• <b><center>Stargardt Autographenhandlung<br>Autographs: Literature, Music, Art, Science, History, Theatre & Film<br>March 28, 2023</b>
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Autograph album leaf signed, 1826. €9,000 to €12,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Franz Kafka: Autograph letter unsigned, 1924. €15,000 to €20,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Torquato Tasso: Autograph poem signed, no date. €12,000 to €16,000.
    <b><center>Stargardt Autographenhandlung<br>Autographs: Literature, Music, Art, Science, History, Theatre & Film<br>March 28, 2023</b>
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Charles Darwin: Autograph letter signed, 1866. €4,500 to €6,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Albert Einstein: Autograph letter signed, 1933. €6,000 to €8,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Heinrich Hertz: Autograph manuscript signed, 1889. €18,000 to €24,000.
    <b><center>Stargardt Autographenhandlung<br>Autographs: Literature, Music, Art, Science, History, Theatre & Film<br>March 28, 2023</b>
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Giambattista Bodoni: Autograph letter signed, 1787. €900 to €1,200.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Francisco de Goya: Autograph letter signed, 1789. €18,750 to €25,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Martin Luther: Notes from his desk, no date. €30,000 to €40,000.
    <b><center>Stargardt Autographenhandlung<br>Autographs: Literature, Music, Art, Science, History, Theatre & Film<br>March 28, 2023</b>
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Ludwig van Beethoven: Autograph letter signed, 1816. €22,500 to €30,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Gustav Mahler: Foto portrait signed and annotated, 1907(?). €7,500 to €10,000.
    <b>Stargardt Autographenhandlung, Mar. 28:</b> Bed?ich Smetana: Autograph letter signed, 1883. €4,500 to €6,000.
  • <center><b>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>30th March 2023</b>
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Roman binding.- Pindar. <i>Olympia, Pythia, Nemea, Isthmia,</i> translated by Johannes Lonicer, contemporary Roman binding by Niccolo Franzese, Basel, 1535. £40,000 to £60,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Raverat (Gwen). Comprehensive album of 530 wood engravings, circa 1909-1950. £40,000 to £60,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Hemingway (Ernest). <i>Fiesta,</i> first English edition, first impression dust-jacket, 1927. £15,000 to £20,000.
    <center><b>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>30th March 2023</b>
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Fleming (Ian). <i>Casino Royale,</i> first edition, first impression, 1953. £12,000 to £18,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Dickens (Charles). <i>Great Expectations,</i> 3 vol., first edition, first impression, Chapman and Hall, 1861. £10,000 to £15,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Campbell (Colen) & others. <i>Vitruvius Britannicus, or The British Architect...,</i> 5 vol., vol.1-3 later editions, vol.4 & 5 first editions, [?1731]-31-67-71. £10,000 to £15,000.
    <center><b>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>30th March 2023</b>
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Geography.- Mela (Pomponius). <i>Cosmographia, sive De situ orbis,</i> Venice, Franciscus Renner de Heilbronn, 1478. £8,000 to £12,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> America.- [?Espinosa y Tello (José)]. <i>Relacion del Viage hecho por las Goletas Sutil y Mexicana en el Año de 1792,</i> 2 vol. including Atlas, first edition, Madrid, 1802. £8,000 to £12,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Australasia.- Péron (Francois) and Louis-Claude de Saulces de Freycinet. <i>Voyage de Découvertes aux Terres Australes,</i> 5 vol. including Atlas, second edition, Paris, 1824. £8,000 to £12,000.
    <center><b>Forum Auctions<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper<br>30th March 2023</b>
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Botany.- Curtis (William). <i>The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed,</i> 83 vol. in 62, 1794-1956. £8,000 to £12,000.
    <b>Forum, Mar. 30:</b> Darwin (Charles).- Lecky (W.E.H.) <i>The Rise and Influence of Rationalism in Europe,</i> 2 vol., Darwin's copy with inscription "Charles Darwin 1865", pencil marginalia and pencil notes, 1865. £7,000 to £10,000.
  • <b><center>Swann Auction Galleries<br>Printed & Manuscript African Americana:<br>March 30, 2023</b>
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> Victor H. Green, <i>The Negro Motorist Green Book,</i> New York, 1949. $10,000 to $15,000.
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> Papers of pianist-composer Lawrence Brown relating to Paul Robeson & more, various places, 1925-54. $5,000 to $7,500.
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> Freedom Summer archive of civil rights activist Karen Haberman Trusty, Atlanta & elsewhere, 1963-64. $5,000 to $7,500.
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> E. Simms Campbell, <i>A Night-Club Map of Harlem,</i> New York, 1933. $8,000 to $12,000.
    <b>Swann March 30:</b> Archive of letters from the sculptor Richmond Barthé to a close Jamaican friend, various places, 1966-85. $25,000 to $35,000.
  • <center><b>Gonnelli<br>Auction 41<br>Books, Autographs & Manuscripts<br>March 21st-23rd 2023</b>
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Nabokov, <i>Lolita,</i> 1955. First edition, mint copy. Starting price 1900€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Marinetti, <i>Zang Tumb Tuuum,</i> 1914. First edition. Starting price 1600€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> A collection of <i>Playboy,</i> starting price from 20€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Kepler, <i>Dioptrice,</i> 1611. First edition. Starting price 9500€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Barbault, <i>Les plus beaux Monuments de Rome,</i> 1761-1766. Starting price 5500€
    <b>Gonnelli:</b> Watson, <i>Dendrologia Britannica,</i> 1825. Starting price 380€

Rare Book Monthly

Articles - December - 2022 Issue

What Are the Most Borrowed Books of the Last 125 Years at the Brooklyn Library?

422c248e-1d97-4c81-bd55-7c41627a10f5

A comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush. Goodnight, moon.

