl, and Nick Wilding. Christie's has withdrawn the map from this week's sale.
- News this week from Salem, MA, where local media is covering the story that the Phillips Library collections, removed from their building in 2011 for renovations and kept at a facility in Rowley since then, probably won't be returning to Salem. See the Salem News report or "Shameless Stewards" at streestsofsalem.
- Over at Mental Floss, Rebecca Romney offers some tips for taking care of your books (common-sense to most of us, but useful reminders).
- Elizabeth DeBold explains this month's Crocodile Mystery at The Collation.
- From American Book Collecting, "The Heroic Age: Dibdin, Heber, and Bibliomania."
- On the Library of Congress blog, John Cole reflects on his job as the Library's first official historian.
- Jennifer Howard highlights a few of her recent stories on the biblio-world.
- The LATimes profiles Whitmore Rare Books and other LA-area rare booksellers.
Reviews
- Ron Chernow's Grant; review by Padraic Scanlon for the Guardian.
- Carol Porter Grossman's The History of the Limited Editions Club; review by Lise Jaillant in the TLS.
- Gordon Wood's Friends Divided; review by Edith Gelles in the WaPo.
- Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris' The Lost Words; review by Meara Sharma in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Books & Manuscripts at Sotheby's New York on 11 December.
- English Literature, History, Children's Books & Illustrations at Sotheby's London on 11 December.
- History of Science and Technology at Sotheby's New York on 12 December.
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 13 December.
- Valuable Books and Manuscripts at Christie's London on 13 December.
- The Library of Richard Adams at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 14 December.
- Books and Works on Paper, Including Fine Photographs at Bloomsbury on 14 December.
- Fine Americana - Travel & Exploration - World History - Cartography at PBA Galleries on 14 December.
- Children's & Illustrated Books at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 15 December.
- News this week from Salem, MA, where local media is covering the story that the Phillips Library collections, removed from their building in 2011 for renovations and kept at a facility in Rowley since then, probably won't be returning to Salem. See the Salem News report or "Shameless Stewards" at streestsofsalem.
- Over at Mental Floss, Rebecca Romney offers some tips for taking care of your books (common-sense to most of us, but useful reminders).
- Elizabeth DeBold explains this month's Crocodile Mystery at The Collation.
- From American Book Collecting, "The Heroic Age: Dibdin, Heber, and Bibliomania."
- On the Library of Congress blog, John Cole reflects on his job as the Library's first official historian.
- Jennifer Howard highlights a few of her recent stories on the biblio-world.
- The LATimes profiles Whitmore Rare Books and other LA-area rare booksellers.
Reviews
- Ron Chernow's Grant; review by Padraic Scanlon for the Guardian.
- Carol Porter Grossman's The History of the Limited Editions Club; review by Lise Jaillant in the TLS.
- Gordon Wood's Friends Divided; review by Edith Gelles in the WaPo.
- Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris' The Lost Words; review by Meara Sharma in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Books & Manuscripts at Sotheby's New York on 11 December.
- English Literature, History, Children's Books & Illustrations at Sotheby's London on 11 December.
- History of Science and Technology at Sotheby's New York on 12 December.
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 13 December.
- Valuable Books and Manuscripts at Christie's London on 13 December.
- The Library of Richard Adams at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 14 December.
- Books and Works on Paper, Including Fine Photographs at Bloomsbury on 14 December.
- Fine Americana - Travel & Exploration - World History - Cartography at PBA Galleries on 14 December.
- Children's & Illustrated Books at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 15 December.
Sunday, December 03, 2017
Links & Reviews
- At Wynken de Worde, Sarah Werner on "creating a digitized facsimile wishlist," in which she calls for suggestions of early printed books that aren't yet available as open-access digital facsimiles.
- In December's Rare Book Monthly, Thibault Ehrengardt on the Aristophil aftermath, Susan Halas on "courtesy to the trade," a followup report from Michael Stillman about the auction of an early Declaration of Independence broadside ($1.8 million!), and more.
- Rebecca Romney is starting up a biblio-newsletter; I have subscribed in anticipation, and would encourage all readers of this blog to do the same.
- The Codex Amiatinus will return to Britain for an exhibition at the British Library in 2018. And the Codex Leicester will be displayed at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence from October 2018.
- The Folger's Crocodile Mystery for December is up and awaiting your guesses.
- James Mitchell writes for the National Library of Scotland blog about cataloging what looks like a very interesting collection of Venetian chapbooks.
- Penelope Lively's papers have been acquired by the British Library.
- John Hodgman gets the "By the Book" treatment in the NYTimes.
- Sara Sauers has another APHA panel review, on "Transatlantic Connections."
- Over at Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, "Louise Ege, Book-Breaker."
Reviews
- Allan Young and Patrick Scott's The Kilmarnock Burns: A Census; review by Michael Stillman for Rare Book Monthly.
- Jorge Carrión's Bookshops: A Reader's History; review by Alan Riding in the NYTimes.
- Ingrid Rowland and Noah Charney's The Collector of Lives; review by Deborah Solomon in the NYTimes.
- Kevin Young's Bunk; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
- David E. Fishman's The Book Smugglers and Michele K. Troy's Strange Bird; review by Anna Katharina Schaffner in the TLS.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts Including Americana at Christie's New York on 5 December.
- Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts and Continental and Russian Books at Sotheby's London on 5 December.
- Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books at Swann Galleries on 5 December.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on 6 December.
- Western and Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures at Bloomsbury on 6 December.
- History of Science and Technology at Bonhams New York on 6 December.
- Voices of the 20th Century at Bonhams New York on 6 December.
- Russian America & Polar Exploration: Highlights from the Martin Greene Library at Christie's New York on 7 December.
- In December's Rare Book Monthly, Thibault Ehrengardt on the Aristophil aftermath, Susan Halas on "courtesy to the trade," a followup report from Michael Stillman about the auction of an early Declaration of Independence broadside ($1.8 million!), and more.
- Rebecca Romney is starting up a biblio-newsletter; I have subscribed in anticipation, and would encourage all readers of this blog to do the same.
- The Codex Amiatinus will return to Britain for an exhibition at the British Library in 2018. And the Codex Leicester will be displayed at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence from October 2018.
- The Folger's Crocodile Mystery for December is up and awaiting your guesses.
- James Mitchell writes for the National Library of Scotland blog about cataloging what looks like a very interesting collection of Venetian chapbooks.
- Penelope Lively's papers have been acquired by the British Library.
- John Hodgman gets the "By the Book" treatment in the NYTimes.
- Sara Sauers has another APHA panel review, on "Transatlantic Connections."
- Over at Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, "Louise Ege, Book-Breaker."
Reviews
- Allan Young and Patrick Scott's The Kilmarnock Burns: A Census; review by Michael Stillman for Rare Book Monthly.
- Jorge Carrión's Bookshops: A Reader's History; review by Alan Riding in the NYTimes.
- Ingrid Rowland and Noah Charney's The Collector of Lives; review by Deborah Solomon in the NYTimes.
- Kevin Young's Bunk; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
- David E. Fishman's The Book Smugglers and Michele K. Troy's Strange Bird; review by Anna Katharina Schaffner in the TLS.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts Including Americana at Christie's New York on 5 December.
- Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts and Continental and Russian Books at Sotheby's London on 5 December.
- Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books at Swann Galleries on 5 December.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on 6 December.
- Western and Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures at Bloomsbury on 6 December.
- History of Science and Technology at Bonhams New York on 6 December.
- Voices of the 20th Century at Bonhams New York on 6 December.
- Russian America & Polar Exploration: Highlights from the Martin Greene Library at Christie's New York on 7 December.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Links & Reviews
- The Library of Congress has acquired the Codex Quetzalcatzin, a pre-1600 Mesoamerican codex.
- New from the wonderful Brattle Book Shop, Brattlecast, a short podcast about rare books and the business of selling them.
- Try out the Folger's new DIY First Folio site, where you can practice making your own in their virtual printing house.
- The new Magdalen College Oxford exhibition, "Fragments of Note: The Afterlives of Medieval Manuscripts" is now open - and the short video linked at the bottom of that page, "Singing the Collections," is well worth a look.
- Author Richard Adams' library will go on the block at Dominic Winter on 14 December. View the lots, or read a Guardian piece about the sale. I wish there was better cataloging on the group lots so that a full inventory of Adams' collection could be captured - if anybody reads this who is going to the preview and wants to spend a bit of them jotting down citations, I would be eternally grateful!
- Surekha Davies posts at The Collation on "Collecting the world in seventeenth-century London."
- Rebecca Rego Barry has the annual Fine Books Notes holiday roundup of books about books.
