- David Segal writes for the NYTimes about the ongoing Aristophil scandal. This is the most in-depth account of the case I've seen so far.
- In the March Texas Monthly, "The Legend of John Holmes Jenkins" by Chris O'Connell. Michael Vinson's biography of Jenkins, Bluffing Texas Style, is scheduled for publication in March by the University of Oklahoma Press. I'm very much looking forward to this book ...
- The Chicago Sun Times has an obituary for Kenneth Nebenzahl, famed antiquarian map dealer.
- The Times (paywalled) ran a report on luxury handbags being made which each contain a fragment of a manuscript written by a well-known person (Dickens, Queen Victoria, Casanova, &c.).
- Contextual Alternate's "Drafts of History" project is calling for volunteers to send copies of their local newspapers from 10 March 2020 (in part to replicate a similar attempt made on 10 March 1888). Please join if you can!
- Antiquarian bookseller Barbara Rootenberg was honored at this year's California International Antiquarian Book Fair; an introductory speech given by her granddaughter (and third-generation bookseller) Madison Rootenberg Schwartz is up on the ABAA blog.
- Book Patrol highlights the Prismatic Jane Eyre project, which explores translations of Jane Eyre.
- From Stephen H. Grant for The Collation, "First Folger Director: William Adams Slade, Part I."
- In the "Bright Young Booksellers" spotlight, Will Baker of W. C. Baker Rare Books & Ephemera.
- The Library of Congress has acquired the archive of photographer Shawn Walker, as well as Walker's collection of the Harlem-based Kamoinge Workshop.
- Texas A&M University will host an exhibition this spring and summer, "The Eternal Passion: Nicholas A. Basbanes and the Making of A Gentle Madness." A symposium on 19 March will feature Basbanes, Rebecca Romney, Kurt Zimmerman, and curator Kevin O'Sullivan.
- Simon Beattie highlights an unrecorded variant of Goethe's edition of Ossian.
Upcoming Auctions
- Classic & Contemporary Photographs at Swann Galleries on 25 February.
- A Collection of Edward Gorey at Doyle New York (online) closes on 25 February.
- Travel & Exploration at Bonhams London on 26 February.
- Bibliothèque Georges Pompidou and Éditions Originales du XIXe au XXIe Siècle at ALDE on 26 February.
- Autographs, Books & Relics Include Kerouac Estate & Hemingway at University Archives on 26 February.
- Livres Avant Garde Surréalisme at Binoche et Giquello on 28 February.
- Magic Collection of Jim Rawlins, Part III at Potter & Potter on 29 February.
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Links, Reviews & Auctions
- The Olympic Manifesto, sold at auction in December, has been donated to the museum of the International Olympic Committee by the winning bidder, Russian billionaire and president of the international fencing federation Alisher Usmanov.
- Nils Bernstein writes for Atlas Obscura about the recent digitization of the collection of Mexican and Mexican-American cookbooks at the University of Texas San Antonio.
- Stacia Friedman highlights Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts for Hidden City Philadelphia.
- Stephan Salisbury writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer about recent deaccessioning moves by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
- The folks doing wonderful work on the Letterlocking project have launched a new digital exhibition, Signed, Sealed & Undelivered.
- Over at Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, "Illuminated Manuscripts from the Collection of Siegfried Laemmle (1863–1953)."
- From the BL's manuscripts blog, "Middle English manuscripts galore."
- As usual, the administration's budget called for the closure of various important cultural heritage projects. LJ Infodocket has a roundup of responses.
- From the Princeton Graphic Arts collection blog, "Vellucent bindings."
- Rebecca Nicholson writes for the Guardian, "Meet the booksellers who are fighting back against the algorithm."
- Michael Ruane reports for the WaPo on a new map collection at Mount Vernon.
- Over on the BL's Untold Lives blog, word of a new acquisition of an Italian avviso from 1589.
Review
- Adam Sisman's The Professor and the Parson; review by Lawrence Osborne in the NYTimes.
Upcoming Auctions
- Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs at Lyon & Turnbull on 19 February.
- Biblioteca Alberto Marín at Soler y Llach on 19 February.
- Livres anciens & illustrés modernes, manuscrits & lettres autographes at Aguttes on 20 February.
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 20 February.
- Rare Americana & Cartography with the Robert M. Ebiner Zamorano 80 Collection at PBA Galleries on 20 February.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts at Swann Galleries on 20 February.
- Nils Bernstein writes for Atlas Obscura about the recent digitization of the collection of Mexican and Mexican-American cookbooks at the University of Texas San Antonio.
- Stacia Friedman highlights Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts for Hidden City Philadelphia.
- Stephan Salisbury writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer about recent deaccessioning moves by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
- The folks doing wonderful work on the Letterlocking project have launched a new digital exhibition, Signed, Sealed & Undelivered.
- Over at Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, "Illuminated Manuscripts from the Collection of Siegfried Laemmle (1863–1953)."
- From the BL's manuscripts blog, "Middle English manuscripts galore."
- As usual, the administration's budget called for the closure of various important cultural heritage projects. LJ Infodocket has a roundup of responses.
- From the Princeton Graphic Arts collection blog, "Vellucent bindings."
- Rebecca Nicholson writes for the Guardian, "Meet the booksellers who are fighting back against the algorithm."
- Michael Ruane reports for the WaPo on a new map collection at Mount Vernon.
- Over on the BL's Untold Lives blog, word of a new acquisition of an Italian avviso from 1589.
Review
- Adam Sisman's The Professor and the Parson; review by Lawrence Osborne in the NYTimes.
Upcoming Auctions
- Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs at Lyon & Turnbull on 19 February.
- Biblioteca Alberto Marín at Soler y Llach on 19 February.
- Livres anciens & illustrés modernes, manuscrits & lettres autographes at Aguttes on 20 February.
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 20 February.
- Rare Americana & Cartography with the Robert M. Ebiner Zamorano 80 Collection at PBA Galleries on 20 February.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts at Swann Galleries on 20 February.
Saturday, February 08, 2020
Links & Auctions
- The Mapping Manuscript Migrations portal launched this week.
- Barbara Basbanes Richter wrote for the Fine Books Blog about a Zamorano 80 collection coming up for sale next week at PBA Galleries.
- Paul Erickson did a Q&A for the Clements Library blog about his first month on the job.
- Bhavya Dore writes for Atlas Obscura about Adligat, a fascinating rare book collection in Belgrade.
Upcoming Auctions
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 12 February.
- Irish Historical Interest Books, &c. at Purcell Auctioneers on 12 February.
- Vintage Posters at Swann Galleries on 13 February.
- Barbara Basbanes Richter wrote for the Fine Books Blog about a Zamorano 80 collection coming up for sale next week at PBA Galleries.
- Paul Erickson did a Q&A for the Clements Library blog about his first month on the job.
- Bhavya Dore writes for Atlas Obscura about Adligat, a fascinating rare book collection in Belgrade.
Upcoming Auctions
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 12 February.
- Irish Historical Interest Books, &c. at Purcell Auctioneers on 12 February.
- Vintage Posters at Swann Galleries on 13 February.
Sunday, February 02, 2020
Links & Auctions
- From Georgianna Ziegler, "What were women reading? A dive into the Folger vault."
- A look at a very cool 1663 book on metametrica from the Princeton Graphic Arts collection blog.
- Over at Sammelband, "Making the Syllabus Zine."
- Coming up in May at the Center for the History of Print and Digital Culture at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the inaugural Summer Institute in Book History & Digital Humanities, on the theme "Acting on the Book."
- The Washington Post reported this week that the Library of Congress also chose not to highlight a photo of the 2017 Women's March in an exhibit because of "anti-Trump messages" appearing in the photograph.
- Tulane University has acquired the Anne Rice archives, with support from Stuart Rose and the Stuart Rose Family Foundation.
- Things don't appear to be quite so devastating as first reports indicated for the collections of the Museum of Chinese in America—still awful, but not a total loss, at the very least. Atlas Obscura ran a report on the first round of retrievals from the building.
- Don't miss the February Rare Book Monthly articles.
Upcoming Auctions
- Paul Destribats: Bibliothèque des avant-gardes, Partie II at Christie's Paris on 4 February.
- Sporting & Travel Books from the Library of Arnold "Jake" Johnson at Doyle (online) on 4 February.
- Rare Books & Manuscripts at the Pasadena Book Fair at PBA Galleries on 6 February.
