Saturday, February 16, 2019

Links & Reviews

Aside from the ensuing jet-lag, it was lovely to be out in Oakland again for the California International Antiquarian Book Fair last weekend.

- There's a good look-back at the fair over on the Tavistock Books blog.

- At least twenty rare books were stolen from Baldwin's Book Barn in Chester County, Pennsylvania last weekend.

- Dave Gary has an excellent piece on the APS blog about what we can learn from the early circulation records of the Society.

- Oliver Stead writes for the National Library of New Zealand's blog about the recent digitization of an album of watercolors by George Raper (1769–1797) in the Alexander Turnbull Library.

- Ben Schmidt has a useful caution to anyone still trying to use Google Books as a research tool in "How badly is Google Books Search broken, and why?"

- John Mark Tillman, who was sentenced in 2013 to nine years in prison for various thefts from Canadian libraries, archives, and museums, has died. He was granted parole in 2016.

- Peter Libbey writes for the NYTimes about the grand Tolkien exhibition now on display at the Morgan (very much looking forward to seeing this show in March).

- A wonderful rubricator's complaint over at Notabilia.

- Over on the N-YHS blog, a really great photograph of the 1925 solar eclipse.

- The BL's Medieval Manuscripts blog explores the different writing systems found in early Anglo-Saxon England.

- Michael Dirda looks through a few of the works released into the public domain this year.

Review

- Susan Orlean's The Library Book; review by Kathryn Hughes in the Guardian.

Upcoming Auctions

- Winter Auction at Alexander Historical Auctions on 18 February.

- Antiquarian and Collectors' Books at Toovey's on 19 February.

- Bibliothèque d'un Amateur at Pierre Bergé & Associés on 19 February.

- Prints and Maps at Toovey's on 20 February.

- Bibliothèque Marc Litzler at Christie's Paris on 20 February.

- Americana – Travel & Exploration – Hawaii – World History – Cartography at PBA Galleries on 21 February.

- Livres Anciens & Modernes – Manuscrits & Autographes at Aguttes on 22 February.