weekend show...quick follow-up...

We had a very nice trip to Great Barrington this past weekend. The Castle is really a lovely location...all bookfairs should be held in such lovely venues. On the other hands, the show was oversold. That is, the promoter sold more booths than the venue could physically hold. As a result, there were a handful of dealers literally out on the lawn (as opposed to the more or less covered terrace where some dealers planned to be (the option was 3 6' tables inside or 3 8' tables on the terrace (or...er...lawn, apparently).

Now it is nice to have a lot of dealers in one place...it is less nice to have a lot of dealers densely packed in several small spaces. There were three "main" rooms plus several galley spaces and the Dean's office (the castle is now private school). We were one of 4 dealers in the Dean's office (mind you, two were autograph dealers who split a 2 table "booth"). The room was lovely...though, as one who spent a couple of years at prep school, spending a DAY in the Dean's office was a bit disconcerting. The downside was that it was *just* enough off the path (and only had one point of access/egress) that it had a pretty serious effect on traffic.

There was pretty good foot traffic...especially as it was quite warm/humid and, overall, the fair was quite successful for us. We did not sell a great deal, but enough to feel good about it and the other matrix points were well struck (new contacts, ancillary project work, greater than 5 people returning to our booth to tell us nice things about the booth, etc.). Then, on Sunday, I spent 5 hours going through a client's archive pillaging wonderful material (more on this later). So, as I said, it was a fun and productive weekend.

That said, I am not certain I will do it again. Do not get me wrong, it is a great
physical location and the a supportive community (I've a good friend who lives in that neck of the woods who said, "GB has that rare combination of deep pockets and good taste...an increasingly scarce combination."). But the density and combination of dealers was uncomfortable.

I would do the show again in a second if the booth fees were raised by $100 or so. This would, I think, both thin the show a bit *and* help "gel" the remaining attending dealers. I do like doing shows with this promoter, however, as she rolls with the punches so well and doesn't let kavetching dealers get to her (the power main blew in part of the building during the show...a minor nightmare...but it was handled, overall, very well).

On a slightly related note, I do want to firmly agree with a comment to my show rant. ..admission to attend a show should be reconsidered. Perhaps you charge for a preview evening event, but not for the show itself. The idea of charging for shows probably originated at trade shows...where you often have companies giving away garbage to reasonably nice swag (that is, you charge to create a minor disincentive to attend the event unless you are genuinely interested in the concept/product(s), not just collecting swag). With book fairs, however, we want virtually any and every warm body who loves a good book (ok, and has a dime or several hundred (thousand) to rub together).

A great example of the problem happened in NY at the Carriage House show opposite the ABAA's NY show. I had a client who flew in from the mid-west to attend the two events. He wanted to attend the ABAA show that opened at 11 or so on Saturday and planned to attend Carriage House first. However, rather than trying as hard as possible to draw people to CH *prior* to the opening of the ABAA event, the promoter held a "preview" morning event and charged people $50 to enter the Carriage House show that morning. My client balked at what he thought was...well, he used colorful words...suffice it to say he did not think the pricing was fair or reasonable. He went and had a nice, leisurely breakfast, called me and told me what was up and then went to the ABAA event. He bought a couple of thousand dollars from me in the lobby of my hotel and many more thousand at the Park Ave. show. He *would* have spent money at the CH show...never came because of the entrance fee (N.B. this appears to be an issue that will not be repeated next year...but we shall see).

Anyway, fairs will continue and, most likely evolve...I look forward to it. It is also, clearly, far easier to analyze and wax esoteric about fairs than actually run one. I'll try to keep future whining much more brief.

bookplates (by and for the junkie)

I enjoy a nice bookplate as much as the next guy...and genuinely love finding the occational exceptional one (e.g. Cecil B. DeMille's orange art deco plate in a nice copy of The Near East is about my favorite). I am, however, a book guy at heart.

Luckily, there are those who see books as mere vehicles for the art and pleasure that is the bookplate, and to that end, I want to introduce you to the Bookplate Junkie [disclaimer...this is a friend and client, please do not hold this against him]. The site is really wonderful.

It reminds me, yet again, that there are far too many things to learn. I am going to need decades and decades just to stay current...urgh.

Note to self:

Do not write long, ranting post pondering the nuances of book fairs when one needs to pack books for an event *sigh*. See you in Great Barrington...it looks like it will be a great event with a great collection of dealers. Stop by my booth...there will be small rewards for anyone who mentions the blog *laughing*.

comic con, book fairs and the art of promoting...