- The second installment in the Echoes from the Vault series on visualizing the St. Andrews biographical register is out.
- If you missed the Bibliography Among the Disciplines conference in October, there are 40+ hours of audio now available.
- Haven Hawley summarizes a visit to the Museum of Printing during this fall's APHA conference.
- Keith Houston writes about Thomas Jefferson's ivory notebook in a Miscellany post.
- A copy of Origin of Species annotated by Darwin is set to be sold at Christie's next month.
- Over at the Robb Report, "Harry Potter and the Ridiculous Run of Auction Records."
- From the Ransom Center magazine, a profile of translator Harriet de Ónis.
- Henry McGhie writes for the OUP blog about "The building blocks of ornithology."
Reviews
- Leslie Peirce's Empress of the East; review by Thomas Madden in the NYTimes.
- Caroline Fraser's Little House on the Prairie; review by Patricia Nelson Limerick in the NYTimes.
- Marion Rankine's Brolliology; review by Michael Lindgren in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Livres Rares et Manuscrits at Christie's Paris on 28 November.
- Musical Manuscripts at Sotheby's London on 28 November.
- Printed Books & Manuscripts at Chiswick Auctions on 29 November.
- The Richard E. Bateman Collection on Celestial Mechanics - Science, Medicine & Technology - Rare Books & Manuscripts at PBA Galleries on 30 November.
- New from the wonderful Brattle Book Shop, Brattlecast, a short podcast about rare books and the business of selling them.
- Try out the Folger's new DIY First Folio site, where you can practice making your own in their virtual printing house.
- The new Magdalen College Oxford exhibition, "Fragments of Note: The Afterlives of Medieval Manuscripts" is now open - and the short video linked at the bottom of that page, "Singing the Collections," is well worth a look.
- Author Richard Adams' library will go on the block at Dominic Winter on 14 December. View the lots, or read a Guardian piece about the sale. I wish there was better cataloging on the group lots so that a full inventory of Adams' collection could be captured - if anybody reads this who is going to the preview and wants to spend a bit of them jotting down citations, I would be eternally grateful!
- Surekha Davies posts at The Collation on "Collecting the world in seventeenth-century London."
- Rebecca Rego Barry has the annual Fine Books Notes holiday roundup of books about books.
- The second installment in the Echoes from the Vault series on visualizing the St. Andrews biographical register is out.
- If you missed the Bibliography Among the Disciplines conference in October, there are 40+ hours of audio now available.
- Haven Hawley summarizes a visit to the Museum of Printing during this fall's APHA conference.
- Keith Houston writes about Thomas Jefferson's ivory notebook in a Miscellany post.
- A copy of Origin of Species annotated by Darwin is set to be sold at Christie's next month.
- Over at the Robb Report, "Harry Potter and the Ridiculous Run of Auction Records."
- From the Ransom Center magazine, a profile of translator Harriet de Ónis.
- Henry McGhie writes for the OUP blog about "The building blocks of ornithology."
Reviews
- Leslie Peirce's Empress of the East; review by Thomas Madden in the NYTimes.
- Caroline Fraser's Little House on the Prairie; review by Patricia Nelson Limerick in the NYTimes.
- Marion Rankine's Brolliology; review by Michael Lindgren in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Livres Rares et Manuscrits at Christie's Paris on 28 November.
- Musical Manuscripts at Sotheby's London on 28 November.
- Printed Books & Manuscripts at Chiswick Auctions on 29 November.
- The Richard E. Bateman Collection on Celestial Mechanics - Science, Medicine & Technology - Rare Books & Manuscripts at PBA Galleries on 30 November.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Links & Reviews
Another Boston Book Fair in the books (my thirteenth, I realized). Still—and I suspect, always—my favorite fair. Chilly this year, but that didn't stop people from coming out for the main fair or the very busy shadow show. There wasn't time enough to pack in everything I wanted to do in Boston this trip ... I'll just have to go back soon!
- Princeton has acquired a 1483 Horace which happened to contain as binding waste a leaf from a previously unknown ~1457 edition of Donatus' Ars minor (printed with the same type used for the Gutenberg Bible).
- Ian Jackson, Nick Aretakis, and Ben Kinmont have issued a very nice biography of bookseller Bernard Rosenthal.
- Molly Hardy has a really useful update on various projects linking printing trade prosopographies.
- UVA Today highlights some recent work on the SNAC Cooperative (Social Networks and Archival Context).
- Mike Widener's new exhibition at the Yale Law School's Lillian Goldman Law Library, "Around the World with Law's Picture Books," is featured in the New Haven Independent.
- Nora Benedict is featured in the FB&C "Bright Young Collectors" series.
- The BL has launched a new crowdsourced transcription project for its historical playbills collection.
- A quiz about books? You bet! I hadn't heard of Nemo's Almanac before, but editor Ian Patterson's piece in the Guardian had me intrigued right away. Anybody collecting these?
- An annotated copy of Ben Jonson's Workes has been placed under a UK export ban until at least February, to see if a domestic buyer can be found.
- Daniel Witek, a one-time volunteer at the Buffalo History Museum, has been sentenced to six months time served and a $2,100 restitution payment for the theft of documents from the museum, which he then attempted to sell.
- Michael Greshko writes for National Geographic about the possibility of biblical forgeries lurking in the collections of the new Museum of the Bible.
- At Clements Library Chronicles, an attempt to locate some Revolutionary War trunks used to transport the Thomas Gage papers.
- Elizabeth Savage posts on the Leiden Special Collections blog about a frisket sheet fragment recently found during conservation at Leiden University.
- Houghton Library undergraduate fellow Mario Menendez talks about his work on a fictional biography of William Henry Ireland.
- A series of what could be 300 auctions to sell the Aristophil collection will begin on 20 December at Drouot.
- Another great APHA panel review by Paul Gough on "Illustrating Typography and Typos," which featured papers by Lynne Farrington, Vince Golden, and Michael Russem.
- The Princeton Graphic Arts Collection recently acquired a great piece by two 18th-century woman printmakers, Isabella Piccini and Angela Baroni.
- A 1659 Blaeu map showing Australia has gone on display at the National Library of Australia.
- William & Mary's Swem Library has received by donation the Civil War diary of a Union soldier captured and held prisoner at the college.
- Ben Breen asks at Res Obscura, "What Did 17th-Century Food Taste Like?"
- At Echoes from the Vault, the first in a series on "Visualising the Biographical Register of the University of St. Andrews."
- AAS student page Emily Isakson gives a brief overview of forgery-related material in the AAS collections.
Reviews
- Martin Puchner's The Written Word, Matthew Kirschenbaum's Track Changes, and Thomas Mullaney's The Chinese Typewriter; review by Thomas Hale in the Financial Times.
- Kevin Young's Bunk; reviews by Jonathan Lethem in the NYTimes and Colin Dickey in the LATimes.
- John Crowley's Ka; reviews by Michael Dirda in the WaPo and Elizabeth Hand in the LATimes.
Upcoming Auction
- Library of M. R*** at Pierre Bergé on 22 November.
- Princeton has acquired a 1483 Horace which happened to contain as binding waste a leaf from a previously unknown ~1457 edition of Donatus' Ars minor (printed with the same type used for the Gutenberg Bible).
- Ian Jackson, Nick Aretakis, and Ben Kinmont have issued a very nice biography of bookseller Bernard Rosenthal.
- Molly Hardy has a really useful update on various projects linking printing trade prosopographies.
- UVA Today highlights some recent work on the SNAC Cooperative (Social Networks and Archival Context).
- Mike Widener's new exhibition at the Yale Law School's Lillian Goldman Law Library, "Around the World with Law's Picture Books," is featured in the New Haven Independent.
- Nora Benedict is featured in the FB&C "Bright Young Collectors" series.
- The BL has launched a new crowdsourced transcription project for its historical playbills collection.
- A quiz about books? You bet! I hadn't heard of Nemo's Almanac before, but editor Ian Patterson's piece in the Guardian had me intrigued right away. Anybody collecting these?
- An annotated copy of Ben Jonson's Workes has been placed under a UK export ban until at least February, to see if a domestic buyer can be found.
- Daniel Witek, a one-time volunteer at the Buffalo History Museum, has been sentenced to six months time served and a $2,100 restitution payment for the theft of documents from the museum, which he then attempted to sell.
- Michael Greshko writes for National Geographic about the possibility of biblical forgeries lurking in the collections of the new Museum of the Bible.
- At Clements Library Chronicles, an attempt to locate some Revolutionary War trunks used to transport the Thomas Gage papers.
