Rare Book Monthly Articles - May - 2014 Issue

The New York Antiquarian Book Fair - success at the top

The New York Antiquarian Book Fair - success at the top

The New York Antiquarian Book Fair, at the Park Avenue Armory, has come and gone and left a scent of lingering enthusiasm among buyers and satisfaction among sellers.  The fair, a well-groomed event organized by Sanford Smith, saw more than 6,000 tickets collected.  On opening afternoon, Thursday the third, 152 individuals, mostly men, lined up in the anteroom for the chance to be early if not first into the convention hall.  The crowds come on Friday, the cognoscenti Thursday night.  The buzz was noticeable.   Inside, the fates of the 204 participating dealers were pretty much already de...

Antiquarian Bookseller Completes Successful Stock Market IPO

Antiquarian Bookseller Completes Successful Stock Market IPO

New offerings in the stock market, IPO's (initial public offering), are common these days, particularly in the high tech field. Those from well-known brands like Facebook and Twitter received enorm...

Did Someone Find Shakespeare’s Personal Dictionary on eBay?

Did Someone Find Shakespeare’s Personal Dictionary on eBay?

It would certainly be the literary find of the century if true. It would also be the greatest piece of advertising imaginable for eBay. A pair of New York booksellers see a 16th century annotated E...

“Everything Equine” at Keeneland Library in Lexington Kentucky

“Everything Equine” at Keeneland Library in Lexington Kentucky

Most horse racing enthusiasts are familiar with Keeneland, one of America’s top ranked tracks in Lexington, Kentucky. Each year the venue hosts a variety of racing meets and major sales. Less well ...

Tracking the Most Expensive Book – A Copy of Audubon's Birds of America is Sold

Tracking the Most Expensive Book – A Copy of Audubon's Birds of America is Sold

A copy of the most expensive, reasonably obtainable printed book was sold at auction at the beginning of April. The double-elephant folio first edition of John James Audubon's Birds of America was ...

A Tale of Two Thieves

A Tale of Two Thieves

Two book thefts from Asia recently made the newswires. The outcome of both is surprising to western ears. However, this really isn’t a story about the difference in treatment of book theft between ...

Of Goupils and Men, or the Bestial Condition of Man

Of Goupils and Men, or the Bestial Condition of Man

A question was recently raised in a rare books group on a social network: are fables featuring animals for kids? Yes, they are—but of course, not only. I’m French and, as such, a kid of Jean de La ...

Paintings sometimes tell a different story

Paintings sometimes tell a different story

On eBay recently I bought a painting of the Shawangunk Mountains in Ulster County, New York.  The distant scene is the Gardiner cliffs, the collision of an ancient fault of granite that formed the ...

Christies May 21st in London:  in the embrace of history

Christies May 21st in London: in the embrace of history

Christie’s has a long and storied history of formidable auctions, and the material they offer meets a very high standard. This month, Christie’s London’s Valuable Manuscripts and Printed Books cont...

Rare and Collectible Maps at Old World Auction - ending May 21st

Rare and Collectible Maps at Old World Auction - ending May 21st

As is common these days, the Upcoming Auctions calendar on AE is chock-full for May. The amount of material to browse can be overwhelming, and month to month, we try to write about several auctions...

Rose City (Portland) Book Fair Comes in June, Vancouver in October

Rose City (Portland) Book Fair Comes in June, Vancouver in October

Residents of the Pacific Northwest, both sides of the border, have a couple of book fairs to which they can look forward. The eighth annual Rose City Used Book Fair is scheduled for Friday and Satu...

Auctions in May

Auctions in May

For the month of May 105 auctions are scheduled.  A few more will be announced as the month progresses.  The flow of auctions has become so insistent that the continuum of auctions is now self-sust...

15 New Catalogues Reviewed for May

15 New Catalogues Reviewed for May

This month, we have 15 new bookseller catalogues to review. There are several that cover an undefined variety of material, while others target very specific niches. Bauman Rare Books features new a...

Rare Book Monthly

  • 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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