- Lettres & Manuscrits Autographes at Ader on 6 February.
- A look at a very cool 1663 book on metametrica from the Princeton Graphic Arts collection blog.
- Over at Sammelband, "Making the Syllabus Zine."
- Coming up in May at the Center for the History of Print and Digital Culture at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the inaugural Summer Institute in Book History & Digital Humanities, on the theme "Acting on the Book."
- The Washington Post reported this week that the Library of Congress also chose not to highlight a photo of the 2017 Women's March in an exhibit because of "anti-Trump messages" appearing in the photograph.
- Tulane University has acquired the Anne Rice archives, with support from Stuart Rose and the Stuart Rose Family Foundation.
- Things don't appear to be quite so devastating as first reports indicated for the collections of the Museum of Chinese in America—still awful, but not a total loss, at the very least. Atlas Obscura ran a report on the first round of retrievals from the building.
- Don't miss the February Rare Book Monthly articles.
Upcoming Auctions
- Paul Destribats: Bibliothèque des avant-gardes, Partie II at Christie's Paris on 4 February.
- Sporting & Travel Books from the Library of Arnold "Jake" Johnson at Doyle (online) on 4 February.
- Rare Books & Manuscripts at the Pasadena Book Fair at PBA Galleries on 6 February.
- Lettres & Manuscrits Autographes at Ader on 6 February.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Links & Auctions
- A fourth stolen Columbus Letter has been recovered and will be returned to the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice. This copy is from the Plannck I edition, and had been acquired by the Marciana in 1875. It is believed to have been stolen between 1985 and 1988, and in 2003 was sold to an American collector by an unidentified American bookseller. See the DOJ press release, or coverage in CNN, Delaware Online.
- This week's "Women in the Book Arts" symposium at the Grolier Club is available for streaming on YouTube.
- LitHub has a peek at the trailer for D.W. Young's new documentary "The Booksellers."
- From Lucy Kelsall for the Paul Mellon Centre, "Two bookbindings from the Oppé Library."
- In the Salt Lake Tribune, news that Ken Sanders' open bookshop in downtown Salt Lake City may be forced to close sometime next year due to impending redevelopment of the neighborhood.
- From Elle Hunt in the Guardian, "Dedicated followers: collectors of book inscriptions share their notes."
- An update on the "Rankin Files" over on the NLS blog.
- The collections of the Museum of Chinese in America in New York City are believed to have been destroyed in a fire this week.
- From Peter Kidd, "Unrecognised Brölemann Provenances."
- The National Archives blog has begun a series of posts on unratified constitutional amendments, starting with the very first proposed amendment (which would have changed the number of members of the House).
- David Ferriero posted on his AOTUS Blog "Accepting Responsibility, Working to Rebuild Your Trust" after last weekend's photograph controversy.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana at Sotheby's New York on 27 January.
- Books & Works on Paper and Autographs & Memorabilia at Chiswick Auctions on 28 January.
- Printed Books, Maps, Documents, The Library of Patricia Milne-Henderson, Bookbinding Tools at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 29 January.
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 30 January.
- The Collection of Victor Niederhoffer, Part III and Books, Maps & Manuscripts at Freeman's on 30 January.
- This week's "Women in the Book Arts" symposium at the Grolier Club is available for streaming on YouTube.
- LitHub has a peek at the trailer for D.W. Young's new documentary "The Booksellers."
- From Lucy Kelsall for the Paul Mellon Centre, "Two bookbindings from the Oppé Library."
- In the Salt Lake Tribune, news that Ken Sanders' open bookshop in downtown Salt Lake City may be forced to close sometime next year due to impending redevelopment of the neighborhood.
- From Elle Hunt in the Guardian, "Dedicated followers: collectors of book inscriptions share their notes."
- An update on the "Rankin Files" over on the NLS blog.
- The collections of the Museum of Chinese in America in New York City are believed to have been destroyed in a fire this week.
- From Peter Kidd, "Unrecognised Brölemann Provenances."
- The National Archives blog has begun a series of posts on unratified constitutional amendments, starting with the very first proposed amendment (which would have changed the number of members of the House).
- David Ferriero posted on his AOTUS Blog "Accepting Responsibility, Working to Rebuild Your Trust" after last weekend's photograph controversy.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana at Sotheby's New York on 27 January.
- Books & Works on Paper and Autographs & Memorabilia at Chiswick Auctions on 28 January.
- Printed Books, Maps, Documents, The Library of Patricia Milne-Henderson, Bookbinding Tools at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 29 January.
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 30 January.
- The Collection of Victor Niederhoffer, Part III and Books, Maps & Manuscripts at Freeman's on 30 January.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Links & Auctions
- Guilty pleas were filed this week in the Pittsburgh Carnegie Library thefts. Former archivist Greg Priore pleaded to theft and receiving stolen property, while bookseller John Schulman pleaded to receiving stolen property, theft by deception, and forgery. Prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining counts against both men. Sentencing is scheduled for 17 April. See Paula Reed Ward's report for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette for more. Coverage also from Smithsonian, CNN, the WaPo, and Book Patrol.
- And if you thought that was going to be the main archives/rare books-related news story of the week, it was until Friday night, when Joe Heim reported for the Washington Post that the National Archives had altered an image of the 2017 Women's March displayed at the entry to an exhibition on the centennial of women's suffrage, blurring signs that were critical of Donald Trump or which referenced women's anatomy. An entirely-justified torrent of criticism ensued nearly immediately, and by Saturday afternoon the Archives had reversed both course and the altered photograph. In a statement which began "We made a mistake," the Archives said they would "immediately start a thorough review of our exhibit policies and procedures so that this does not happen again." More from the NYTimes and a followup from the WaPo. Also worth reading is Joe Heim's Twitter thread on how he turned this story up.
- Registration is now open for CABS–Minnesota 2020, to be held 12–17 July at St. Olaf College.
- Oberlin College Libraries and the RBS SoFCB are hosting a symposium on Teaching and Learning with Objects for Colleges on 13–14 March. See the link for schedule and registration info.
- This month's Free to Use and Reuse collection of images from the Library of Congress focuses on Maps of Discovery and Exploration.
- James Raven did a Q&A for the British Academy about his career as a book historian.
- Stephen Marche writes in the NYTimes on his collecting obsession with Thomas Browne first editions. Yep, been there, done that.
- From The Collation, "Sizing Shakespeare's Sonnets," by Faith Acker.
- Randi Ragsdale writes for the HRC blog on "Seeing stars in the Blaeu World Map."
- "Swann in Profile" highlights Devon Eastland, the auction house's new senior specialist for early printed books.
- Aaron Pratt writes for the HRC on "Revealing an English Schoolmaster's Piers Plowman."
- From Ed Simon for The Millions, "Annotate This: On Marginalia."
- Christopher Tolkien died this week at the age of 95. See his obituary in the Guardian.
- Over on the NYPL blog, "Ben Franklin: The Ultimate Bibliophile."
- The UK has placed a temporary export bar on an early 16th-century manuscript guide for hermits and anchorites.
Upcoming Auctions
- Editions & Works on Paper at Forum Auctions on 21 January.
- Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions on 22 January.
- Fine Literature – Fine Press – Fine Bindings at PBA Galleries on 23 January.
- And if you thought that was going to be the main archives/rare books-related news story of the week, it was until Friday night, when Joe Heim reported for the Washington Post that the National Archives had altered an image of the 2017 Women's March displayed at the entry to an exhibition on the centennial of women's suffrage, blurring signs that were critical of Donald Trump or which referenced women's anatomy. An entirely-justified torrent of criticism ensued nearly immediately, and by Saturday afternoon the Archives had reversed both course and the altered photograph. In a statement which began "We made a mistake," the Archives said they would "immediately start a thorough review of our exhibit policies and procedures so that this does not happen again." More from the NYTimes and a followup from the WaPo. Also worth reading is Joe Heim's Twitter thread on how he turned this story up.
- Registration is now open for CABS–Minnesota 2020, to be held 12–17 July at St. Olaf College.
- Oberlin College Libraries and the RBS SoFCB are hosting a symposium on Teaching and Learning with Objects for Colleges on 13–14 March. See the link for schedule and registration info.
- This month's Free to Use and Reuse collection of images from the Library of Congress focuses on Maps of Discovery and Exploration.
- James Raven did a Q&A for the British Academy about his career as a book historian.
- Stephen Marche writes in the NYTimes on his collecting obsession with Thomas Browne first editions. Yep, been there, done that.