- Elizabeth Savage posts on the Leiden Special Collections blog about a frisket sheet fragment recently found during conservation at Leiden University.
- Houghton Library undergraduate fellow Mario Menendez talks about his work on a fictional biography of William Henry Ireland.
- A series of what could be 300 auctions to sell the Aristophil collection will begin on 20 December at Drouot.
- Another great APHA panel review by Paul Gough on "Illustrating Typography and Typos," which featured papers by Lynne Farrington, Vince Golden, and Michael Russem.
- The Princeton Graphic Arts Collection recently acquired a great piece by two 18th-century woman printmakers, Isabella Piccini and Angela Baroni.
- A 1659 Blaeu map showing Australia has gone on display at the National Library of Australia.
- William & Mary's Swem Library has received by donation the Civil War diary of a Union soldier captured and held prisoner at the college.
- Ben Breen asks at Res Obscura, "What Did 17th-Century Food Taste Like?"
- At Echoes from the Vault, the first in a series on "Visualising the Biographical Register of the University of St. Andrews."
- AAS student page Emily Isakson gives a brief overview of forgery-related material in the AAS collections.
Reviews
- Martin Puchner's The Written Word, Matthew Kirschenbaum's Track Changes, and Thomas Mullaney's The Chinese Typewriter; review by Thomas Hale in the Financial Times.
- Kevin Young's Bunk; reviews by Jonathan Lethem in the NYTimes and Colin Dickey in the LATimes.
- John Crowley's Ka; reviews by Michael Dirda in the WaPo and Elizabeth Hand in the LATimes.
Upcoming Auction
- Library of M. R*** at Pierre Bergé on 22 November.
Sunday, November 05, 2017
Links & Reviews
- Rebecca Romney has "13 Secrets of Rare Book Dealers" for Mental Floss.
- Noah Sheola's got a great post up on the Houghton blog about the importance of good cataloging.
- The November Rare Book Monthly includes Marc Sena Carrel on "Exiting the Bookseller Business," Michael Stillman on an upcoming auction of an early Declaration of Independence broadside, and a Bruce McKinney note about bookseller William Reese being honored by the AAS this week with the Christopher Columbus Baldwin medal (a well-deserved honor, to be sure).
- Hewlett-Packard's extensive archives were destroyed in the recent California wildfires.
- Cynthia Zarin writes for the New Yorker about "The Original Master of Ghost Stories" (M.R. James, of course).
- The manuscript of John Donne's "Courtier's Library" has been identified in the Westminster Abbey archives.
- Kurt Zimmerman is on "The Hunt for Early American Women Bibliographers" at American Book Collecting.
- MITH has launched Books.Files, a Mellon-funded project to "assess the potential for the archival collection and scholarly study of digital assets associated with today’s trade publishing and bookmaking."
- The Folger has launched Miranda, a new platform for the library's digital content. See the blog post for lots of good background.
- Tim Carmody writes for Kottke.org about "Card catalogs and the secret history of modernity."
- Several more panel overviews from the recent APHA conference in "The Process of Innovation."
- A Titanic letter (one of the last known to be written on the ship) sold at auction this week for £126,000.
- Booktryst will publish a fine-press book celebrating the late Martin Stone.
- A Thomas Bewick sketchbook has been identified and purchased by Bewick collector David Bolam.
Reviews
- Alison Weir's Queens of the Conquest; review by Dan Jones in the WaPo.
- Russell Shorto's Revolution Song; review by Lynne Cheney in the NYTimes.
- Walter Isaacson's Leonardo da Vinci; review by Jennifer Senior in the NYTimes.
- Noah Feldman's The Three Lives of James Madison; review by Susan Dunn in the NYTimes.
- Gordon S. Wood's Friends Divided; review by Richard Brookhiser in the NYTimes.
Upcoming Auctions
- The Library of an English Bibliophile, Part VII at Sotheby's London on 7 November.
- Autographs at Swann Galleries on 7 November.
- Rare Books, Autographs & Maps at Doyle New York on 7 November.
- Fine Golf Books at PBA Galleries on 12 November.
- Fine Books & Manuscripts at Skinner, Inc. on 12 November.
- Travel, Atlases, Maps & Natural History at Sotheby's London on 14 November.
- 19th & 20th Century Literature at Swann Galleries on 14 November.
- Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts, and Photographs at Bonhams London on 15 November.
- Noah Sheola's got a great post up on the Houghton blog about the importance of good cataloging.
- The November Rare Book Monthly includes Marc Sena Carrel on "Exiting the Bookseller Business," Michael Stillman on an upcoming auction of an early Declaration of Independence broadside, and a Bruce McKinney note about bookseller William Reese being honored by the AAS this week with the Christopher Columbus Baldwin medal (a well-deserved honor, to be sure).
- Hewlett-Packard's extensive archives were destroyed in the recent California wildfires.
- Cynthia Zarin writes for the New Yorker about "The Original Master of Ghost Stories" (M.R. James, of course).
- The manuscript of John Donne's "Courtier's Library" has been identified in the Westminster Abbey archives.
- Kurt Zimmerman is on "The Hunt for Early American Women Bibliographers" at American Book Collecting.
- MITH has launched Books.Files, a Mellon-funded project to "assess the potential for the archival collection and scholarly study of digital assets associated with today’s trade publishing and bookmaking."
- The Folger has launched Miranda, a new platform for the library's digital content. See the blog post for lots of good background.
- Tim Carmody writes for Kottke.org about "Card catalogs and the secret history of modernity."
- Several more panel overviews from the recent APHA conference in "The Process of Innovation."
- A Titanic letter (one of the last known to be written on the ship) sold at auction this week for £126,000.
- Booktryst will publish a fine-press book celebrating the late Martin Stone.
- A Thomas Bewick sketchbook has been identified and purchased by Bewick collector David Bolam.
Reviews
- Alison Weir's Queens of the Conquest; review by Dan Jones in the WaPo.
- Russell Shorto's Revolution Song; review by Lynne Cheney in the NYTimes.
- Walter Isaacson's Leonardo da Vinci; review by Jennifer Senior in the NYTimes.
- Noah Feldman's The Three Lives of James Madison; review by Susan Dunn in the NYTimes.
- Gordon S. Wood's Friends Divided; review by Richard Brookhiser in the NYTimes.
Upcoming Auctions
- The Library of an English Bibliophile, Part VII at Sotheby's London on 7 November.
- Autographs at Swann Galleries on 7 November.
- Rare Books, Autographs & Maps at Doyle New York on 7 November.
- Fine Golf Books at PBA Galleries on 12 November.
- Fine Books & Manuscripts at Skinner, Inc. on 12 November.
- Travel, Atlases, Maps & Natural History at Sotheby's London on 14 November.
- 19th & 20th Century Literature at Swann Galleries on 14 November.
- Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts, and Photographs at Bonhams London on 15 November.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Links & Reviews
- Forgot this last week so I'm putting it right at the top: there's a new issue of Common-place up, which is excellent as usual - I want to particularly point out Paul Erickson's piece "The Business of Building Books" and the "To Our Readers" note, which invites comments about the role and future direction of the journal.
- The New-York Historical Society will open a new gallery devoted to Audubon's Birds of America this fall.
- Joe Adelman asks at The Junto, "Did Hamilton Write Too Much For His Own Good?"
- Over at Echoes from the Vault, Caroline Douglas reports on her work researching women in the early history of photography.
- The Boston Public Library has announced a partnership with the Internet Archive to catalog and digitize a large portion of the library's Sound Archives Collection.
- Sarah Laskow has an interesting piece in Atlas Obscura about the "oldest" item in each of twelve libraries.
- The Louvre has launched a crowdfunding campaign to purchase a François I Book of Hours, after a British export ban was allowed to expire.
- From Science News, a debate over the dating of a manuscript which might contain the earliest known use of a zero.
- The National Library of Scotland blog highlights their current exhibition on the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Reformation. Ditto the Huntington Library.
- Richard Higgins writes for the WaPo on Luther as publishing phenom.
- Simon Beattie's turned up an absolutely wonderful little publication for his Boston Book Fair list - see his post "Fun and games in the British Museum Reading Room."
- Alexandra Alter reports for the NYTimes on a small collection of Harper Lee letters offered at auction; they sold for $12,500.
- Vittoria Traverso writes for Atlas Obscura about the travels of the Luneborch Prayer Book.
- Proposals for the 2018 RBMS conference program are due on 10 November.
- Mentioned this when it was in beta but the main release of a new photo-management program Tropy is now available for download; I'm looking forward to trying this out.
