Rare Book Monthly

Articles - February - 2011 Issue

A Personal View of 2010

- by Susan Halas

Blue jacket

Blue Jacket Books of Xenia, Ohio.

I agree with Gene and here’s my own mantra for 2011:

 

Big, be it Amazon or Borders may come and go, but small is forever. As small dealers we’re in the knowledge business, whatever format it takes now or in the future. The more we know the better we’ll do. What the dealer adds is the frame of reference and credibility: why it’s important and who might want it. It’s that knowledge that differentiates the wheat from the chaff.

 

When I finished my year end numbers I found that 90 percent of my revenue came from 10 percent of my transactions, but there were also lots and lots and lots of small sales and at least a few repeat customers whose trade though small was welcome.

 

My thanks to all of you who helped me make it through.

 

Links to the booksellers mentioned in this month’s article

 

Better World Books – Antiquarian Division www.betterworldbooks.com

 

Blue Jacket Books www.bluejacketbooks.com

 

Book Fever www.bookfever.com

 

Books Tell You Why www.bookstellyouwhy.com

 

Lux Mentis www.luxmentis.com

 

Michael J. Osborne Books www.michaeljosbornebooks.com

 

Motte & Bailey www.mottebooks.com/shop/motte/index.html

 

Old Lahaina Book Emporium www.oldlahainabookemporium.com

 

Tavistock Books www.tavbooks.com

 

Susan Halas, a long time antiquarian dealer, writes for AE Monthly.

Reach her at halas@hawaii.rr.com

 

 

Here are the links for a year’s worth of Halas’ stories in AE Monthly

 

Feb. - Bookselling – It’s a Business (with Chris Volk) tinyurl.com/67hf9o2

 

March - ABAA – Data, Knowledge Charm, New Blood tinyurl.com/64nmdhr

 

April - Exit Strategies: Getting out of the Book Business tinyurl.com/63lb6ej

 

May - Richard Minsky on Decorative Bindings tinyurl.com/672dbmj

 

June - Cherokee Nation Puts History on Display tinyurl.com/5rn4awb

 

July- Bud Plant celebrates 40 years in Comics & Illustration - tinyurl.com/6xwheet

 

Sept. - Vic Zoschak Talks Bibliography tinyurl.com/6gxeokx

 

Oct. - Bookselling tips for eBay tinyurl.com/6xwdker

 

Nov. - Better World Books - tinyurl.com/6k8qk3t

 

Dec. - Nancy Pearl: America’s Favorite Librarian tinyurl.com/5wn2nj8

 

Jan. – 007: Bond for Booksellers tinyurl.com/6jbghya

 

 

See all the articles published by AE Monthly in the AE Archives at:

 