- From The Collation, "Sizing Shakespeare's Sonnets," by Faith Acker.
- Randi Ragsdale writes for the HRC blog on "Seeing stars in the Blaeu World Map."
- "Swann in Profile" highlights Devon Eastland, the auction house's new senior specialist for early printed books.
- Aaron Pratt writes for the HRC on "Revealing an English Schoolmaster's Piers Plowman."
- From Ed Simon for The Millions, "Annotate This: On Marginalia."
- Christopher Tolkien died this week at the age of 95. See his obituary in the Guardian.
- Over on the NYPL blog, "Ben Franklin: The Ultimate Bibliophile."
- The UK has placed a temporary export bar on an early 16th-century manuscript guide for hermits and anchorites.
Upcoming Auctions
- Editions & Works on Paper at Forum Auctions on 21 January.
- Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions on 22 January.
- Fine Literature – Fine Press – Fine Bindings at PBA Galleries on 23 January.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Links & Auctions
- Will Noel has been appointed AUL for Special Collections at Princeton University. Congratulations to Will and to Princeton!
- In the Atlantic, Cullen Murphy: "Before Zuckerberg, Gutenberg." (This is really about the importance of Elizabeth Eisenstein.)
- Betty Schellenberg writes for The Collation on "The Eighteenth-Century Manuscript Verse Miscellany."
- For the HRC blog, a Q&A with Bruce Hunt about the background of the Blaeu World Map.
- The American Museum of Natural History has begun a three-year initiative to make the museum's archives and memorabilia collections more accessible.
- Robert Caro's papers have been acquired by the New-York Historical Society.
- From Listology, "Eadweard Muybridge's Animal Locomotion."
- Over on the Fine Books Blog, "The Legacy of Joseph Rubinfine, Historical Manuscripts Dealer."
- Liz Adams writes for the Devil's Tale on "The Satirist and Tinkerer, Hogarth."
Book Review
- Bruce Licher and Karen Nielson Licher's Savage Impressions; review by Paul Moxon on the APHA Blog.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Books, Maps, and Manuscripts at Revere Auctions (online) on 13 January.
- Autographs, Books, Declaration Signers, FDR & More at University Archives on 16 January.
- Hebrew & Judaic Printed Books at Kestenbaum & Company (online) on 16 January.
Sunday, January 05, 2020
Links & Auctions
- The ABAA posts a theft alert from a break-in at Passages Bookshop in Portland, Oregon, where more than 100 books were stolen from display cases.
- In the January Rare Book Monthly, Michael Stillman runs down the top 500 book and paper sales of 2019, Bruce McKinney provides some statistics on recent auction sales and reports on the recent Audubon sale. Here's the full batch of new articles.
- Get the rundown of Public Domain Day 2020 from the Center for the Study of the Public Domain.
- Princeton opened its collection of T.S. Eliot letters this month, after a long embargo. Per Eliot's wishes, Houghton Library released a 1960 letter from Eliot at the same time.
- Lisa Baskin was interviewed for the AbeBooks podcast about her collection and the current exhibition at the Grolier Club.
- The Graphic Arts Collection at Princeton has recently acquired an early-20th-century sample book from the Suffolk Engraving & Electrotyping Company of Boston.
- From Peter Kidd, "A Draft List of the Brölemann Manuscripts."
- Rebecca Romney posted her list of favorite books and objects that passed through her hands in 2019.
- From the Internet Archive blog, "Preserving the legacy of a library when a college closes."
- Karin Wulf had an op/ed in the WaPo in December about the importance of keeping historical records public and accessible.
- A man purchased several original engraving blocks for Alice in Wonderland from a clearance sale for £50, according to media reports.
- Also from Karin Wulf, at The Geyser, "How Style Informed the US Constitution."
- David Levy posted a reflection on his year in collecting.
- From Mary Sarah Bilder, "Madison's Notes Don't Mean What Everyone Says They Mean."
Upcoming Auctions
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 9 January.
- Art & Illustration – Occult & Hermeticism at PBA Galleries on 9 January.
- In the January Rare Book Monthly, Michael Stillman runs down the top 500 book and paper sales of 2019, Bruce McKinney provides some statistics on recent auction sales and reports on the recent Audubon sale. Here's the full batch of new articles.
- Get the rundown of Public Domain Day 2020 from the Center for the Study of the Public Domain.
- Princeton opened its collection of T.S. Eliot letters this month, after a long embargo. Per Eliot's wishes, Houghton Library released a 1960 letter from Eliot at the same time.
- Lisa Baskin was interviewed for the AbeBooks podcast about her collection and the current exhibition at the Grolier Club.
- The Graphic Arts Collection at Princeton has recently acquired an early-20th-century sample book from the Suffolk Engraving & Electrotyping Company of Boston.
- From Peter Kidd, "A Draft List of the Brölemann Manuscripts."
- Rebecca Romney posted her list of favorite books and objects that passed through her hands in 2019.
- From the Internet Archive blog, "Preserving the legacy of a library when a college closes."
- Karin Wulf had an op/ed in the WaPo in December about the importance of keeping historical records public and accessible.
- A man purchased several original engraving blocks for Alice in Wonderland from a clearance sale for £50, according to media reports.
- Also from Karin Wulf, at The Geyser, "How Style Informed the US Constitution."
- David Levy posted a reflection on his year in collecting.
- From Mary Sarah Bilder, "Madison's Notes Don't Mean What Everyone Says They Mean."
Upcoming Auctions
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 9 January.
- Art & Illustration – Occult & Hermeticism at PBA Galleries on 9 January.
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Links & News
- Kurt Zimmerman found some excellent biblio-association items recently, which he recounts in "Miss Stillwell and F. Richmond: The Recording of Incunabula in America."
- Pierre de Coubertin's "Olympic Manifesto" manuscript sold for $8,806,500 this week, setting a new auction record for sports memorabilia. The buyer has not been announced.
- The copy of Audubon's Birds of America, also at Sotheby's this week, sold for $6,642,400. Barron's reports that the buyer was Graham Arader.
- Over on the Fine Books Blog, Barbara Basbanes Richter on "Books in Movies: Binding for Little Women."
- From Freya Parr in the Guardian, "Browsing the dream" about spending a week managing The Open Book in Wigtown, Scotland.
- The Vatican Library has launched Thematic Pathways on the Web, offering annotations and narratives for manuscripts from their collections.
- Mills College will sell their copy of the Shakespeare First Folio and a Mozart music manuscript to support college functions.
- Jeffrey William Grande has been charged with the trafficking of stolen property after he sold four rare books to a Scottsdale, AZ rare book shop. The books had been stolen from the home of an acquaintance. Grande will appear in court on 13 January.
- From Peter Kidd at Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, "The Brölemann 'Catalogue A' has Resurfaced," noting the upcoming sale at auction of an important manuscript catalogue of the Brölemann collection (also I begin to suspect the auctioneer's estimate may be a tad under on this one).
- The AP reports on the ongoing sales at Heritage Auctions of Jim Davis' "Garfield" cartoons.
- Rebecca Rego Barry reviews the exhibition of Lisa Baskin's collection now on display at the Grolier Club, "Five Hundred Years of Women's Work."
- There's a new "missing in transit" notice from the ABAA.
- From the Washington State University "Insider," "Searching for La Belle Dame."
- In the HRC Magazine, "The Conservation Behind the Blaeu World Map."
- I was very sorry to hear of the death of bookseller Dan Siegel of M&S Rare Books on 18 December. Obituary. I can't say it any better than Garrett Scott did on Twitter: "I offer the highest praise for a bookselling colleague that I could imagine: He had a great eye for interesting material."
A quiet week in the salerooms coming up. Happy holidays, all! May your stockings be full of good books.
- Pierre de Coubertin's "Olympic Manifesto" manuscript sold for $8,806,500 this week, setting a new auction record for sports memorabilia. The buyer has not been announced.
- The copy of Audubon's Birds of America, also at Sotheby's this week, sold for $6,642,400. Barron's reports that the buyer was Graham Arader.
- Over on the Fine Books Blog, Barbara Basbanes Richter on "Books in Movies: Binding for Little Women."
- From Freya Parr in the Guardian, "Browsing the dream" about spending a week managing The Open Book in Wigtown, Scotland.
- The Vatican Library has launched Thematic Pathways on the Web, offering annotations and narratives for manuscripts from their collections.