- On the APHA blog, Pam Barrie summarizes a panel at the group's recent conference: "Printing Conflict: The Civil War."
- At Boston1775, J.L. Bell comments on "False Anniversaries for Equiano and Wheatley."
Reviews
- Alan Jacobs' How To Think; review by Dan Cohen on his eponymous blog.
- Richard Beadle's Henry Bradshaw and the Foundations of Codicology; review by James Freeman on the Cambridge University Library Special Collections blog.
- Christopher de Hamel's Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts; reviews by Helen Hazen for The American Scholar and Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
- Christopher Frayling's Frankenstein: The First Two Hundred Years; review by Zoë Lescaze in the NYTimes.
- Naomi Alderman's The Power; review by Bridget Read in Vogue.
- John Hodgman's Vacationland; review by Charles Thaxton in the WaPo.
- Ed Ayers' The Thin Light of Freedom; review by James Oakes in the WaPo.
- Eric Metaxas' Martin Luther and Brad Gregory's Rebel in the Ranks; review by Andrew Pettegree in the WaPo.
- Philip Pullman's Daemon Voices and The Book of Dust; review by Michael Saler in the TLS.
Upcoming Auctions
- Livres at Manuscrits at Sotheby's Paris on 30 October.
- Important Instruments of Science & Technology at Bonhams London on 31 October.
- The Library of a European Gentleman at Sotheby's London on 2 November.
- Illustrated Books - Childrens' Books - Books in All Fields at PBA Galleries on 2 November.
- The New-York Historical Society will open a new gallery devoted to Audubon's Birds of America this fall.
- Joe Adelman asks at The Junto, "Did Hamilton Write Too Much For His Own Good?"
- Over at Echoes from the Vault, Caroline Douglas reports on her work researching women in the early history of photography.
- The Boston Public Library has announced a partnership with the Internet Archive to catalog and digitize a large portion of the library's Sound Archives Collection.
- Sarah Laskow has an interesting piece in Atlas Obscura about the "oldest" item in each of twelve libraries.
- The Louvre has launched a crowdfunding campaign to purchase a François I Book of Hours, after a British export ban was allowed to expire.
- From Science News, a debate over the dating of a manuscript which might contain the earliest known use of a zero.
- The National Library of Scotland blog highlights their current exhibition on the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Reformation. Ditto the Huntington Library.
- Richard Higgins writes for the WaPo on Luther as publishing phenom.
- Simon Beattie's turned up an absolutely wonderful little publication for his Boston Book Fair list - see his post "Fun and games in the British Museum Reading Room."
- Alexandra Alter reports for the NYTimes on a small collection of Harper Lee letters offered at auction; they sold for $12,500.
- Vittoria Traverso writes for Atlas Obscura about the travels of the Luneborch Prayer Book.
- Proposals for the 2018 RBMS conference program are due on 10 November.
- Mentioned this when it was in beta but the main release of a new photo-management program Tropy is now available for download; I'm looking forward to trying this out.
- On the APHA blog, Pam Barrie summarizes a panel at the group's recent conference: "Printing Conflict: The Civil War."
- At Boston1775, J.L. Bell comments on "False Anniversaries for Equiano and Wheatley."
Reviews
- Alan Jacobs' How To Think; review by Dan Cohen on his eponymous blog.
- Richard Beadle's Henry Bradshaw and the Foundations of Codicology; review by James Freeman on the Cambridge University Library Special Collections blog.
- Christopher de Hamel's Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts; reviews by Helen Hazen for The American Scholar and Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
- Christopher Frayling's Frankenstein: The First Two Hundred Years; review by Zoë Lescaze in the NYTimes.
- Naomi Alderman's The Power; review by Bridget Read in Vogue.
- John Hodgman's Vacationland; review by Charles Thaxton in the WaPo.
- Ed Ayers' The Thin Light of Freedom; review by James Oakes in the WaPo.
- Eric Metaxas' Martin Luther and Brad Gregory's Rebel in the Ranks; review by Andrew Pettegree in the WaPo.
- Philip Pullman's Daemon Voices and The Book of Dust; review by Michael Saler in the TLS.
Upcoming Auctions
- Livres at Manuscrits at Sotheby's Paris on 30 October.
- Important Instruments of Science & Technology at Bonhams London on 31 October.
- The Library of a European Gentleman at Sotheby's London on 2 November.
- Illustrated Books - Childrens' Books - Books in All Fields at PBA Galleries on 2 November.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Links & Reviews
- It was a great treat to see so many friends at last week's Bibliography Among the Disciplines conference in Philadelphia - see the #BxD17 hashtag for tweets from the meeting.
- The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair is coming up on 10–12 November.
- From Archaeology, "The Hidden Stories of the York Gospel."
- Don't miss Aaron Pratt's new post on the HRC blog, "A baroness and her bookshelves in an English parish church."
- The Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division has released a new web portal for accessing digitized books from their collections.
- A security alert from the ABAA about some books stolen in Georgia and perhaps taken to California.
- Over on the Princeton Graphic Arts blog, a quick review of the APHA/CHAViC meeting in Worcester.
- The AP has a report on UVA's efforts to digitize books Jefferson recommended for law students.
- A John Calvin manuscript has been returned to the canton of Geneva by Sotheby's; it was found to have been stolen from the canton's archives.
- Leah Klement writes on the Huntington blog about her work with a much-used manuscript in the library's collections in "A Using Book."
- Ruth Ahnert has a report from the Folger's third Early Modern Digital Agendas gathering.
- The Folger and Wellesley co-sponsored a recent Transcribathon, which looks like grand fun!
- Over on the ABAA blog, Heather O'Donnell and Rebecca Romney offer "Notes from the 2017 Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize."
- The Bookhunter on Safari offers up some thoughts on "The Fidelity of Engravers."
Reviews
- George William Van Cleve's We Have Not a Government; review by Jack Rakove in the WaPo.
- Walter Isaacson's Leonardo da Vinci; review by Alexandra C. Kafka in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Autograph Letters and Manuscripts from a Distinguished Private Collection (Part I: Music) at Sotheby's London on 26 October.
- The Magnificent Botanical Library of D. F. Allen at Sotheby's New York on 26 October.
- Rare and Important Travel Posters at Swann Galleries on 26 October.
- The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair is coming up on 10–12 November.
- From Archaeology, "The Hidden Stories of the York Gospel."
- Don't miss Aaron Pratt's new post on the HRC blog, "A baroness and her bookshelves in an English parish church."
- The Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division has released a new web portal for accessing digitized books from their collections.
- A security alert from the ABAA about some books stolen in Georgia and perhaps taken to California.
- Over on the Princeton Graphic Arts blog, a quick review of the APHA/CHAViC meeting in Worcester.
- The AP has a report on UVA's efforts to digitize books Jefferson recommended for law students.
- A John Calvin manuscript has been returned to the canton of Geneva by Sotheby's; it was found to have been stolen from the canton's archives.
- Leah Klement writes on the Huntington blog about her work with a much-used manuscript in the library's collections in "A Using Book."
- Ruth Ahnert has a report from the Folger's third Early Modern Digital Agendas gathering.
- The Folger and Wellesley co-sponsored a recent Transcribathon, which looks like grand fun!
- Over on the ABAA blog, Heather O'Donnell and Rebecca Romney offer "Notes from the 2017 Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize."
- The Bookhunter on Safari offers up some thoughts on "The Fidelity of Engravers."
Reviews
- George William Van Cleve's We Have Not a Government; review by Jack Rakove in the WaPo.
- Walter Isaacson's Leonardo da Vinci; review by Alexandra C. Kafka in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Autograph Letters and Manuscripts from a Distinguished Private Collection (Part I: Music) at Sotheby's London on 26 October.
- The Magnificent Botanical Library of D. F. Allen at Sotheby's New York on 26 October.
- Rare and Important Travel Posters at Swann Galleries on 26 October.
Sunday, October 08, 2017
Links & Reviews
- The "Bibliography Among the Disciplines" conference is coming up this week! Looking forward to seeing many of you there.
- Colleen Barrett of PRB&M gets the "Bright Young Booksellers" spotlight this week.
- At The Collation, Erin Blake explains this month's caption-contest Crocodile post.
- Trinity College Dublin is digitizing eight important medieval manuscripts as part of the "Beyond the Book of Kells" lecture series.
- The Yale Daily News reports that the Jonathan Edwards papers formerly held at the Andover Newton Theological Seminary will now join the other Edwards papers at the Beinecke.
- Quite an impressive showing at Swann this week for their Printed & Manuscript Americana sale!
Reviews
- Ron Chernow's Grant; review by T.J. Stiles in the WaPo.
