Rare Book Monthly Articles - November - 2012 Issue

A Hard Sell:  The Alexander J. Jemal Collection of Joyce Carol Oates Material

A Hard Sell:  The Alexander J. Jemal Collection of Joyce Carol Oates Material

Earlier this year Alex Jemal, a Michigan lawyer now in his 80’s, approached me.  He had built a collection of the writings of and as homage to Joyce Carol Oates, the later 20th century prolific.  Over her career Ms. Oates has written more than fifty novels and innumerable other pieces.  She was busy and popular at a time when reading books as a hobby was peaking and has since continued to write as cable television, the internet, iPods and iPads have elbowed books aside as sources of casual entertainment.  She continues today even as books, not so long ago our stalwart companions on planes, ...

Forged Signatures from an eBay Seller Leads to Conviction

Forged Signatures from an eBay Seller Leads to Conviction

There is always a great temptation to go around dealers and other experts to buy significant works on paper. Prices are lower on eBay and from amateurs. Sometimes, cheaper doesn't always work out. ...

Graham Arader on the sell-side at Auction

Graham Arader on the sell-side at Auction

W. Graham Arader is a businessman with a communicable appreciation and love of maps, and watercolors.  He admits to have created the modern market for collectible maps and barely acknowledges that ...

Collecting the Counter Culture - Maggs’ Carl Williams pays a visit to Harvard’s Houghton Library

Collecting the Counter Culture - Maggs’ Carl Williams pays a visit to Harvard’s Houghton Library

Carl Williams is “stoked” to be speaking at Harvard. The London based Maggs Bros. specialist is making a visit to Houghton Library on Wed., November 14 to give a talk on collecting the counter cu...

What May Be the Largest Book Theft in Decades Unravels

What May Be the Largest Book Theft in Decades Unravels

It's the story that keeps getting worse. A massive book heist in Italy apparently has ensnared thousands of books, millions of dollars, and made some important people look very foolish, and others ...

Auctions in November

Auctions in November

Heading into November 115 auction events are scheduled.  This compares with 91 in November 2011.  Through August this year 179,000 lots have been archived, a 29.7% increase from the 138,000 offered...

Book Fairs in November and December

The numbers of book fairs have been declining but they are great fun and worth supporting.  The widespread closing of bookshops adds to their importance for they are now more than ever, the best an...

Hundreds of Thousand of Books Win a Reprieve... for Now

Hundreds of Thousand of Books Win a Reprieve... for Now

Hundreds of thousands of books headed for destruction by the Manchester (U.K.) libraries have won a reprieve, the result of a campaign by various English literary and academic figures. Their ultima...

Who Legally Owns This Signed Photograph?

Who Legally Owns This Signed Photograph?

The New York Times recently reported on an ownership dispute in the works on paper field, in this case a signed photograph. It pitted the family of the individual who was originally given the photo...

The Gutenberg of clear thinking traced to Poughkeepsie

The Gutenberg of clear thinking traced to Poughkeepsie

The engaging book L I A R S published by F. W. Wilson of Poughkeepsie in 1911 is a remarkable condemnation and defense of lying.  The author, whose name is not disclosed perhaps for reasons of pers...

Ian Fleming: The Bibliography

Ian Fleming: The Bibliography

He will never be confused with Shakespeare. “Serious” literature was not the calling card of Ian Fleming. Excitement and intrigue? That is another story. While a few other books emerged from his pe...

Oak Knoll at 300

Oak Knoll at 300

Bob Fleck, the founder of Oak Knoll Books in New Castle, Delaware recently passed by one of those milestones you cannot quickly reach, the issuance of his 300th catalogue.  Few houses get this far ...

Another Settlement in the Google Books Case... Probably No More Meaningful than the Others

Another Settlement in the Google Books Case... Probably No More Meaningful than the Others

A new settlement has been reached in the 7-year-old Google Books (now known as Google Library Project) controversy, albeit a vague and probably minor one. This battle and its related lawsuits could...

The Trinity College Library Obtains Some Classic Books on “Medicine”

The Trinity College Library Obtains Some Classic Books on “Medicine”

We recently received a copy of the first electronic bulletin from the Watkinson Library at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. It is necessary to spell out which Trinity College as there are ...

12 New Catalogues Reviewed

12 New Catalogues Reviewed

For November, we received 12 new bookseller catalogues. We review a spectacular catalogue of newspapers that shaped the world from Timothy Hughes Rare Early Newspapers. From England, we take a loo...

Rare Book Monthly

  • High Bids Win
    Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines
    and Machine Manuals
    December 24 to January 9
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Ellis Smith Prints unsigned. 20” by 16”.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: United typothetae of America presidents. Pictures of 37 UTA presidents 46th annual convention United typothetae of America Cincinnati 1932.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec signed Paper Impressionism Art Prints. MayMilton 9 1/2” by 13” Reine de Joie 9 1/2” by 13”.
    High Bids Win
    Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines
    and Machine Manuals
    December 24 to January 9
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Aberle’ Ballet editions. 108th triumph, American season spring and summer 1944.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Puss ‘n Boots. 1994 Charles Perrult All four are signed by Andreas Deja
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Specimen book of type faces. Job composition department, Philadelphia gazette publishing company .
    High Bids Win
    Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines
    and Machine Manuals
    December 24 to January 9
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: An exhibit of printed books, Bridwell library.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur Court By Mark Twain 1889.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: 1963 Philadelphia Eagles official program.
    High Bids Win
    Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines
    and Machine Manuals
    December 24 to January 9
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: 8 - Esquire the magazine for men 1954.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: The American printer, July 1910.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Leaves of grass 1855 by Walt Whitman.
  • Sotheby's
    Fine Books, Manuscripts & More
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s: William Shakespeare.
    The Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare, 1960. 7,210 USD
    Sotheby’s: Charles Dickens.
    A Christmas Carol, First Edition, 1843. 17,500 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Golding.
    Lord of the Flies, First Edition, 1954. 5,400 USD
    Sotheby's
    Fine Books, Manuscripts & More
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s: Lewis Carroll.
    Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Inscribed First Edition, 1872. 25,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien.
    The Hobbit, First Edition, 1937. 12,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: John Milton.
    Paradise Lost, 1759. 5,400 USD

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