- Mills College will sell their copy of the Shakespeare First Folio and a Mozart music manuscript to support college functions.
- Jeffrey William Grande has been charged with the trafficking of stolen property after he sold four rare books to a Scottsdale, AZ rare book shop. The books had been stolen from the home of an acquaintance. Grande will appear in court on 13 January.
- From Peter Kidd at Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, "The Brölemann 'Catalogue A' has Resurfaced," noting the upcoming sale at auction of an important manuscript catalogue of the Brölemann collection (also I begin to suspect the auctioneer's estimate may be a tad under on this one).
- The AP reports on the ongoing sales at Heritage Auctions of Jim Davis' "Garfield" cartoons.
- Rebecca Rego Barry reviews the exhibition of Lisa Baskin's collection now on display at the Grolier Club, "Five Hundred Years of Women's Work."
- There's a new "missing in transit" notice from the ABAA.
- From the Washington State University "Insider," "Searching for La Belle Dame."
- In the HRC Magazine, "The Conservation Behind the Blaeu World Map."
- I was very sorry to hear of the death of bookseller Dan Siegel of M&S Rare Books on 18 December. Obituary. I can't say it any better than Garrett Scott did on Twitter: "I offer the highest praise for a bookselling colleague that I could imagine: He had a great eye for interesting material."
A quiet week in the salerooms coming up. Happy holidays, all! May your stockings be full of good books.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Links, Reviews & Auctions
Wednesday afternoon will see many of us paying close attention to the sale of an excellent, complete copy of Audubon's Birds of America at Sotheby's New York. The set is an early subscriber's copy, belonging to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society from publication until its sale at Sotheby's London in December 1946. Bookseller Charles Traylen purchased the set and sold it in turn to Joseph Verner Reed, Sr. of Greenwich, CT. In 1973 the Birds were bequeathed to Deerfield Academy, which sold them privately in 1985. Five years later the set sold again at Sotheby's London for £1,760,000 to the current consignor. Considering where prices have been recently, and the excellence of this set, the current estimate of $6–8 million seems a good benchmark. See also Selby Kiffer's "John James Audubon & The Double Elephant Folio."
- There are a few good book sales out there that may be of interest to some of you: at Johns Hopkins University Press, everything is 40% off with free media mail shipping using code HHOL; at the University of Massachusetts Press, paperbacks are 30% off with free shipping using code S754; at the University of North Carolina Press, all books are 40% off with free shipping above $75 using code 01HOLIDAY; at Harvard University Press, get 30% off all books using code HOLIDAY19. There are quite a few relevant books about books and book history at each, so ... have fun!
- Over on the Princeton Graphic Arts Collection blog, a look at a priced and annotated 1818 auction catalog of prints.
- The ABAA put out a theft alert for an inscribed copy of Churchill's My Early Life from an auction house in Derbyshire.
- The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Garden has received a gift to establish the Shapiro Center for American History and Culture, which will include programming, fellowships, a book prize, and more.
- Applications for the Justin Winsor Library History Essay Award are now available; submissions are due by 20 February 2020.
- From UVA, "The Old Card Catalog: Collaborative Effort Will Preserve Its History." Huge respect to all concerned with this great project.
- Jennifer Howard writes in a recent issue of Humanities on "The Complicated Role of the Modern Public Library."
- Over at Atlas Obscura, Sabrina Imbler on "How the Library of Congress Unrolled a 2,000-year-old Buddhist Scroll."
- From Randi Ragsdale for the HRC, "The Science Behind the Blaeu World Map."
- On the Cambridge University Library Special Collections blog, "The Polonsky Foundation Greek Manuscript Project: The Conservators' Challenge, Part I."
- The ABAA has launched a mentorship program that will match established antiquarian booksellers with those new to the trade.
- Penn has posted a finding guide to their collection of objects useful in teaching book history and material texts courses. I love this idea, and hope to be able to adapt it soon!
Reviews
- Janine Barchas' The Lost Books of Jane Austen; review by John Mullan in the Guardian.
- Nicolas Barker's At First, All Went Well ... & Other Brief Lives and The Pirie Library; review by Rebecca Rego Barry on the Fine Books Blog.
Auctions
- Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books at Swann Galleries on 17 December.
- History of Science and Technology at Sotheby's New York on 17 December.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including the Olympic Manifesto at Sotheby's New York on 18 December.
- John James Audubon's The Birds of America at Sotheby's New York on 18 December.
- Americana – Custeriana – Travel & Exploration – Cartography at PBA Galleries on 19 December.
- There are a few good book sales out there that may be of interest to some of you: at Johns Hopkins University Press, everything is 40% off with free media mail shipping using code HHOL; at the University of Massachusetts Press, paperbacks are 30% off with free shipping using code S754; at the University of North Carolina Press, all books are 40% off with free shipping above $75 using code 01HOLIDAY; at Harvard University Press, get 30% off all books using code HOLIDAY19. There are quite a few relevant books about books and book history at each, so ... have fun!
- Over on the Princeton Graphic Arts Collection blog, a look at a priced and annotated 1818 auction catalog of prints.
- The ABAA put out a theft alert for an inscribed copy of Churchill's My Early Life from an auction house in Derbyshire.
- The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Garden has received a gift to establish the Shapiro Center for American History and Culture, which will include programming, fellowships, a book prize, and more.
- Applications for the Justin Winsor Library History Essay Award are now available; submissions are due by 20 February 2020.
- From UVA, "The Old Card Catalog: Collaborative Effort Will Preserve Its History." Huge respect to all concerned with this great project.
- Jennifer Howard writes in a recent issue of Humanities on "The Complicated Role of the Modern Public Library."
- Over at Atlas Obscura, Sabrina Imbler on "How the Library of Congress Unrolled a 2,000-year-old Buddhist Scroll."
- From Randi Ragsdale for the HRC, "The Science Behind the Blaeu World Map."
- On the Cambridge University Library Special Collections blog, "The Polonsky Foundation Greek Manuscript Project: The Conservators' Challenge, Part I."
- The ABAA has launched a mentorship program that will match established antiquarian booksellers with those new to the trade.
- Penn has posted a finding guide to their collection of objects useful in teaching book history and material texts courses. I love this idea, and hope to be able to adapt it soon!
Reviews
- Janine Barchas' The Lost Books of Jane Austen; review by John Mullan in the Guardian.
- Nicolas Barker's At First, All Went Well ... & Other Brief Lives and The Pirie Library; review by Rebecca Rego Barry on the Fine Books Blog.
Auctions
- Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books at Swann Galleries on 17 December.
- History of Science and Technology at Sotheby's New York on 17 December.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including the Olympic Manifesto at Sotheby's New York on 18 December.
- John James Audubon's The Birds of America at Sotheby's New York on 18 December.
- Americana – Custeriana – Travel & Exploration – Cartography at PBA Galleries on 19 December.
Sunday, December 08, 2019
Links & Auctions
- The December Sammelband post is Kate Ozment's "Teaching with Enumerative Bibliography."
- From Frankie Chappell on the Royal Society's blog, "The great plaintain debate."
- Over on the BL's Medieval Manuscripts blog, "Medieval bookbindings: from precious gems to sealskin."
- Peter Kidd has begun a series of posts on "The Manuscripts of T. O. Weigel," beginning with an examination of the catalogs of the collection.
- In the Irish Times, an exciting update on the effort to virtually recreate the records destroyed in the 1922 fire of the Public Records Office.
- The second Type Punch Matrix catalog, "Classics Pulped," is out and makes for absolutely excellent reading.
- From Christie's, "5 minutes with ... the Ireland Shakespeare Forgeries."
- Johns Hopkins University has acquired a copy of John Addington Symonds' A Problem in Greek Ethics; this is just the sixth known surviving copy of the first edition (of a total run of ten copies). See also the bookseller's description of this important volume.
- Mike Kelly is profiled in the Amherst student newspaper "Staff Spotlight."
Upcoming Auctions
- Illustration Art at Swann Galleries on 10 December.
- Max & Béatrice Cointreau Library at Artcurial on 10 December.
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 10 December.
- Rare Books & Literature at Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers on 10 December.
- English Literature, History, Children's Books & Illustrations (online) at Sotheby's ends on 10 December.
- Ansel Adams and the American West: Photographs from the Center for Creative Photography at Christie's New York on 10 December.
- Important Books, Atlases, Globes & Scientific Instruments from the Collection of Nico and Nanni Israel at Christie's London on 11 December.