- Robin Sloan's Sourdough; review by Jeff VanderMeer in the LATimes.
- James Atlas' The Shadow in the Garden; review by Jeffrey Meyers in the LATimes.
Upcoming Auctions
- Bibliothèque Romantique R. & B. L. at Sotheby's Paris on 10 October.
- Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photography at Lyon & Turnbull on 11 October.
- Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books at Swann Galleries on 17 October.
- The Marine Sale at Bonhams London on 18 October.
- The Richard Beagle Collection of Angling & Sporting Books, Part II. With Americana, Travel & Exploration, Cartography at PBA Galleries on 19 October.
- Books and Works on Paper at Bloomsbury Auctions on 19 October.
- Historical Manuscripts at Heritage Auctions on 19 October.
- Colleen Barrett of PRB&M gets the "Bright Young Booksellers" spotlight this week.
- At The Collation, Erin Blake explains this month's caption-contest Crocodile post.
- Trinity College Dublin is digitizing eight important medieval manuscripts as part of the "Beyond the Book of Kells" lecture series.
- The Yale Daily News reports that the Jonathan Edwards papers formerly held at the Andover Newton Theological Seminary will now join the other Edwards papers at the Beinecke.
- Quite an impressive showing at Swann this week for their Printed & Manuscript Americana sale!
Reviews
- Ron Chernow's Grant; review by T.J. Stiles in the WaPo.
- Robin Sloan's Sourdough; review by Jeff VanderMeer in the LATimes.
- James Atlas' The Shadow in the Garden; review by Jeffrey Meyers in the LATimes.
Upcoming Auctions
- Bibliothèque Romantique R. & B. L. at Sotheby's Paris on 10 October.
- Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photography at Lyon & Turnbull on 11 October.
- Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books at Swann Galleries on 17 October.
- The Marine Sale at Bonhams London on 18 October.
- The Richard Beagle Collection of Angling & Sporting Books, Part II. With Americana, Travel & Exploration, Cartography at PBA Galleries on 19 October.
- Books and Works on Paper at Bloomsbury Auctions on 19 October.
- Historical Manuscripts at Heritage Auctions on 19 October.
Sunday, October 01, 2017
Links & Reviews
- From Sarah Werner, "book history questions and digital facsimiles."
- Former Lilly Librarian William Cagle died this week at the age of 83. Joel Silver has an "In Memoriam" post on the Lilly's blog.
- Among the Rare Book Monthly articles for October, Michael Stillman reports on the end of California's controversial autographed memorabilia law as it pertains to booksellers, Susan Halas profiles Nancy Pearl, and Michael Stillman covers a recent AbeBooks downtime.
- Rich Rennicks highlights a national scavenger hunt in Ireland for copies of Bill Drummond's The Curfew Tower is Many Things which have been hidden in each of the 32 counties in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- The National Library of Ireland announced a series of major Yeats-related acquisitions. More from RTÉ.
- Emory University has acquired the "Joan Anderson letter," sent from Neal Cassady to Jack Kerouac and credited as the inspiration for On the Road.
- Betsy Walsh, head of reader services at the Folger Shakespeare Library, passed away on 22 September. There is a memorial post up at The Collation.
- An early Hemingway story (perhaps his first) was recently identified in a collection of material owned by the Bruce family, longtime Hemingway friends.
Reviews
- Stephen Taylor's Defiance; review by Lauren Elkin in the NYTimes.
- Jonathan Cott's There's a Mystery There; review by Jerry Griswold in the WaPo.
- Edward St. Aubyn's Dunbar; review by Bethanne Patrick in the LATimes.
- Maja Lunde's The History of Bees; review by Ellie Robins in the LATimes.
- Several recent books on Montaigne; review by Patrick J. Murray in the TLS.
Upcoming Auctions
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 4 October.
- Fine Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror at PBA Galleries on 5 October.
- Former Lilly Librarian William Cagle died this week at the age of 83. Joel Silver has an "In Memoriam" post on the Lilly's blog.
- Among the Rare Book Monthly articles for October, Michael Stillman reports on the end of California's controversial autographed memorabilia law as it pertains to booksellers, Susan Halas profiles Nancy Pearl, and Michael Stillman covers a recent AbeBooks downtime.
- Rich Rennicks highlights a national scavenger hunt in Ireland for copies of Bill Drummond's The Curfew Tower is Many Things which have been hidden in each of the 32 counties in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- The National Library of Ireland announced a series of major Yeats-related acquisitions. More from RTÉ.
- Emory University has acquired the "Joan Anderson letter," sent from Neal Cassady to Jack Kerouac and credited as the inspiration for On the Road.
- Betsy Walsh, head of reader services at the Folger Shakespeare Library, passed away on 22 September. There is a memorial post up at The Collation.
- An early Hemingway story (perhaps his first) was recently identified in a collection of material owned by the Bruce family, longtime Hemingway friends.
Reviews
- Stephen Taylor's Defiance; review by Lauren Elkin in the NYTimes.
- Jonathan Cott's There's a Mystery There; review by Jerry Griswold in the WaPo.
- Edward St. Aubyn's Dunbar; review by Bethanne Patrick in the LATimes.
- Maja Lunde's The History of Bees; review by Ellie Robins in the LATimes.
- Several recent books on Montaigne; review by Patrick J. Murray in the TLS.
Upcoming Auctions
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 4 October.
- Fine Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror at PBA Galleries on 5 October.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Links & Reviews
Lots to catch up on; I took some time away from the computer for a while so I'm sure I've missed a few things here - feel free to send them along.
- The LDS Church has paid $35 million for the printer's manuscript copy of the Book of Mormon.
- From the Princeton Graphic Arts Collection blog, "How many copies of Birds of America does a family need?" and "Havell's Copper."
- At The Collation, "Consuming the New World."
- From Rachael Herrmann at The Junto, "How not to write your first book."
- The BL is asking for crowdsourcing help with its 19th-century playbills.
- Sandra L. Brooke has been appointed Avery Director of the Library at the Huntington Library.
- The winner's of this year's National Collegiate Book Collecting Competition and the inaugural Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize have been announced.
- From the Village Voice, "Keepers of the Secrets."
- The AAS has launched an illustrated inventory of their watch paper collection.
- A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold for $81,000.
- John Crichton will deliver the inaugural Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Lecture on the History of the Book Trade in California and the West at the Book Club of California on 30 October.
- From Erin Schreiner at JHIBlog, "You Should Learn Descriptive Bibliography."
- In the TLS, Dimitra Fimi asks "Why build new worlds?"
- Now on display at Yale's Beinecke Library, "Making the Medieval English Manuscript."
- Another Voynich Manuscript "solution" has been proposed.
- Jonathan Senchyne's identification of a George Moses Horton essay at the NYPL is featured in the NYTimes.
- From Jot101, "Fakery, forgery and the fore-edge painter."
- At American Book Collecting, "Book Hunter Bypaths Explored & Exposed."
- The OUP Blog has an excerpt from Kevin Hayes' new book George Washington: A Life in Books.
- Prince Rupert's Drops are the order of the day at The Collation.
- The Library of Congress' collection of James K. Polk papers are now available online.
- The Junto has a Q&A with Coll Thrush about his new book Indigenous London.
- Over at Notes from Under Grounds, a look at early UVA library shelfmarks.
- Emily Yankowitz writes for JHIBlog on "William Plumer and the Politics of History Writing."
Reviews
- A new film on the NYPL, "Ex Libris"; review by Jordan Hoffman in the Guardian.
- Michael Sims' Frankenstein Dreams; review by Genevieve Valentine for NPR.
- Walter Stahr's Stanton; review by David Holahan for the CSM.
- Coll Thrush's Indigenous London; review by Sara Georgini at The Junto.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Books and Manuscripts Featuring Exploration & Travel at Bonhams New York on 26 September.
- The Vivien Leigh Collection at Sotheby's London on 26 September.
- The Library of John and Suzanne Bonham at Sotheby's London on 26 September.
- The Yeats Family Collection at Sotheby's London on 27 September.
- Printed and Manuscript Americana at Swann Galleries on 28 September.
- The LDS Church has paid $35 million for the printer's manuscript copy of the Book of Mormon.
- From the Princeton Graphic Arts Collection blog, "How many copies of Birds of America does a family need?" and "Havell's Copper."
- At The Collation, "Consuming the New World."
- From Rachael Herrmann at The Junto, "How not to write your first book."
- The BL is asking for crowdsourcing help with its 19th-century playbills.
- Sandra L. Brooke has been appointed Avery Director of the Library at the Huntington Library.
- The winner's of this year's National Collegiate Book Collecting Competition and the inaugural Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize have been announced.
