Rare Book Monthly Articles - September - 2012 Issue

Over a Quarter of a Million Books Sold at Larry McMurtry's "Last Book Sale"

Over a Quarter of a Million Books Sold at Larry McMurtry's "Last Book Sale"

One of the largest book auctions in recent memory took place in one of the smallest venues to ever see such an auction. Of course, this was no ordinary auction, but one of a large portion of the stock of noted bookseller and author Larry McMurtry's Booked Up shop in tiny Archer City, Texas. When the dust settled (there's lots of dust in this hot, dry, country near the Oklahoma border), between 250,000 and 275,000 books had changed hands. That's roughly 150 books for every resident of Archer City, but this does mean that these folks are unusually vociferous readers. Bidders came from all ove...

Don Heald: A Perspective

Don Heald: A Perspective

When Lewis and Clark went west, they did not go alone.  They had a guide.  When astronauts go into space, they have a team.  They are not always sure what they will find but prepare for what they m...

Free or Nearly Free: Great Finds that Cost $0 or Next to $0 & Sell for a Great Deal More

My dad, the great book seller Morton “Jock” Netzorg, a dealer for well over 50 years, had all kinds of rules about how to make money selling books. But Netzorg’s #1 rule was: “What you pay for it h...

Ten Years

Ten Years

This month, September 3rd to be exact, marks the 10th anniversary of the posting of the Americana Exchange online.  In the beginning AE specialized in documenting the history of Americana but has b...

Book Paintings on a Huge Scale

Book Paintings on a Huge Scale

“One day I and a very good friend of mine talked about old book stores and old books, and jokingly I said: 'if only there were a way to keep them alive, show people the value and beauty, and at the...

September Auctions

September Auctions

September arrives like a Hoyt Wilhelm or R. A. Dickey pitch, the speed slow, and the outcome uncertain.   But we have been here before and know, by the end of September, that the month will resolve...

How to Quickly Locate Lots at Book Auctions All Over the World

How to Quickly Locate Lots at Book Auctions All Over the World

The heavy fall auction season is about to begin. This makes for perfect timing for a reminder of a free AE service that is virtually a necessity for anyone considering bidding at auction, or just l...

A Walk on the Wild Side

A Walk on the Wild Side

A suggestion a month ago that I look at Louis J. Dianni’s upcoming auction at West Point August 18th-19th prompted me to look over the upcoming sale and to bid on several items.  The Dianni auction...

Exploring the Downtown National Library of Jamaica

Exploring the Downtown National Library of Jamaica

PART III : Hans Sloane, Milk Chocolate Live Animals… Back to Jamaica, to explore a new prestigious book from the National Library ! I had already been through a copy of Thomas Gage’s account of t...

Web Courtesy - A Reflection of Self

Web Courtesy - A Reflection of Self

I write this article on web courtesy based on my own experiences online. They include instant message chats, chat rooms, discussion forums (as a user, moderator, and administrator, at varying times...

If you are dying to buy these guns something inside you is already dead

If you are dying to buy these guns something inside you is already dead

On September 30th in Amherst, New Hampshire, two of America’s 270 million guns will be sold.  They aren’t just any guns, however.  They are antiques, and they are known to be at least 78 years old....

Another Internet Scam Seeks to Lure the Unsuspecting

Another Internet Scam Seeks to Lure the Unsuspecting

Periodically, we report on a latest internet scam, as anyone who reads this article is, quite obviously, an internet user, and thereby a potential victim. Sure, you might think we all know enough n...

The Annual Chelsea Book Fair Will Be Held on November 2-3

The Annual Chelsea Book Fair Will Be Held on November 2-3

The fall book show in London, the Chelsea Book Fair, is set to take place on November 2-3. The Chelsea Fair is not a huge show like the spring London fair, but offers a more intimate setting where ...

Eight New Catalogues Under Review

Eight New Catalogues Under Review

This month, eight new catalogues arrived for review. James Kochan Fine Arts Antiques has a collection of material relating to the War of 1812 and the shaping of America. David Lesser Fine Antiquar...

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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