- Shakespeare and Goethe: Masterpieces of European Literature from the Schøyen Collection at Christie's London on 11 December.
- Valuable Printed Books & Manuscripts at Christie's London on 11 December.
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 11 December.
- Modern Literature & First Editions, Children's, Private Press & Illustrated Books at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 12 December.
- Livres Anciens–XXe Siècle at ALDE on 12 December.
- Éditions Originales du XIXe au XXIe Siècle at ALDE on 12 December.
- Livres Anciens & Modernes at Pierre Bergé on 13 December.
- From Frankie Chappell on the Royal Society's blog, "The great plaintain debate."
- Over on the BL's Medieval Manuscripts blog, "Medieval bookbindings: from precious gems to sealskin."
- Peter Kidd has begun a series of posts on "The Manuscripts of T. O. Weigel," beginning with an examination of the catalogs of the collection.
- In the Irish Times, an exciting update on the effort to virtually recreate the records destroyed in the 1922 fire of the Public Records Office.
- The second Type Punch Matrix catalog, "Classics Pulped," is out and makes for absolutely excellent reading.
- From Christie's, "5 minutes with ... the Ireland Shakespeare Forgeries."
- Johns Hopkins University has acquired a copy of John Addington Symonds' A Problem in Greek Ethics; this is just the sixth known surviving copy of the first edition (of a total run of ten copies). See also the bookseller's description of this important volume.
- Mike Kelly is profiled in the Amherst student newspaper "Staff Spotlight."
Upcoming Auctions
- Illustration Art at Swann Galleries on 10 December.
- Max & Béatrice Cointreau Library at Artcurial on 10 December.
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 10 December.
- Rare Books & Literature at Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers on 10 December.
- English Literature, History, Children's Books & Illustrations (online) at Sotheby's ends on 10 December.
- Ansel Adams and the American West: Photographs from the Center for Creative Photography at Christie's New York on 10 December.
- Important Books, Atlases, Globes & Scientific Instruments from the Collection of Nico and Nanni Israel at Christie's London on 11 December.
- Shakespeare and Goethe: Masterpieces of European Literature from the Schøyen Collection at Christie's London on 11 December.
- Valuable Printed Books & Manuscripts at Christie's London on 11 December.
- Printed Books, Maps & Documents at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 11 December.
- Modern Literature & First Editions, Children's, Private Press & Illustrated Books at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 12 December.
- Livres Anciens–XXe Siècle at ALDE on 12 December.
- Éditions Originales du XIXe au XXIe Siècle at ALDE on 12 December.
- Livres Anciens & Modernes at Pierre Bergé on 13 December.
Sunday, December 01, 2019
Links & Auctions
Okay: lots to pass along, sorry for the long delays with some of it!
- The Brontë Society successfully acquired the Charlotte Brontë "little book" offered at auction on 18 November. More from the NYTimes.
- Leadership of the Egypt Exploration Society provided a statement at the society's general meeting indicating that at least 120 papyrus fragments have been identified as missing and that the EES is working with Oxford University and the police to investigate. More from the ARCA blog.
- Sarah Werner's has posted a couple excellent installments of her newsletter, Early Printed Fun: "Too Many 12mos" and "p's and q's."
- The director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum was fired in September after he loaned a manuscript copy of the Gettysburg Address to Glenn Beck's Mercury One "museum."
- Annalisa Quinn writes for the NYTimes on the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (T.L.L.).
- There's an update on the Georgian Papers Programme from the Omohundro Institute.
- The Fall issue of the AAS Almanac is now available.
- From the Cambridge University Special Collections blog "The Polonsky Foundation Greek Manuscripts Project: Apart, together ...," about how catalogers work with fragments.
- Applications for the 2020 Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship in Printing History are due to APHA by 5 December.
- New in Heritage Science, "Poisonous Books," a deep analysis of four bindings containing arsenic-filled paint.
- John-Mark Philo writes in the TLS on the recent identification of Elizabeth I as the translator of a Tacitus manuscript in Lambeth Palace Library.
- The Harry Ransom Center is hosting what looks like a great seminar this summer: "The Long Lives of Early Printed Books" (16–18 July). Applications are due before 15 February.
- Over at Early Modern Female Book Ownership, Ann Lake's copy of Richard Sibbes' The Soules Conflict (now at the Folger).
- The NYPL has acquired a collection of more than 150 Virginia Woolf-related items.
- A research team at Carnegie Mellon University has identified the printers of Milton's Areopagitica.
- The New Yorker "Double Take" column offered up a few of the magazine's pieces about forgeries and hoaxes.
- At Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, "Psalter Cuttings at Princeton and Yale, II."
- James Cummins Bookseller is looking for a bookseller/cataloger.
- The Huntington Library has acquired at auction two major collections related to American slavery and abolition.
- The American Trust for the British Library and Houghton Library have announced a new joint fellowship program.
- On the APHA blog, "Ands & Ampersands."
- Stephen Grant has the second part of "Henry Clay Folger's Deltiological Profile" at The Collation.
- On the BL's Medieval Manuscripts blog, "Classics lost and found."
- At The Collation, Kathryn Vomero Santos on "A Dictionary for Don Quixote" and Elizabeth DeBold on "Stuff in Books: A Conundrum."
- The Oddest Book Title prize for 2019 has been announced.
- Vanessa Knight writes for the Royal Society's blog on "The Collector Earl" (Thomas Howard).
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Books, Manuscripts, Atlases & Historical Photographs at Bonhams London on 4 December.
- Aristophil 28: Germanica at Aguttes on 4 December.
- History of Science and Technology at Bonhams New York on 4 December.
- Relics, Autographs, Photos & Ephemera at University Archives on 4 December.
- Fine Literature, Featuring Two Private Collections at Bonhams New York on 5 December.
- Fine Literature – Bukowski & the Beats at PBA Galleries on 5 December.
- The Collection of James Kwis Leonard at Heritage Auctions on 5 December.
- Maps and Atlases at Forum Auctions (online) on 6 December.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Status Update
Just a quick holding post. The move is made, the books have arrived, and I am unpacking. It will surprise absolutely no one to know that having piles of boxes all over my house makes me antsy, so I'm going to hold off for this weekend on catching up with links and reviews so that I can focus on getting books on shelves. But I've got a long list of saved things to share, and I will be back with them again very soon!
Sunday, November 03, 2019
Links & Reviews
Don't forget, coming up soon is the wonderful Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, and of course the "shadow show" on Saturday, 16 November, the Boston Book, Print and Ephemera Show. I'm also much looking forward to seeing the current Boston Athenaeum exhibition. I don't know that I'll get another post in here before I head up north, so there may be a period of radio silence here until I get through the next few weeks.
- From Jessica Terekhov at Notabilia, "Book Nooks and Collectors' Corners at Princeton."
- Over on the Royal Society's Repository blog, Ellen Embleton on Charles Piazzi Smith's scrapbook of an 1858 scientific expedition to Tenerife.
- At Res Obscura, "Enlightenment-era Ghosts and the History of Technology."
- The sixth volume of essays from Public Domain Review is coming soon.
- At Sammelband this month, Cait Coker on "Finding Women in the Historical Record."
- Yale News highlights a new exhibit at Sterling Library, "From East to West: The History of the Chinese Collection at Yale, 1849–2019."
Reviews
- Alan Taylor's Jefferson's Education; review by Drew Gilpin Faust in the WaPo.
- Eric Foner's The Second Founding; review by John Fabian Witt in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Manuscripts, Rare Books & Apollo Related Items at University Archives on 5 November.
- Library of a Midwestern Collector at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on 5 November.
- Printed Books, Maps & Prints at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 6 November.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on 6 November.
- On the Shoulders of Giants: A Brief History of Big Ideas at Christie's (online); ends on 7 November.
- Art & Illustration – Fine Books at PBA Galleries on 7 November.
- Collection Geneviève & Jean-Paul Kahn at Pierre Bergé on 7 November.
- From Jessica Terekhov at Notabilia, "Book Nooks and Collectors' Corners at Princeton."
- Over on the Royal Society's Repository blog, Ellen Embleton on Charles Piazzi Smith's scrapbook of an 1858 scientific expedition to Tenerife.
- At Res Obscura, "Enlightenment-era Ghosts and the History of Technology."
- The sixth volume of essays from Public Domain Review is coming soon.
- At Sammelband this month, Cait Coker on "Finding Women in the Historical Record."