- From the Village Voice, "Keepers of the Secrets."
- The AAS has launched an illustrated inventory of their watch paper collection.
- A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold for $81,000.
- John Crichton will deliver the inaugural Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Lecture on the History of the Book Trade in California and the West at the Book Club of California on 30 October.
- From Erin Schreiner at JHIBlog, "You Should Learn Descriptive Bibliography."
- In the TLS, Dimitra Fimi asks "Why build new worlds?"
- Now on display at Yale's Beinecke Library, "Making the Medieval English Manuscript."
- Another Voynich Manuscript "solution" has been proposed.
- Jonathan Senchyne's identification of a George Moses Horton essay at the NYPL is featured in the NYTimes.
- From Jot101, "Fakery, forgery and the fore-edge painter."
- At American Book Collecting, "Book Hunter Bypaths Explored & Exposed."
- The OUP Blog has an excerpt from Kevin Hayes' new book George Washington: A Life in Books.
- Prince Rupert's Drops are the order of the day at The Collation.
- The Library of Congress' collection of James K. Polk papers are now available online.
- The Junto has a Q&A with Coll Thrush about his new book Indigenous London.
- Over at Notes from Under Grounds, a look at early UVA library shelfmarks.
- Emily Yankowitz writes for JHIBlog on "William Plumer and the Politics of History Writing."
Reviews
- A new film on the NYPL, "Ex Libris"; review by Jordan Hoffman in the Guardian.
- Michael Sims' Frankenstein Dreams; review by Genevieve Valentine for NPR.
- Walter Stahr's Stanton; review by David Holahan for the CSM.
- Coll Thrush's Indigenous London; review by Sara Georgini at The Junto.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Books and Manuscripts Featuring Exploration & Travel at Bonhams New York on 26 September.
- The Vivien Leigh Collection at Sotheby's London on 26 September.
- The Library of John and Suzanne Bonham at Sotheby's London on 26 September.
- The Yeats Family Collection at Sotheby's London on 27 September.
- Printed and Manuscript Americana at Swann Galleries on 28 September.
Sunday, September 03, 2017
Links & Reviews
- Rare Book School scholarship and fellowship applications are now available, with a due date of 1 November.
- The Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair is coming up on 8–10 September. Purchase of an opening night preview ticket benefits the RBS Scholarship Fund. Hope to see some of you there!
- Scans of the Library of Congress' collection of Alexander Hamilton papers are now available online.
- A hard drive containing unpublished works by Terry Pratchett was destroyed by steam roller this week, per the author's wishes.
- Ithaka S+R and the Mellon Foundation have released a report on employee diversity in ARL libraries.
- Jeanette Lerman writes on the current LCP exhibition "The Living Book" for the Philadelphia Inquirer, highlighting the (utterly wonderful) leaf books of Joseph Breintnall.
- David Fuchs talked on "Morning Edition" this week about Walter and Graham Judd's Flora of Middle Earth.
- Miriam Katazawi reports in for the Globe and Mail from an ongoing inventory at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto.
- Books from Vivien Leigh's library will go on the auction block on 26 September at Sotheby's London.
Reviews
- Two Walt Whitman texts recently identified and edited by Zachary Turpin; review by Ted Genoways in the NYTimes.
- David Williams' When the English Fall; review by Abigail Deutsch in the NYTimes.
- Lawrence P. Jackson's Chester B. Himes: A Biography; review by Robert B. Stepto in the WaPo.
- Helen Pilcher's Bring Back the King and Ursula K. Heise's Imagining Extinction; review by Colin Dickey in the LARB.
- Carol Berkin's A Sovereign People; review by Monica Rico in the LARB.
Upcoming Auctions
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 6 September.
- Rare Books & Manuscripts, with the Fred Bennett Collection of the Book Club of California at PBA Galleries on 7 September.
- Eric C. Caren – How History Unfolds on Paper at Cowan's Auctions on 8 September.
- Books and Ephemera at National Book Auctions on 9 September.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on 13 September.
- Books at Heritage Auctions on 14 September.
- The Glory of Science at Bloomsbury on 14 September.
- Rare Cartography – Americana – Travel & Exploration at PBA Galleries on 21 September.
- The Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair is coming up on 8–10 September. Purchase of an opening night preview ticket benefits the RBS Scholarship Fund. Hope to see some of you there!
- Scans of the Library of Congress' collection of Alexander Hamilton papers are now available online.
- A hard drive containing unpublished works by Terry Pratchett was destroyed by steam roller this week, per the author's wishes.
- Ithaka S+R and the Mellon Foundation have released a report on employee diversity in ARL libraries.
- Jeanette Lerman writes on the current LCP exhibition "The Living Book" for the Philadelphia Inquirer, highlighting the (utterly wonderful) leaf books of Joseph Breintnall.
- David Fuchs talked on "Morning Edition" this week about Walter and Graham Judd's Flora of Middle Earth.
- Miriam Katazawi reports in for the Globe and Mail from an ongoing inventory at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto.
- Books from Vivien Leigh's library will go on the auction block on 26 September at Sotheby's London.
Reviews
- Two Walt Whitman texts recently identified and edited by Zachary Turpin; review by Ted Genoways in the NYTimes.
- David Williams' When the English Fall; review by Abigail Deutsch in the NYTimes.
- Lawrence P. Jackson's Chester B. Himes: A Biography; review by Robert B. Stepto in the WaPo.
- Helen Pilcher's Bring Back the King and Ursula K. Heise's Imagining Extinction; review by Colin Dickey in the LARB.
- Carol Berkin's A Sovereign People; review by Monica Rico in the LARB.
Upcoming Auctions
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 6 September.
- Rare Books & Manuscripts, with the Fred Bennett Collection of the Book Club of California at PBA Galleries on 7 September.
- Eric C. Caren – How History Unfolds on Paper at Cowan's Auctions on 8 September.
- Books and Ephemera at National Book Auctions on 9 September.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on 13 September.
- Books at Heritage Auctions on 14 September.
- The Glory of Science at Bloomsbury on 14 September.
- Rare Cartography – Americana – Travel & Exploration at PBA Galleries on 21 September.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Links & Reviews
- An important early Latin commentary on the Gospels has been identified in the Cologne Cathedral Library and translated into English for the first time.
- A copy of the Columbus Letter stolen from the Vatican Library and replaced with a fake has been located and returned.
- A fire in the southern Italian city of Cosenza has reportedly destroyed a private museum "housing the collection of the Bilotti Ruggi D'aragona family, described as "the most important library in southern Italy."
- On the Library of Congress blog, a Q&A with aspiring book conservator Riley Thomas.
- Over at Past is Present, "Collaborative Bibliographic Data Production," by Nigel Lepianka and "Unpacking a Digital Library" by Adam Fales.
- The Boston Globe reports on the identification and recent production of a 17th-century play, the manuscript of which was found in the BPL's collections.
- Vanderbilt has acquired the George Clulow and United States Playing Card Co. Gaming Collection.
- The "I am Jack the Ripper" postcard will be offered at auction in October.
Reviews
- John Clayton's Wonderlandscape; review by Dennis Drabelle in the WaPo.
- Laurent Binet's The Seventh Function of Language; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
- James Delbourgo's Collecting the World; review by John Gallagher in the Irish Times.
Upcoming Auction
- Fine Books in All Fields at PBA Galleries on 31 August.
- A copy of the Columbus Letter stolen from the Vatican Library and replaced with a fake has been located and returned.
- A fire in the southern Italian city of Cosenza has reportedly destroyed a private museum "housing the collection of the Bilotti Ruggi D'aragona family, described as "the most important library in southern Italy."
- On the Library of Congress blog, a Q&A with aspiring book conservator Riley Thomas.
- Over at Past is Present, "Collaborative Bibliographic Data Production," by Nigel Lepianka and "Unpacking a Digital Library" by Adam Fales.
- The Boston Globe reports on the identification and recent production of a 17th-century play, the manuscript of which was found in the BPL's collections.
- Vanderbilt has acquired the George Clulow and United States Playing Card Co. Gaming Collection.
- The "I am Jack the Ripper" postcard will be offered at auction in October.
Reviews
- John Clayton's Wonderlandscape; review by Dennis Drabelle in the WaPo.
- Laurent Binet's The Seventh Function of Language; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
- James Delbourgo's Collecting the World; review by John Gallagher in the Irish Times.
Upcoming Auction
- Fine Books in All Fields at PBA Galleries on 31 August.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Links & Reviews
- Over at American Book Collecting, a transcription of an unpublished account of antiquarian bookselling in the early 1880s by Isaac Mendoza, plus some background info. Very much worth a read, and many thanks to Kurt for posting it.