The fine folks over at Fine Books have a very good entry on the growth/success of Comic Con and what might be learned for the book fair scene. Fine Books has posted a bit on the book fair scene (here and here), and I generally agree across the board (though I think the Portland fair is going along nicely and is going to be changing...I hope for the better...starting next year.

One of the problems with talking about bookfairs is that we tend to talk about them as if there was one promoter doing one type of show. The dilemma is that, like shops, bookfairs run the gamut from flea market to the very high end. The other dilemma is that anyone who can rent a hall and network with dealers such to fill it can call themselves a show promoter. There are genuine skills required to run (and grow) a professional show...and a fair number who do so do not seem to really understand the animal they are trying to ride. Many seem to think that renting a hall, arranging that there be tables/security and placing two or three 1 inch ads in Book Source, Fine Books and the like fulfills their responsibility...And they have not explanation to the dealers who attend why traffic is "off." There are, clearly, some major exceptions, the ABAA (and Sanford Smith) put on very good events (though, again, a rather different animal from the usual bookfair). More promisingly, there seem to be "professional promoters" coming into the field...the Baltimore Summer Antique and Antiquarian book fair's recent acquisition by a Palm Beach group bodes well (though this is their first year with the show...time will tell).

As I have ranted about now and then, I feel strongly that book fairs need to bring more to the table to draw people in the door...I do not think such efforts need to add much to the cost, but they do require more back office/organizational time. Arrange with dealers to do short presentations on specific topics (i.e. collection development, identifying firsts, book cleaning and care, etc.)...bring in book binders to do short seminars on repair...bring in authors to speak on their books...etc., etc., etc. There are any number of people willing to speak for 15-30 mins (for free) in exchange for a bit of face time and recognition. This last point is important. Print a program for the event...stapled to the floor map...listing seminar times, topics and speakers so people can PLAN who they will see. It is nice to accident's wander onto a book repair class...but nicer to know that one can attend said class at a given time. Free appraisals might also be a nice draw on a given day, and again, it is not likely to be hard to find a handful of people willing to man such a table for a short shift. For that matter, invite Brodart/Gaylord/etc to attend...I think *many* attendees would like to be able to pick up pre-cut DJ sleeves and the like *and* I know these outfits have people who are very good at doing short seminars on various book/library topics (I am surprised, actually, that Brodart or the like hasn't approached some of the bigger/more established shows about booth space...the cost is low and the exposure is very high (both to dealers and collectors).

Advertising is another *major* failing in many shows. The Portland show, which has be critiqued recently in a few places, has definitely suffered declining foot traffic. We have attended the last three years and live here in the city. I have not seen a *single* poster for the show anywhere in town any year (here, I think both the promoter and the sponsor have to share the blame). I specifically asked for posters and was going to put them up myself here in town...but never received any [N.B. the fair is changing a bit this coming year and beyond and, with luck, will turn around...we shall see]. There are plenty of venues, however, that are clearly overlooked by most. Portland, for example, has a considerable number of "event calendars"...all of which are free and while the number of page views may be debated, the cost/benefit analysis weighs heavily in their favor. Actually cultivating local media interest *before* the show is another major avenue that is widely ignored. The major papers may take a pass, but many of the free/community papers are always looking for copy...prepare a well written press release that can be copied directly and you'd be surprised how many will be picked up. The bottom line is, there are *many* options to getting the word out about a show and creating some buzz about an event.

As has been said elsewhere, "cleaning up" wouldn't hurt a fair number of shows, either. I completely understand that pipe and drape costs real money and is not appropriate in many venues, but choosing nice space and making certain it is clean and tidy is not too much to expect. Personally, I think suggesting in contracts that dealers wear at least "business casual" is not unreasonable. Most dealers require by contract matching table covering that go to the floor (where there is not pipe and drape), I suggest asking dealers to be equally presentable makes sense too *laughing*. Seriously, though, it is in both the dealers' and the promoters' best interests to have a well appointed booth and be dressed professionally. I am not suggesting that all must wear coat and tie (though, sadly, I do (and I make my long suffering son do so as well)), but slacks and a polo shirt is a much more finished look than holy jeans and a tee shirt.