- Yale News highlights a new exhibit at Sterling Library, "From East to West: The History of the Chinese Collection at Yale, 1849–2019."
Reviews
- Alan Taylor's Jefferson's Education; review by Drew Gilpin Faust in the WaPo.
- Eric Foner's The Second Founding; review by John Fabian Witt in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Manuscripts, Rare Books & Apollo Related Items at University Archives on 5 November.
- Library of a Midwestern Collector at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on 5 November.
- Printed Books, Maps & Prints at Dominic Winter Auctioneers on 6 November.
- Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers on 6 November.
- On the Shoulders of Giants: A Brief History of Big Ideas at Christie's (online); ends on 7 November.
- Art & Illustration – Fine Books at PBA Galleries on 7 November.
- Collection Geneviève & Jean-Paul Kahn at Pierre Bergé on 7 November.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Links & Reviews
- Over on the ARCA blog, "The Gospel Truth? How the laundering of papyri washes away its provenance sins."
- A great Book of Common Prayer over on Early Modern Female Book Ownership this week.
- Video from the recent Grolier Club/CODEX Foundation symposium is now available.
- Christine Jacobson is in the "Bright Young Librarians" spotlight this week.
- The Brontë Parsonage Museum has launched a fundraising appeal to purchase one of Charlotte Brontë's "little books" (the fifth "Young Men's Magazine") at auction in Paris on 18 November (part of the Aristophil liquidation).
- From Cambridge University Special Collections, Jill Whitelock on "M. R. James and the ghosts of the old University Library."
- Alison Flood reports on Stuart Kells' forthcoming book about Shakespeare's library for the Guardian.
- From the BL, "John Bagford, bibliophile or biblioclast?"
- More from Peter Kidd on that manuscript Bible noted last week.
- John Overholt was profiled in the Harvard Crimson.
Reviews
- Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea; review by Lyndsay Faye in the NYTimes.
- Patrick Mauriès' Cabinets of Curiosities; review by Reagan Upshaw in the WaPo.
- Jon Clinch's Marley; review by Ron Charles in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Topographical Pictures including Selections from the Kelton Collection at Christie's London on 29 October.
- The Sporting Sale at Bonhams Edinburgh on 31 October.
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 31 October.
- Lincoln and His Times Americana & Political Signature Auction at Heritage Auctions on 2 November.
- A great Book of Common Prayer over on Early Modern Female Book Ownership this week.
- Video from the recent Grolier Club/CODEX Foundation symposium is now available.
- Christine Jacobson is in the "Bright Young Librarians" spotlight this week.
- The Brontë Parsonage Museum has launched a fundraising appeal to purchase one of Charlotte Brontë's "little books" (the fifth "Young Men's Magazine") at auction in Paris on 18 November (part of the Aristophil liquidation).
- From Cambridge University Special Collections, Jill Whitelock on "M. R. James and the ghosts of the old University Library."
- Alison Flood reports on Stuart Kells' forthcoming book about Shakespeare's library for the Guardian.
- From the BL, "John Bagford, bibliophile or biblioclast?"
- More from Peter Kidd on that manuscript Bible noted last week.
- John Overholt was profiled in the Harvard Crimson.
Reviews
- Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea; review by Lyndsay Faye in the NYTimes.
- Patrick Mauriès' Cabinets of Curiosities; review by Reagan Upshaw in the WaPo.
- Jon Clinch's Marley; review by Ron Charles in the WaPo.
Upcoming Auctions
- Topographical Pictures including Selections from the Kelton Collection at Christie's London on 29 October.
- The Sporting Sale at Bonhams Edinburgh on 31 October.
- Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions (online) on 31 October.
- Lincoln and His Times Americana & Political Signature Auction at Heritage Auctions on 2 November.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Links & Reviews
Well it's been quite a rollercoaster, these last few weeks. And things are going to continue to be a bit tumultuous for the next month-and-a-bit, so please pardon any lengthy radio silences that may result. I am delighted to say that in early December I will undertake a new adventure as a Special Collections Librarian at Binghamton University, so I'm in the midst now of packing and preparing for my move home to upstate New York. I'm very much looking forward to being at Binghamton, being closer to my family, and having snowy winters again!
Of course this change also means I'm trying to get things as buttoned up as possible for my successor at Rare Book School before I finish up there just before Thanksgiving. I'm glad to be able to have this year's Boston Antiquarian Book Fair as my sort of "last hurrah" at the RBS table, and look forward to seeing many of you there. This will, I realized the other day, be the fifteenth consecutive Boston fair I've attended ... with many more to come, I hope!
I'm sure I've missed a great deal of biblio-news over the last little while, so please don't hesitate to let me know what I haven't included here and I'll be sure to include it next time.
- ILAB has prepared a summary of its understanding of how new (and utterly ridiculous) tariffs will impact the book trade.
- Swann Galleries have posted a short video highlighting their history as an auction house for books and manuscripts.
- Two excellent writers and biblio-humans have launched newsletters that I've signed up for: Jen Howard and Sarah Werner.
- The owners of the Strand are planning to sue New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission over the agency's designation of the bookshop as a historic building.
- Stephen Grant has Part I of Henry Clay Folger's Deltiological Profile over at The Collation.
- A great story of biblio-kindness (and a fabulous association copy) from Kurt Zimmerman over at American Book Collecting.
- A book on rifles signed by John Wilkes Booth goes to auction this week.
- The story about Dirk Obbink and the sale of biblical papyrus fragments to Hobby Lobby has advanced a great deal recently. From the ARCA blog, "A Scandal of Biblical Proportions" and a followup post containing among other things a statement from Obbink. Katie Shepherd covers the story for the WaPo. See also the EES statement.
- The Chesapeake and Northern California Chapters of APHA have produced collaborative 2020 calendars for your time-keeping and typographical enjoyment.
- From Eric White at Notabilia, "Two 16th-Century Cambridge Bindings by Garrett Godfrey."
- Zoe Abrams has posted a version of her February 2019 Philobiblon Club talk, "What's New in Antiquarian Bookselling?"
- Over at Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, two posts on the Patou Bible in the collections of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Part One, Part Two.
- The course lineup and registration are now available for the 2020 Australasian Rare Books Summer School (Sydney, 3–7 February 2020).
- Christiane Gruber writes for Prospect about the continuing breakup of Islamic manuscripts for the art market. A very important piece.
- "60 Minutes" will air a segment tonight on the theft and forgery of copies of the Columbus Letter.
- Over at LitHub, "The Role of Librarians in a Historical Age of Obsession," by Mark Purcell.
- The Morgan Library & Museum has acquired Jayne Wrightsman's exceptional collection of French manuscripts and fine bindings.
- Yale has, for reasons entirely passing understanding, stopped funding for the excellent Native Northeast Research Collaborative.
- From Unbound, a look at the work being done at the Smithsonian Libraries' book conservation lab to save Caribbean materials damaged during Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
Review
- D.W. Young's new film "The Booksellers"; review by Owen Glieberman in Variety.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including the Dodge Family Autograph Collection, Natural History, Travel and Americana at Bonhams New York on 23 October.
- Historical Manuscripts Featuring the Bret J. Formichi American Civil War Rarities Collection at Heritage on 23 October.
- Americana – Yosemite – Travel & Exploration – World History – Cartography at PBA Galleries on 24 October.
- Early Printed, Travel, Scientific & Medical Books at Swann Galleries on 24 October.
- Estate of John and Elaine Steinbeck Manuscripts at Heritage on 24 October.
- Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts Including Americana at Christie's New York on 25 October.
- The George F. Kolbe Library at Kolbe & Fanning on 26 October.
Of course this change also means I'm trying to get things as buttoned up as possible for my successor at Rare Book School before I finish up there just before Thanksgiving. I'm glad to be able to have this year's Boston Antiquarian Book Fair as my sort of "last hurrah" at the RBS table, and look forward to seeing many of you there. This will, I realized the other day, be the fifteenth consecutive Boston fair I've attended ... with many more to come, I hope!
I'm sure I've missed a great deal of biblio-news over the last little while, so please don't hesitate to let me know what I haven't included here and I'll be sure to include it next time.
- ILAB has prepared a summary of its understanding of how new (and utterly ridiculous) tariffs will impact the book trade.
- Swann Galleries have posted a short video highlighting their history as an auction house for books and manuscripts.
- Two excellent writers and biblio-humans have launched newsletters that I've signed up for: Jen Howard and Sarah Werner.