- Cécilia Duminuco posts for the Cambridge University Library Special Collections Blog on "Conserving Darwin's Library and its curiosities."
- Some early illustrated editions of Robinson Crusoe are highlighted on the Princeton Graphic Arts Collection blog.
- One theft report from the ABAA to pass along.
- An urgent appeal has been launched to save John Milton's cottage.
- Benjamin Park talks to Carla Gardina Pestana about her new book The English Conquest of Jamaica at The Junto.
- The APHA blog posts a query about print industry statistics; if you can help the researcher, please do.
- Pegasus Books has published Bibliomysteries, a collection of commissioned original stories edited by Otto Penzler.
- There's a lovely "In Memoriam" post on the ABAA blog for bookseller Jack Hanrahan.
- On the LC blog, "A Different Sense of Thomas Jefferson's Library."
- Susan Halpert writes about "A Curious Manuscript" for the Houghton Library Blog.
- David Barnett writes for the Independent about the upcoming sale of the KoKo collection at Heritage Auctions.
Reviews
- Carla Gardina Pestana's The English Conquest of Jamaica; review by Casey Schmitt at The Junto.
- Rebecca Romney and J.P. Romney's Printer's Error; review by John Paul at popmatters.
- Margaret Willes' The Curious World of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn; review by Frances Wilson in the Spectator.
- Walter Stahr's Stanton; review by Thomas Mallon in the NYTimes.
- Mattias Boström's From Holmes to Sherlock; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Miniature Books: The Library of a Gentleman Collector at PBA Galleries on 24 August.
- Rare Books, Manuscripts & Ephemera at Addison & Sarova on 26 August.
- Cécilia Duminuco posts for the Cambridge University Library Special Collections Blog on "Conserving Darwin's Library and its curiosities."
- Some early illustrated editions of Robinson Crusoe are highlighted on the Princeton Graphic Arts Collection blog.
- One theft report from the ABAA to pass along.
- An urgent appeal has been launched to save John Milton's cottage.
- Benjamin Park talks to Carla Gardina Pestana about her new book The English Conquest of Jamaica at The Junto.
- The APHA blog posts a query about print industry statistics; if you can help the researcher, please do.
- Pegasus Books has published Bibliomysteries, a collection of commissioned original stories edited by Otto Penzler.
- There's a lovely "In Memoriam" post on the ABAA blog for bookseller Jack Hanrahan.
- On the LC blog, "A Different Sense of Thomas Jefferson's Library."
- Susan Halpert writes about "A Curious Manuscript" for the Houghton Library Blog.
- David Barnett writes for the Independent about the upcoming sale of the KoKo collection at Heritage Auctions.
Reviews
- Carla Gardina Pestana's The English Conquest of Jamaica; review by Casey Schmitt at The Junto.
- Rebecca Romney and J.P. Romney's Printer's Error; review by John Paul at popmatters.
- Margaret Willes' The Curious World of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn; review by Frances Wilson in the Spectator.
- Walter Stahr's Stanton; review by Thomas Mallon in the NYTimes.
- Mattias Boström's From Holmes to Sherlock; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Miniature Books: The Library of a Gentleman Collector at PBA Galleries on 24 August.
- Rare Books, Manuscripts & Ephemera at Addison & Sarova on 26 August.
Sunday, August 06, 2017
Links & Reviews
- The lineup for the 2018 Melbourne Australasian Rare Books School is now available.
- More from the "Discovering Lost Manuscripts" project at Echoes from the Vault.
- Terry Seymour seeks assistance with a census of the first edition of Boswell's Life of Johnson.
- The Willison Foundation Charitable Trust is offering grants of up to £4,000 for research on topics related to book history and bibliography.
- The NEH announced $39.3 million in grants for 245 humanities projects this week.
- Julie Mellby has a series of posts on the Princeton Graphic Arts blog about her time in Richard Ovenden's RBS course last week.
- E.B. White's Maine farm is up for sale. Anybody got $3.7 million?
- Christie's profiles their head librarian, Lynda McLeod.
- Over on the Lilly Library blog, LIS student Rachel Makarowski writes about the 1616 folio edition of Ben Jonson's works.
- Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden is featured in the NYTRB "By the Book" column.
- Katherine Mansfield's first known story has been identified at Wellington (NZ) City Library.
- New from OCLC Research, "The Transformation of Academic Library Collecting."
Reviews
- Cass Sunstein's #republic; review by David Weinberger in the LARB.
- Eric Kurlander's Hitler's Monsters; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
- Terry Burrows' The Art of Sound; review by Michael Lindgren in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auction
- Americana - Travel & Exploration - World History - Cartography at PBA Galleries on 10 August.
- More from the "Discovering Lost Manuscripts" project at Echoes from the Vault.
- Terry Seymour seeks assistance with a census of the first edition of Boswell's Life of Johnson.
- The Willison Foundation Charitable Trust is offering grants of up to £4,000 for research on topics related to book history and bibliography.
- The NEH announced $39.3 million in grants for 245 humanities projects this week.
- Julie Mellby has a series of posts on the Princeton Graphic Arts blog about her time in Richard Ovenden's RBS course last week.
- E.B. White's Maine farm is up for sale. Anybody got $3.7 million?
- Christie's profiles their head librarian, Lynda McLeod.
- Over on the Lilly Library blog, LIS student Rachel Makarowski writes about the 1616 folio edition of Ben Jonson's works.
- Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden is featured in the NYTRB "By the Book" column.
- Katherine Mansfield's first known story has been identified at Wellington (NZ) City Library.
- New from OCLC Research, "The Transformation of Academic Library Collecting."
Reviews
- Cass Sunstein's #republic; review by David Weinberger in the LARB.
- Eric Kurlander's Hitler's Monsters; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
- Terry Burrows' The Art of Sound; review by Michael Lindgren in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auction
- Americana - Travel & Exploration - World History - Cartography at PBA Galleries on 10 August.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Links & Reviews
- In Science, "Goats, bookworms, a monk's kiss: Biologists reveal the hidden history of ancient gospels."
- Alison Flood and Sian Cain report on "the strange world of book thefts" for the Guardian.
- Julie Miller posts for the LOC blog about a recent acquisition: the 1783 petition from loyalist Isaac Low to the Loyalist Claims Commission.
- Over at JHIBlog, Spencer Weinreich on the "forgotten partnership" between Houdini and Lovecraft.
- "A Possible Keats" from Fleur Jaeggy in the TLS.
- Phyllis Richardson writes for the Guardian on the "real buildings behind fictional houses."
- Liz Adams notes a neat provenance example from the Lisa Unger Baskin Collection at Duke.
- Some finds from the backlog are highlighted over at Echoes from the Vault.
- Historian Thomas Fleming died this week at the age of 90. NYTimes obituary.
- Over at Motherboard, "Why is the Internet Archive Painstakingly Preserving One Man's Junk Mail?"
- Lynne Thomas has been appointed head of the University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Reviews
- David Waldstreicher's new Library of America edition of the diaries of John Quincy Adams; review by Richard Brookhiser in the WSJ.
- Peter Parker's Housman Country; review by Alan Riding in the NYTimes.
- David Williams' When the English Fall; review by Swapna Krishna in the LATimes.
Looks like a quiet auction week.
- Alison Flood and Sian Cain report on "the strange world of book thefts" for the Guardian.
- Julie Miller posts for the LOC blog about a recent acquisition: the 1783 petition from loyalist Isaac Low to the Loyalist Claims Commission.
- Over at JHIBlog, Spencer Weinreich on the "forgotten partnership" between Houdini and Lovecraft.
- "A Possible Keats" from Fleur Jaeggy in the TLS.
- Phyllis Richardson writes for the Guardian on the "real buildings behind fictional houses."
- Liz Adams notes a neat provenance example from the Lisa Unger Baskin Collection at Duke.
- Some finds from the backlog are highlighted over at Echoes from the Vault.
- Historian Thomas Fleming died this week at the age of 90. NYTimes obituary.
- Over at Motherboard, "Why is the Internet Archive Painstakingly Preserving One Man's Junk Mail?"
- Lynne Thomas has been appointed head of the University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Reviews
- David Waldstreicher's new Library of America edition of the diaries of John Quincy Adams; review by Richard Brookhiser in the WSJ.
- Peter Parker's Housman Country; review by Alan Riding in the NYTimes.
- David Williams' When the English Fall; review by Swapna Krishna in the LATimes.
Looks like a quiet auction week.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Links & Reviews
- Theft alert: four signed books were stolen from Bloomington, IN.