www.americanaexchange.com/ae/AEMonthly/AEMonthlyArchive.aspx

Rare Book Monthly

  • 1c96a48d-5ad1-4f82-81e7-7147f2162d47 F0d1ed9e-417d-42b0-974f-86b144cb9afa 54e13cf8-200f-400f-926d-80b89ff3c93e 9b092fd6-3b41-4b9c-ab9b-16a0121b0dca 2eaf42ae-965d-4d92-8c34-fe5e0de05f72 87ef72c3-78dc-465f-8690-396ad0f7573b 01e3cb20-3300-4252-ab30-52d5e5c6f8e3 99a96bdf-5b94-4a9d-91f8-370f8e465c28 6adf74a8-f972-4385-906b-c3f50da39112 7463580b-da3d-4144-af59-ba23dea12073 Ef1ae170-2a99-4481-be03-d5b067f8dece
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation by the President of the United States, pamphlet, 1862. Sold May 7 for $11,875.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Family papers of the distinguished Ruby-Jackson family, Portland, Maine, 1853-1961. Sold May 7 for $4,000.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> E. Simms Campbell, A Night-Club Map of Harlem, in inaugural issue of Manhattan, 1933. Sold May 7 for $27,500.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Papers of the comedian Nipsey Russell, including a letter from MLK, 1929-2000. Sold May 7 for $17,500.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Edmonia Lewis, prominent sculptor, carte-de-visite by Henry Rocher, c. 1866-71. Sold May 7 for $5,250.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> The Black Panther: Black Community News Service, 44 issues, San Francisco, 1967-1971. Sold May 7 for $6,500.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> Ernest Withers, I Am A Man, Sanitation Workers Strike, silver print, 1968. Sold May 7 for $5,000.
    <b>Swann Auction Galleries:</b> March For Freedom Now!, poster for a protest on the 1960 Republican Convention. Sold May 7 for $17,500.
  • 5551a1b3-f6d3-4464-ad50-4527d9a12ce2 28e0fade-5d9a-405f-bd6d-c5a506934a52 88295d9d-e0d7-4310-a11c-071527dd8d63 5f69c1a7-d4b5-4a11-8257-1f5628f884d0 4f5d8b36-67f6-4c2c-808a-4e8b240b2115 03849fe6-f70a-4d28-9b14-ad928bfb9092 91210f84-8824-491d-bd28-ffaaecc6ed1f 8ef709f2-7c83-4c24-8975-45abff5719ba E6c6d805-8d29-4ee4-9005-a19770ae6b7a Ae0c1e32-c5ee-4cff-a758-3e789c7abe80 7f07337b-ccec-4902-b28c-4798c9247721 83f04da6-3154-4a89-b557-fb0807d33373 E8a1b6c8-c0be-41a7-bbb4-a2714971a182 4ba091c9-3d2d-4254-8625-41159315b7ed D9139ac3-51d6-4168-8057-672e600da5ca Ad0c1fb8-7aad-4b0c-b8d3-40f597a0131f
    <center><b>ABAA Virtual Book Fair</b><br>Join your favorite booksellers<br>June 4-7, 2020
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    <center><b>ABAA Virtual Book Fair</b><br>Join your favorite booksellers<br>June 4-7, 2020
    <center><b>ABAA Virtual Book Fair</b><br>Join your favorite booksellers<br>June 4-7, 2020
    <center><b>ABAA Virtual Book Fair</b><br>Join your favorite booksellers<br>June 4-7, 2020
    <center><b>ABAA Virtual Book Fair</b><br>Join your favorite booksellers<br>June 4-7, 2020
    <center><b>ABAA Virtual Book Fair</b><br>Join your favorite booksellers<br>June 4-7, 2020
    <center><b>ABAA Virtual Book Fair</b><br>Join your favorite booksellers<br>June 4-7, 2020
    <center><b>ABAA Virtual Book Fair</b><br>Join your favorite booksellers<br>June 4-7, 2020
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    <center><b>Hindman Auctions<br>Fine Books and Manuscripts<br>Including Americana<br>Live and Online<br>June 23, 2020</b>
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> [SUPREME COURT JUSTICES]. A very extensive collection of 203 letters, documents and signatures. A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES, JOHN JAY THROUGH WILLIAM REHNQUIST. $20,000 to $30,000.
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> ZATTA, Antonio. <i>Atlante Novissimo.</i> Venice: Antonio Zatta, 1775-1785. ONE OF THE FINEST WORLD ATLASES issued in Italy in the 18th century. $15,000 to $20,000.
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> [CHICAGO HISTORY] -- [COLUMBUS, Christopher]. Monumental historiated and embroidered panel of the MADE FOR THE 1893 COLUMBIAN EXHIBITION IN CHICAGO. $12,000 to $18,000.
    <center><b>Hindman Auctions<br>Fine Books and Manuscripts<br>Including Americana<br>Live and Online<br>June 23, 2020</b>
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> [MONASTERY HILL BINDING]. AINSWORTH, William Harrison. <i>Historical Romances.</i> Philadelphia, n.d. A fine early exhibition binding by the Monastery Hill Bindery. $6,000 to $8,000.