- The owners of the Strand are planning to sue New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission over the agency's designation of the bookshop as a historic building.
- Stephen Grant has Part I of Henry Clay Folger's Deltiological Profile over at The Collation.
- A great story of biblio-kindness (and a fabulous association copy) from Kurt Zimmerman over at American Book Collecting.
- A book on rifles signed by John Wilkes Booth goes to auction this week.
- The story about Dirk Obbink and the sale of biblical papyrus fragments to Hobby Lobby has advanced a great deal recently. From the ARCA blog, "A Scandal of Biblical Proportions" and a followup post containing among other things a statement from Obbink. Katie Shepherd covers the story for the WaPo. See also the EES statement.
- The Chesapeake and Northern California Chapters of APHA have produced collaborative 2020 calendars for your time-keeping and typographical enjoyment.
- From Eric White at Notabilia, "Two 16th-Century Cambridge Bindings by Garrett Godfrey."
- Zoe Abrams has posted a version of her February 2019 Philobiblon Club talk, "What's New in Antiquarian Bookselling?"
- Over at Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, two posts on the Patou Bible in the collections of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Part One, Part Two.
- The course lineup and registration are now available for the 2020 Australasian Rare Books Summer School (Sydney, 3–7 February 2020).
- Christiane Gruber writes for Prospect about the continuing breakup of Islamic manuscripts for the art market. A very important piece.
- "60 Minutes" will air a segment tonight on the theft and forgery of copies of the Columbus Letter.
- Over at LitHub, "The Role of Librarians in a Historical Age of Obsession," by Mark Purcell.
- The Morgan Library & Museum has acquired Jayne Wrightsman's exceptional collection of French manuscripts and fine bindings.
- Yale has, for reasons entirely passing understanding, stopped funding for the excellent Native Northeast Research Collaborative.
- From Unbound, a look at the work being done at the Smithsonian Libraries' book conservation lab to save Caribbean materials damaged during Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
Review
- D.W. Young's new film "The Booksellers"; review by Owen Glieberman in Variety.
Upcoming Auctions
- Fine Books and Manuscripts, Including the Dodge Family Autograph Collection, Natural History, Travel and Americana at Bonhams New York on 23 October.
- Historical Manuscripts Featuring the Bret J. Formichi American Civil War Rarities Collection at Heritage on 23 October.
- Americana – Yosemite – Travel & Exploration – World History – Cartography at PBA Galleries on 24 October.
- Early Printed, Travel, Scientific & Medical Books at Swann Galleries on 24 October.
- Estate of John and Elaine Steinbeck Manuscripts at Heritage on 24 October.
- Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts Including Americana at Christie's New York on 25 October.
- The George F. Kolbe Library at Kolbe & Fanning on 26 October.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Farewell, Grams
"Front and center on the double!" That sentence, delivered at great volume if need be, would bring us kids back to the house from wherever we'd gone off to, and quick. She was a constant presence in my life from the very beginning, and her home was always the center of our family's life. Holidays, weekends, summers, afternoons, snowy days, were likely to find some or all of us there: sledding down the hill across the road from the house; swimming in the pool in the backyard; using every couch cushion, blanket, and clothespin in the house to build elaborate forts taking up half the first floor; mucking about in the barnyard or the haymow or down by the creek. Countless ears of corn were cut off the cob for freezing, hundreds of dozens of Christmas cookies were made for the family and to be delivered round to the neighbors, and many oh many an Easter egg gained its color on her kitchen table. What stories that beautiful old table could tell. She could never quite get through her pre-holiday-dinner prayer ("Be present at our table, Lord / Be here and everywhere adored / Thy creatures bless and grant that we / May feast in paradise with thee. Bless this food to our use, and to His service. Amen") without a tear, and usually I couldn't either. One Thanksgiving right before we were supposed to eat, the electricity went off. Didn't stop us: we got out all the old oil lamps and some candles and kept right on going (thankfully the turkey was out of the oven).
After a brief stint as an FBI secretary in the 1950s (as the story goes, she and her sister threw a party, boys came, and they got fired!), she lived most of her life on the Brooks family farm, raising her kids and grandkids (and now great-grandkids), and sharing fully in the hard work of dairy farming. For many years she helped supervise elections at her polling station, and she would always leave in our mailbox on her way home a copy of the precinct results for me to run down and get in the morning (I caught the political bug early). She was long active at her church, and enjoyed being able to donate blood to the Red Cross when she could; I remember once sitting and waiting with her for a long while because her blood pressure was too high when we first got there, and instead of just giving up and going home, we sat and rested until it was low enough to make the donation.
She loved animals, from her many canine companions to the occasional cat, to orphaned lambs or wildlife she raised (I found in one of her diaries the other day an entry from when I was about two: "Jeremy and I found a baby woodchuck - gonna keep him!"). She felt sure that the family of a robin she once rescued came back and nested every year in her yard, and I've no doubt they did. She called me frequently to update me on the birds in her yard, at her feeder, or in her birdhouses, and I would call when I saw red-winged blackbirds or tree swallows or bluebirds in the spring to let her know that they were on their way back to her.
Grams was also the family medical advisor (though we generally left the tooth-pulling to Gramp). When I sledded into a burdock and got a bit in my eye, she just tossed me up on the kitchen table and pulled it out with tweezers. Her preferred medicine for just about anything that ailed you was a dab of Balsam of Myrrh, which stung like hell. Most of us considered that worse that whatever injury we'd acquired - I once caught my back going under a barbed wire fence and my cousin and spent a long while trying to hide the injury from her just to avoid the Balsam of Myrrh (she eventually saw the blood coming through my shirt and administered the treatment). Of course, Balsam of Myrrh works like a charm; none of us ever denied that, but boy did we try to avoid it. Whenever I was sick or had some ailment or another, she would call nearly every day to check and see how it was.
Occasionally (though not as often as we'd have liked) we could get her to play either her piano or her organ. "Redwing" was a perennial favorite, along with some hymns and Christmas carols. As we sat with Grams in the hospital on Thursday night, my aunt pulled up an audio file of "Redwing" on her phone and we played it for her; I've had the tune in my head since, and I'm perfectly happy to have it stay there awhile. We always got cheery renditions of "Happy Birthday" on the phone every year, and I will miss that terribly next January. When you were traveling, she wanted to be called when you got wherever you were going safely: I walked into the house tonight and totally lost it for a minute when I realized that my first thought had been that I needed to call her and let her know I was home, but not right then because "Wheel of Fortune" would be on.
It's going to be hard without her. We will muddle through, I suppose, but it won't be the same. Love you Grams, always always.
Sunday, October 06, 2019
Links & Auctions
- The University of Edinburgh's fundraising campaign to keep the Charles Lyell notebooks in the UK has been successful!
- In similar news, the judge's copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover, also made subject to an export bar, has been acquired by Bristol University after a successful fundraising effort.
- A new film about antiquarian bookselling, The Booksellers, will debut tomorrow at the New York Film Festival. More from LitHub.
- Beverly Rogers, who recently established a $5 million endowment for the rare books and special collections program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, talked to UNLV news about some of the favorite books in her collection.
- Nicola Davis writes for the Guardian on some of the recent advances made in the painstaking process being deployed in an attempt to "read" the Herculaneum scrolls.
- October's Rare Book Monthly articles include a Susan Halas interview with bookseller Simon Beattie and Michael Stillman on "Collections Moving On, But Where To?"
- Princeton's exhibition Gutenberg & After includes a number of important and interesting online components.
- The HRC's permanent exhibition of the Niépce Heliograph has been updated with new introductory material, &c.
- Commonplace has relaunched at a new URL, http://commonplace.online/
- Over at Sammelband, "Teaching in the Maker Studio."
- The ABAA passed along an alert for two seventeenth-century titles missing from a San Francisco building lobby.
- From Janalyn Martinez for the Grolier Club, "A Noble Fragment."
Upcoming Auctions
- Livres Rares et Manuscrits at Christie's Paris on 7 October.
- Rare Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photography at Lyon & Turnbull on 9 October.
- Books and Documents of the History of Mexico at Morton Subastas on 9 October.
- Fine Literature at PBA Galleries on 10 October.
- Fine Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries on 10 October.
- In similar news, the judge's copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover, also made subject to an export bar, has been acquired by Bristol University after a successful fundraising effort.
- A new film about antiquarian bookselling, The Booksellers, will debut tomorrow at the New York Film Festival. More from LitHub.