Again, part of the problem in thinking about these issues is that unlike the antique fair market, there is no real caste system in place....which is a problem for some dealers and many potential attendees. If you go to a large antique fair, you do not expect to find bargains...you expect to find a large number of very nice to exceptional pieces in one place. If you want bargains, you go to the flea market, jewelery shows, ceramic shows, etc. are the same (yes, yes, I know there are exceptions...you need them to define the Rule). With books, it is really the opposite, with the exception of the ABAA/ILAB shows, pretty much all other books shows are a mishmash, to varying degrees, from low price, high volume dealers to the extremely high end. There is a natural selection process that occurs with most shows, so that over time, off the beaten path shows tend to favor low/mid priced dealers and others attract the higher end...but by and large, any given show has one booth where there is almost nothing for more than $20 and another with almost nothing for less than several hundred and the rest falling in clusters somewhere in between. This selection process is sped up when pricing of shows varies a great deal...a shows with a $195 booth fee is often a very different animal from a show with a $1200 booth fee (or, at ABAA events, a $3K to $12K booth fee).

This is not a bad thing, generally...but it does lead to trouble on both ends... lower margin/high volume dealers kavetch any time booth space prices are raised, higher end dealers whine that the only people coming to a given show are looking for flea market items (and/or that the overall "look and feel" of a given show is not conducive to their books and/or the clients they want to attract). [I know the Baltimore show, having been recently acquired, raised booth fees for this event by 33% to a fair amount of gnashing of teeth...on the other hand, we looked at the price of $650 or so and thought it was quite reasonable for a four day show with foot traffic numbers in the area 13000 +/- attendees (admittedly, only a portion of which are book folk) and a promoter who has an actual marketing plan (banners at BWI, the library and streets, ad placements in a wide variety of venues, etc., etc....you get, as it were, what you pay for.] I think the book fair market community is in a period of transition and that while there will always be some blending and, god knows, a great deal of complaining, trends are beginning to arise. There are dealers who spend nearly every weekend at shows, and they will continue to do so and to pick the "right" shows for their goods (they tend to be pretty good at this...it being their business and all). What I think you are beginning to see, however, is that more and more brick and mortar and boutique dealers are becoming more sophisticated in their show selections.

We are planning to do somewhere around 6 or so shows a year (and no more than 10) and are trying to be very selective due to that limited number. We are trying different shows to see what we think and talking with just about everyone we know who does shows about the pros and cons of the various options. Equally, however, we are talking about the promoters of given shows. There are shows we have considered and passed on because we do not feel warm and fuzzy about the type of shows a given promoter puts out...equally, there is a promoter that we are trying hard to find a show that fits our schedule/profile because we have heard such good things and see such good execution at a few events of theirs that we have attended. My guess is that we will see a streamlining of events/promoters and caste system take a more established form as promoters who excel at doing "better" shows refine their talents and those who execute the more "flea market" approach focus in that area (and, possibly, sell the more complex shows different promoters). I love bargain hunting and the whole flea market scene (but it is not the right market for my brand)...people who seek these shows out are not expecting (nor do they generally want) high end prices...they are looking for deals (and/or treasures missed)...it is a great market and marketing opportunity...but, I think, different from what most "book fairs" should be.

In the end, all shows have value to the book seller and book collector communities. My thoughts and suggestions about shows and promoting are clearly aimed at the "better" show market (whatever that means), as it is there that there are booth fees, etc. to engage in some marketing (personally, I would happily pay a higher booth fee at a number of shows if the increase was spent on creating a better event and/or marketing efforts) and, generally, the desire to grow/improve a show. I look forward to seeing how the show community evolves and changes. I love doing shows (large and small) and look forward to doing them for years. I just hope the shows themselves keep themselves fresh and relevant.

I apologize for the rant...this is much longer than I intended and, sadly, I lack the time to make it shorter (cf. "Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte. (Blaise Pascal, Lettres Provinciales, xvi (1657) [I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter.]). I love the fair market and think a good bit about it...and ramble too much...oh well.

Rare Books and Rural Arithmetic....

Sometimes you find wonderful things in the strangest places...sometimes you find the unexpected...sometimes you just find things that make you feel a bit...er...disquieted. I have just run across an amazing little tome titled, Rural Arithmetic: A Course in Arithmetic Intended to Start Children to Thinking and Figuring on Home and Its Improvements (1913). In the preface, the author (John Calfee) basically states that those children for whom college is not planned are often ignored in elementary school and the result is that "the soil has been abused and worn out, much of the timber wasted, and many once fertile farms abandoned." He sets out, therefore, to create a volume that "touch[es] the important phases of farm management."