The Brooklyn Public Library is celebrating its 125th anniversary, so you can be sure a lot of books have been borrowed from their collections. They looked back on that and created a list of the 125 most borrowed books in their history. To make a list like that, the books must have either stood the test of time, or have become extremely popular very quickly. There are some of each on the list, though most have at least a few decades under their belt.

 

So, what sort of books do you expect to see on this list? Great works, like Shakespeare? Great American novels from writers like Steinbeck, Hemingway, Twain? Maybe those romances that seem to dominate bestseller lists most of the time? Off-color, racy books that so many people like to read or admire their pictures? The answer is none of the above. The most borrowed books are the most harmless. The list is dominated by children's books. Dr. Seuss can be found on this list an amazing 17 times. These are the books that people of all ages love.

 

Now, here are the top of the top, the top 20 most borrowed books from their list of 125.

 

20. Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd. How is this not number 1? Everyone has read this book or had it read to them. Everybody.

 

19. Sam and the Firefly, by P. D. Eastman. The owl and the the... no, not pussycat, the firefly.

 

18. Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss. If a fox in socks is in a box with blocks and clocks... Now you remember!

 

17. The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. It doesn't stay tiny for long.

 

16. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This one is not for the children. 23 skidoo all you kids, this is only for decadent rich men and flappers.

 

15. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. You never know what you might see if your airplane crashes in the Sahara Desert.

 

14. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. Of spiders and pigs, and, especially, Charlotte.

 

13. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. You have to eat well if you want to grow up to be a butterfly.

 

12. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. What do the kids do when they aren't supervised by adults? You don't want know. This book about children is no children's book.

 

11. Green Eggs and Ham and Sam-I-am. You can eat them with the fox in socks in his box. Another Dr. Seuss book.

 

10. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Four young ladies in a book I never read. The audience was little women too.

 

9. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. America's original sin was over two centuries old and alive and well when this book was published in 1960. Six decades later it still is.

 

8. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. This is one I did read, of course. This book has been called “the great American novel” and I agree.

 

7. Naruto: Volume 1 by Masashi Kishimoto. I know nothing about this book.

 

6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. One of the romance novels by one of the creative but star-crossed Bronte sisters.

 

5. Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman. A baby bird wanders off in search of his mother, with a few wrong turns along the way.

 

4. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. A merry Christmas to all! Bah humbug.

 

3. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. The Cat in the Hat beats out the Fox in Socks for the most popular Seuss book.

 

2. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. A boy outside in the city on a very snowy day. The protagonist was an African American boy, daring for 1962, as Harper Lee realized.

 

1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. You never know what may be hiding in your bedroom.

 

The complete top 125 most borrowed books from the Brooklyn Library over the past 125 years can be found here: www.bklynlibrary.org/125/most-borrowed


Posted On: 2022-12-01 03:41
User Name: mairin111

Brooklyn Public Library, 125 years young! Happy thanks for this piece, Michael, I was absolutely thrilled to see it. The major branch of the library at Grand Army Plaza (the Central Library) is a large, imposing building (3 floors); for History and vintage photos, see www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/central/history. The library was just steps away from my apartment building on Plaza Street West, Park Slope, Brooklyn. Why, I visited the library so often that some of the staff thought I worked there! It's been a frequent destination for many Brooklyn writers (Pete Hamill, Paul Auster, Kathryn Harrison, etc.); and a young Bobby Fischer used to meet his chess club in the large foyer. Not so long ago, the original Brooklyn Eagle statue was proudly ensconced in the spacious lobby, above the entrance's revolving door. The librarians I often relied on -- Orlando Bodon, Bob Hayes, Mark Levine, Elizabeth Stone -- were well-trained, dedicated book people; and the InterLibraryLoan staff never failed to deliver on my fussy, obscure requests. May the Brooklyn Public Library continue to serve the readers & writers of Brooklyn, may it always be cherished.
- Maureen E. Mulvihill, 30 Years In Brooklyn (1982-2012).


Rare Book Monthly

  • <b><center>Koller Auctions<br>Books & Autographs<br>29 March 2023</b>
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> DADA - <i>Cabaret Voltaire.</i> A collection of artistic and literary contributions. Edited by Hugo Ball. CHF 5,000 to 8,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> EXPRESSIONISM - <i>Der Sturm.</i> Weekly magazine for culture and the arts. Almost complete suite from the years 1910 to 1932. CHF 20,000 to 30,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> LISBON EARTHQUAKE - <i>Augsburg collection of copper engravings of Lisbon. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Hamilton, William. <i>Campi Phlegraei. Observations on the Volcanos of the Two Sicilies as they have been communicated to the Royal Society of London.</i> Naples, 1776-1779. CHF 50,000 to 70,000.
    <b><center>Koller Auctions<br>Books & Autographs<br>29 March 2023</b>
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Leonardi, Domenico Felice. <i>Le Delizie della villa di Castellazzo descritte in verso dall'abbate Domenico Felice Leonardi lucchese fra gli Arcadi Ildosio Foloetico.</i> Milan, 1743. CHF 12,000 to 18,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Zwingli, Huldrych. <i>Von erkiesen und freyhait der speisen. Von ergernusz und Verbößerung. Ob man gewalt hab die speyß zu etlichen zeyten verbieten [...]</i>. CHF 2,500 to 4,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> HENDRIK VAN VULLENHOE, UMKREIS. Benedictional and other texts for Johannes von Venningen, Bishop of Basel. Latin manuscript on parchment. CHF 50,000 to 80,000.
    <b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Gujer, Hans Rudolf. Master typist's book by Hans Rudolf Gujer from Wermetschweil (Wermatswil). German manuscript on paper. CHF 3,000 to 5,000.

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