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> [ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM]. New York: Tiber Press, [1960]. 4 volumes. LIMITED EDITION, number 119 of 200 COPIES, EACH SIGNED BY THE POET AND ARTIST. $6,000 to $8,000.
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> GRATIANUS, the Canonist. <i>Decretum.</i> Venedig: Petrus de Plasiis, 25 January 1483. Second quarto edition. FIRST PAGE ILLUMINATED BY A CONTEMPORARY ARTIST. $4,000 to $6,000.
    <center><b>Hindman Auctions<br>Fine Books and Manuscripts<br>Including Americana<br>Live and Online<br>June 23, 2020</b>
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> [ABOLITIONISTS]. <i>William Lloyd Garrison. The Story of his Life.</i> New York, 1885. ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS FROM SEVERAL NOTABLE ABOLITIONISTS neatly bound in throughout. $4,000 to $6,000.
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> ANSON, George. <i>A Voyage round the World, In the Years 1740... 1744.</i> London: John and Paul Knapton for the author, 1748. FIRST EDITION. $3,000 to $4,000.
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> Blank railroad ledger, "Compagnie des Chemins de fer de l'Ouest" (spine title). N.p., 1909. A MONUMENTAL 20th-CENTURY ART NOUVEAU BINDING. $1,000 to $1,500.
    <center><b>Hindman Auctions<br>Fine Books and Manuscripts<br>Including Americana<br>Live and Online<br>June 23, 2020</b>
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> [MINIATURE ROOM] -- [FLEMING, John (1910-1987)]. Miniature of his 57th Street Library and Gallery. JOHN F. FLEMING'S BARONIAL 57TH STREET GALLERY. $1,500 to $2,500.
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> [SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE BINDING]. CHESTERTON, G.K. <i>Five Types: A Book of Essays.</i> London, 1910. LIMITED EDITION, number 3 of 30 copies on vellum SIGNED BY GEORGE SUTCLIFFE. $400 to $500.
    <b>Hindman Auctions, Jun. 23:</b> [KELMSCOTT PRESS]. <i>When Adam Delved and Eve Span....</i> [Ancoats Brotherhood, 1894-5]. LIMITED EDITION, one of 250 copies printed. $500 to $700.
  • 4d518892-4c30-42be-be2a-4ae75967d5ce E59d2592-9535-4f90-8f6e-0a28d6e001cc 23f835c8-dfc5-4f0d-9ddd-563c5ec034fd 14f7371d-5be3-45ae-978a-c0faeb37c7a8 E690095d-6bb4-4278-a441-2eed8793403d Afa32b7f-6c96-4f06-b427-5fc8bd2f018e 3a8d1a29-ce46-46f3-ab9f-a5523089aea4 Ca3371ba-1ff8-4b1f-8fd1-550503dea1b6 A3ea647b-0c5f-4111-adcc-de411827c5d3 9f284cd1-2e22-434d-933a-1aac7b8f0222
    <b>Koller International Auctions: Books [and] Manuscripts & Autographs. June 15, 2020</b>
    <b>Koller, Jun. 15:</b> INCUNABULA -Fridolin, Stephan. <i>Schatzbehalter.</i> With 96 (including 5 repeated) full-page text woodcuts. Nürnberg, 1491.<br>€ 39 470 / 57 020
    <b>Koller, Jun. 15:</b> Kokoschka, Oskar. <i>Die Träumenden Knaben (The Dreaming Boys).</i> With 11 original lithographs. Vienne, 1908.<br>€ 35 090 / 52 630
    <b>Koller, Jun. 15:</b> Third Bessarion Master (active in Lombard in the third quarter of the 15th century). Leaf from a gradual, 1455-60.<br>€ 21 930 / 30 700
    <b>Koller, Jun. 15:</b> Picasso, Pablo - Delgado, José alias Pepe Illo. <i>La Tauromaquia o arte de torear.</i> With 26 original aquatints and 1 original etching by Picasso.<br>€ 21 930 / 35 090
    <b>Koller International Auctions: Books [and] Manuscripts & Autographs. June 15, 2020</b>
    <b>Koller, Jun. 15:</b> Linschoten, Jan Huygen van. <i>Itinerario, Voyage ofte Schipvaert naer Oost ofte Portugaels Indien…</i> Amsterdam, 1595.<br>€ 17 540 / 26 320
    <b>Koller, Jun. 15:</b> CHILDREN’S BOOKS - Meggendorfer, Lothar. <i>Nah und Fern. Ein Tierbilderbuch zum Ziehen.</i> With 8 coloured, lithographed plates.<br>€ 530 / 790
    <b>Koller, Jun. 15:</b> DANSE MACABRE - Bille, Edmond. <i>Une Danse macabre.</i> With 20 coloured woodcuts. Lausanne, 1919. Large folio.<br>€ 610 / 880
    <b>Koller, Jun. 15:</b> Dexel, Walter. A collection of 7 invitation cards from the Kunstverein Jena, each typographically designed by W. Dexel. Jena, 1924-1928. Each 10.5 x 14.8 cm.<br>€ 530 / 790

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