- Beverly Rogers, who recently established a $5 million endowment for the rare books and special collections program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, talked to UNLV news about some of the favorite books in her collection.
- Nicola Davis writes for the Guardian on some of the recent advances made in the painstaking process being deployed in an attempt to "read" the Herculaneum scrolls.
- October's Rare Book Monthly articles include a Susan Halas interview with bookseller Simon Beattie and Michael Stillman on "Collections Moving On, But Where To?"
- Princeton's exhibition Gutenberg & After includes a number of important and interesting online components.
- The HRC's permanent exhibition of the Niépce Heliograph has been updated with new introductory material, &c.
- Commonplace has relaunched at a new URL, http://commonplace.online/
- Over at Sammelband, "Teaching in the Maker Studio."
- The ABAA passed along an alert for two seventeenth-century titles missing from a San Francisco building lobby.
- From Janalyn Martinez for the Grolier Club, "A Noble Fragment."
Upcoming Auctions
- Livres Rares et Manuscrits at Christie's Paris on 7 October.
- Rare Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photography at Lyon & Turnbull on 9 October.
- Books and Documents of the History of Mexico at Morton Subastas on 9 October.
- Fine Literature at PBA Galleries on 10 October.
- Fine Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries on 10 October.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Links & Auctions
- More coverage of the Milton's Shakespeare discovery from the Guardian, the WaPo, the NYTimes, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Claire Bourne has a roundup of this and other media coverage on her blog, too, and FLP curator Caitlin Goodman offers a necessary corrective to (some of the) media coverage and notes that the First Folio at FLP has hardly "languished in obscurity."
- Over at Echoes from the Vault, "Mackintosh and Glengarry – A Highland Provenance Adventure."
- At Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, Peter Kidd explores the manuscripts shown in the 1986 movie adaptation of "The Name of the Rose," and already has supplied some additional material.
- Oak Knoll is having a 50%-off sale on low-quantity titles from their backlist.
- Emily Perdue writes for the Cambridge University Special Collections blog about "A Surprising Find Among a Librarian's Letters."
- The BBC reported on the return of a curate's notebook to a New Forest church.
- A team from the University of Birmingham is seeking crowdsourced transcription help with the Estoria de Espanna, the first vernacular history of Spain.
- More too on the recent identification of a John Locke manuscript from the WaPo and the Guardian.
Upcoming Auctions
- Charles Dickens: The Lawrence Drizen Collection at Sotheby's London on 24 September.
- Books & Works on Paper at Chiswick Auctions on 25 September.
- Editions and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions on 25 September.
- Rare Golf Books, Art, and Memorabilia at PBA Galleries on 26 September.
- Printed & Manuscript Americana at Swann Galleries on 26 September.
- Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions on 26 September.
- Fall Auction at Arader Galleries on 28 September.
- Over at Echoes from the Vault, "Mackintosh and Glengarry – A Highland Provenance Adventure."
- At Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, Peter Kidd explores the manuscripts shown in the 1986 movie adaptation of "The Name of the Rose," and already has supplied some additional material.
- Oak Knoll is having a 50%-off sale on low-quantity titles from their backlist.
- Emily Perdue writes for the Cambridge University Special Collections blog about "A Surprising Find Among a Librarian's Letters."
- The BBC reported on the return of a curate's notebook to a New Forest church.
- A team from the University of Birmingham is seeking crowdsourced transcription help with the Estoria de Espanna, the first vernacular history of Spain.
- More too on the recent identification of a John Locke manuscript from the WaPo and the Guardian.
Upcoming Auctions
- Charles Dickens: The Lawrence Drizen Collection at Sotheby's London on 24 September.
- Books & Works on Paper at Chiswick Auctions on 25 September.
- Editions and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions on 25 September.
- Rare Golf Books, Art, and Memorabilia at PBA Galleries on 26 September.
- Printed & Manuscript Americana at Swann Galleries on 26 September.
- Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions on 26 September.
- Fall Auction at Arader Galleries on 28 September.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Links & Auctions
Another really excellent Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair last weekend! Up next are Rare Books LAX (5–6 October) and the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair (12–13 October), but my next fair will be Boston (15–17 November).
- From Sean Redmond for the NYPL blog, an important and useful post: "Historical Copyright Records and Transparency." See also Karl Bode's post for Vice about this project.
- Jason Scott-Warren proposes on the Cambridge Centre for Material Texts blog that the Free Library Philadelphia's copy of Shakespeare's First Folio may contain manuscript annotations by John Milton. He draws on recent analysis of the annotations by Claire M.L. Bourne in her article "Vide Supplementum: Early Modern Collation as Play-Reading in the First Folio," in Early Modern English Marginalia (Routledge, 2019). Claire has posted on this now, in "With(out) Milton: Dating the Annotations in the Free Library of Philadelphia's First Folio."
- The winners of the 2019 Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize have been announced, and they are typically impressive. Well done to all!
- Opening this week at the Boston Athenaeum, "Required Reading: Reimagining a Colonial Library."
- In the LA Review of Books, Seth Perlow asks "Who Gets Emily Dickinson?"
- The Junto has a Q&A with Joseph Adelman about his recent book Revolutionary Networks.
- Over at Echoes from the Vault, "Collecting, Curating, Assembling: New Approaches to the Archive in the Middle Ages."
- Rich Rennicks highlights Ben Kinmont's Antinomian Press on the ABAA blog.
- Rebecca Rego Barry notes on the FB&C blog that a funding drive is ongoing to keep a collection of Charles Lyell notebooks in the UK. More than £200,000 must still be raised before 15 October.
- From Stephen Grant at The Collation, "Emily Jordan Folger's Deltiological Profile."
- RBM is looking for a reviews editor: applications are due before 30 November.
Review
- Joseph Adelman's Revolutionary Networks; review by Jordan E. Taylor at The Junto.
Upcoming Auctions
- The Air and Space Sale at Bonhams New York on 17 September.
- Cartography – Americana – Exploration – Voyages: The Warren Heckrotte and Margaret Gee Collection (with additions) at PBA Galleries on 19 September.
- The Collection of Victor Niederhoffer: Books and Autographs and Books, Maps & Manuscripts at Freeman's on 19 September.
- The David and Janice Frent Collection of Presidential & Political Americana, Part VI at Heritage Auctions on 21–22 September.
- From Sean Redmond for the NYPL blog, an important and useful post: "Historical Copyright Records and Transparency." See also Karl Bode's post for Vice about this project.
- Jason Scott-Warren proposes on the Cambridge Centre for Material Texts blog that the Free Library Philadelphia's copy of Shakespeare's First Folio may contain manuscript annotations by John Milton. He draws on recent analysis of the annotations by Claire M.L. Bourne in her article "Vide Supplementum: Early Modern Collation as Play-Reading in the First Folio," in Early Modern English Marginalia (Routledge, 2019). Claire has posted on this now, in "With(out) Milton: Dating the Annotations in the Free Library of Philadelphia's First Folio."
- The winners of the 2019 Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize have been announced, and they are typically impressive. Well done to all!
- Opening this week at the Boston Athenaeum, "Required Reading: Reimagining a Colonial Library."
- In the LA Review of Books, Seth Perlow asks "Who Gets Emily Dickinson?"
- The Junto has a Q&A with Joseph Adelman about his recent book Revolutionary Networks.
- Over at Echoes from the Vault, "Collecting, Curating, Assembling: New Approaches to the Archive in the Middle Ages."
- Rich Rennicks highlights Ben Kinmont's Antinomian Press on the ABAA blog.
- Rebecca Rego Barry notes on the FB&C blog that a funding drive is ongoing to keep a collection of Charles Lyell notebooks in the UK. More than £200,000 must still be raised before 15 October.
- From Stephen Grant at The Collation, "Emily Jordan Folger's Deltiological Profile."
- RBM is looking for a reviews editor: applications are due before 30 November.
Review
- Joseph Adelman's Revolutionary Networks; review by Jordan E. Taylor at The Junto.
Upcoming Auctions
- The Air and Space Sale at Bonhams New York on 17 September.
- Cartography – Americana – Exploration – Voyages: The Warren Heckrotte and Margaret Gee Collection (with additions) at PBA Galleries on 19 September.
- The Collection of Victor Niederhoffer: Books and Autographs and Books, Maps & Manuscripts at Freeman's on 19 September.
- The David and Janice Frent Collection of Presidential & Political Americana, Part VI at Heritage Auctions on 21–22 September.
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