- The AHA posted a quick update on congressional budget actions taken last week regarding cultural heritage programs. It's good news so far, but we must keep the pressure on.
- Preview tickets for this year's Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair (8–10 September) are now available; this year proceeds from the preview will benefit the Rare Book School Scholarship fund.
- The Princeton Graphic Arts Collection blog highlights a new edition of Swift's A Modest Proposal.
- From the same blog, a short piece about William Earl Dodge and the preservation of some of Audubon's bird plates.
- Susan Falciani profiles book thief James Richard Shinn for Atlas Obscura.
- A new "fused imaging" technique developed at Northwestern University may be useful for reading fragments hidden inside bookbindings.
- Over at Lux Mentis, Booksellers, Ian Kahn posts about an absolutely awesome new acquisition: a record player, albums, and technical specs from the Library of Congress' Talking Books project. He's shared lots of pictures too - have a look!
- Erin Blake writes about her time at Rare Book School at The Collation: "I learned to read Secretary Hand!!!! (And so can you)"
- Janice Hansen writes for the Chapel Hill Rare Book Blog about a recent find in the stacks.
- Duke has acquired a volume from Thomas Jefferson's library that also happened to be owned later by William Howard Taft.
- Ian Sansom rereads Jane Austen for the TLS.
Reviews
- Robert Thake's A Publishing History of a Prohibited Best-Seller; review by David Coward in the TLS.
- Francis Spufford's Golden Hill; review by Karen Heller in the WaPo.
- Adam Begley's The Great Nadar; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Literature & Fine Books at PBA Galleries on 27 July.
- Rare Books and Works on Paper at Bloomsbury on 27 July.
- The AHA posted a quick update on congressional budget actions taken last week regarding cultural heritage programs. It's good news so far, but we must keep the pressure on.
- Preview tickets for this year's Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair (8–10 September) are now available; this year proceeds from the preview will benefit the Rare Book School Scholarship fund.
- The Princeton Graphic Arts Collection blog highlights a new edition of Swift's A Modest Proposal.
- From the same blog, a short piece about William Earl Dodge and the preservation of some of Audubon's bird plates.
- Susan Falciani profiles book thief James Richard Shinn for Atlas Obscura.
- A new "fused imaging" technique developed at Northwestern University may be useful for reading fragments hidden inside bookbindings.
- Over at Lux Mentis, Booksellers, Ian Kahn posts about an absolutely awesome new acquisition: a record player, albums, and technical specs from the Library of Congress' Talking Books project. He's shared lots of pictures too - have a look!
- Erin Blake writes about her time at Rare Book School at The Collation: "I learned to read Secretary Hand!!!! (And so can you)"
- Janice Hansen writes for the Chapel Hill Rare Book Blog about a recent find in the stacks.
- Duke has acquired a volume from Thomas Jefferson's library that also happened to be owned later by William Howard Taft.
- Ian Sansom rereads Jane Austen for the TLS.
Reviews
- Robert Thake's A Publishing History of a Prohibited Best-Seller; review by David Coward in the TLS.
- Francis Spufford's Golden Hill; review by Karen Heller in the WaPo.
- Adam Begley's The Great Nadar; review by Michael Dirda in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Literature & Fine Books at PBA Galleries on 27 July.
- Rare Books and Works on Paper at Bloomsbury on 27 July.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Links & Reviews
- A very happy anniversary to Tavistock Books, celebrating twenty years on Saturday! They've posted a Q&A with Vic Zoschak to mark the occasion.
- From Scientific American, "Peering beneath the Surface of Ancient Manuscripts."
- A €10 million redevelopment plan has been announced by the National Library of Ireland.
- Roger Gaskell and Erin Schreiner write about the new replica 18th-century rolling press at Rare Book School at JHIBlog.
- From Aaron Pratt at Cultural Compass (the HRC blog), "Instructions for reading aloud in the Gutenberg Bible."
- The Watkinson Library at Trinity College has acquired the personal library of Trinity alumnus Charles Hayden Proctor, kept intact since Proctor's death in 1890.
- Nate Pedersen talks to Edwin D. Rose for the FB&C "Bright Young Collectors" series.
- ABAA posted an alert about a missing book in San Francisco.
- Willamette Week highlights The Brautigan Library.
- The MHS has acquired Col. Robert Gould Shaw's Civil War sword, which recently turned up in a Shaw family home.
- At the Peter Harrington blog, "The Book Huntresses: Women Bibliophiles."
- Katy Lasdow talks to Alea Henle for the Junto's "Where Historians Work" series.
- There's a fascinating update on the Discovering Lost Manuscripts Project at the University of St. Andrews.
- A new exhibition at Marsh's Library highlights the stories of books stolen from the library since its founding.
- Biblio and Rare Book Hub are partnering to allow Hub subscribers to sell directly through the site using Biblio's search and e-commerce systems.
- Sarah Hovde posts at The Collation about some tricky Shakespearean "novelettes."
- Book collector Sir Sydney Carlyle Cockerell is featured as the ONDB "Life of the Week."
- Over at Steamboats Are Ruining Everything, Caleb Crain offers "A Longitudinal study of self-presentation on the interwebs."
- Biographer Kenneth Silverman died this week; see the NYTimes obituary.
- The ABAA blog reposts Richard Norman's "History of Vellum and Parchment."
- Book collector John Mellman has posted a "History and Personal Assessment" of the Harper Torchbooks series at Publishing History.
- I've begun playing around with Tropy, a new software program for research photo management from CHNM. Still in beta, but it looks really promising so far! [h/t Mitch Fraas]
Book Reviews
- The Card Catalog; review by Michael Lindgren in the WaPo.
- Lucy Worsley's Jane Austen at Home; review by Amy Bloom in the NYTimes.
- Helen Kelly's Jane Austen: The Secret Radical; review by John Sutherland in the NYTimes.
- Fred Kaplan's Lincoln and the Abolitionists; review by Manisha Sinha in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 19 July.
- Children's & Illustrated Books at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 20 July.
- Space Exploration at Sotheby's New York on 20 July.
- From Scientific American, "Peering beneath the Surface of Ancient Manuscripts."
- A €10 million redevelopment plan has been announced by the National Library of Ireland.
- Roger Gaskell and Erin Schreiner write about the new replica 18th-century rolling press at Rare Book School at JHIBlog.
- From Aaron Pratt at Cultural Compass (the HRC blog), "Instructions for reading aloud in the Gutenberg Bible."
- The Watkinson Library at Trinity College has acquired the personal library of Trinity alumnus Charles Hayden Proctor, kept intact since Proctor's death in 1890.
- Nate Pedersen talks to Edwin D. Rose for the FB&C "Bright Young Collectors" series.
- ABAA posted an alert about a missing book in San Francisco.
- Willamette Week highlights The Brautigan Library.
- The MHS has acquired Col. Robert Gould Shaw's Civil War sword, which recently turned up in a Shaw family home.
- At the Peter Harrington blog, "The Book Huntresses: Women Bibliophiles."
- Katy Lasdow talks to Alea Henle for the Junto's "Where Historians Work" series.
- There's a fascinating update on the Discovering Lost Manuscripts Project at the University of St. Andrews.
- A new exhibition at Marsh's Library highlights the stories of books stolen from the library since its founding.
- Biblio and Rare Book Hub are partnering to allow Hub subscribers to sell directly through the site using Biblio's search and e-commerce systems.
- Sarah Hovde posts at The Collation about some tricky Shakespearean "novelettes."
- Book collector Sir Sydney Carlyle Cockerell is featured as the ONDB "Life of the Week."
- Over at Steamboats Are Ruining Everything, Caleb Crain offers "A Longitudinal study of self-presentation on the interwebs."
- Biographer Kenneth Silverman died this week; see the NYTimes obituary.
- The ABAA blog reposts Richard Norman's "History of Vellum and Parchment."
- Book collector John Mellman has posted a "History and Personal Assessment" of the Harper Torchbooks series at Publishing History.
- I've begun playing around with Tropy, a new software program for research photo management from CHNM. Still in beta, but it looks really promising so far! [h/t Mitch Fraas]
Book Reviews
- The Card Catalog; review by Michael Lindgren in the WaPo.
- Lucy Worsley's Jane Austen at Home; review by Amy Bloom in the NYTimes.
- Helen Kelly's Jane Austen: The Secret Radical; review by John Sutherland in the NYTimes.
- Fred Kaplan's Lincoln and the Abolitionists; review by Manisha Sinha in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 19 July.
- Children's & Illustrated Books at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 20 July.
- Space Exploration at Sotheby's New York on 20 July.
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