The chapters are:

1: Fundamental Processes
2: Decimals
3: Education and Thrift
4: Practical measurements
5: Conservation of the Soil
6: Household and Health Problems
7: Growing Crops
8: Estimation of Crops in the Bulk
9: Stock and Feed Problems
10: Transportation
11: Building Problems
12: Machine, Shop, and Draft Problems.
13: Business Problems

Nice and logical...it is actually reading the problems presented that one begins to understand why we seem to be falling behind other countries in the area of math (and science). A few examples:

In the Conservation of Soil - Drainage section we find:

A fall of 3 inches for each hundred feet is considered a minimum grade for farm drainage. How much fall is this to the rod?

In Stock and Feed Problems - Cattle and Hog Problems, we find:

Can a farmer afford to feed corn at $0.40 per bushel when fat hogs are selling in the local market at $5.50 per hundredweight.

In Building Problems - Stonework and Brickwork, we find:

With brick at $10 per thousand, what will the brick cost for a flue 12 inches by 8 inches in the clear, and 27 feet high [ave. brick cited as 8"x4"x2"]?

In Practical Measurements - Specific Gravity, we find:

The specific gravity of cast iron is 7.4. What is the weight of a bar 2 feet long, 9 inches wide, and 8 inches thick?

And finally, in Practical Measurements - Measuring Lumber in the Log, we find:

Determine the number of board feet in the following: 3 logs 14 feet long, 36 inches in diameter; 2 logs 16 feet long, 24 inches in diameter [remembering Doyle's Rule: substrate 4 inches from the smallest diameter, multiply the remainder by one half itself, then by the length of the log in feet and divide by 8].

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure these out *pathetic smile* (having to confirm the terms "hundredweight" and "rod" (100 pounds (no surprise there) and 16.5 feet) didn't help. I do, truly, believe that in our desire (and haste) to "leave no child behind" (or, perhaps, teach to the lowest common denominator), we are doing ourselves (and, worse, our children) a great disservice.

Tom Lehrer had a great line in his song, New Math (circa 1965), "It doesn't matter if you get the correct answer, as long as you understand the process" [paraphrased]. I am fond of Lehrer, who is also noted for saying that giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Henry Kissinger in 1973 made political satire obsolete.

I remember talking with a semi-retired bank president shortly before 2000 about the whole Y2K scare. To paraphrase his response as to why he was not concerned about the hype he said, "we have many people here how know how to run the books without computers." I wonder how much longer that will remain to be the case (hell, it has been years since I was at a market where I could buy anything if the cash registers were "down").

Perhaps books should be valued based on the quality of the data they contain (perhaps in several categories, e.g. practical, artistic, culinary, etc.). Thus, Rural Arithmetic would be worth a great deal, while much of the pablum that dominates the hyper modern market would be valued as it most likely should be (admittedly, I am exposing a bias here). Ah, but that is the beauty of books...there are plenty out there to sate any appetite.

Next time I am at my parent's home, I am going to figure out the board feet available in the 6 drying logs beside the garage...just 'cause I can.

What is it about looking a gift horse...

My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on July 4th (you may have noticed the nation-wide festivities - parades, picnics and fireworks - we grow more flattered each year). My parents gave us a strangely wonderful gift...a complete set of Hogarth prints (a early reprint (c.1821-32) of the 1732 etchings), beautifully hand-colored. The slightly questionable aspect comes from the series choice: A Harlot's Progress. We asked my parents (that is, I asked my parents) if there was something to be read into this...they of course, denied it (and claimed that they both knew that was what I would say *g*).

Truth be told, this series hung on the central hall staircase in the home I grew up in for decades but has been "away" since they moved to the cape on the ocean. They are stunning and now hanging up our front stairs. They are so typical of his work...and exceptional to look at (though, admittedly, the "come to the city at 18, die of an STD by 23 (after prison) is pretty harsh). The series was so well received that he followed with the equally uplifting (and brilliantly executed) Rake's Progress.

It is, needless to say, a lovely gift that we will treasure...may they last as long on our front stairs as they did my parents. Better still, giving us (read, Suzanne), "A Harlot's Progress" as a gift will be the source of inappropriate family jokes for many, many years.

newly discovered book blog...

Don Lindgren has been blogging for quite a while (end of 2003)...sadly, I have only just discovered it. Don has been in the business for many years, shares a love of house renovation and, best of all, recently left the real world for the wilds of Maine. I'm slightly annoyed to have only just found it...too much reading for catch up. Eat, read and be merry.

Ephemera can be such fun...

I have a really nice copy of AE Newton's, The Amenities of Book-Collecting and Kindred Affections. It was part of a library of a well known Newton collector and has some wonderful bit laid into it (letter from AM bookstore to the original buyer, letter from Newton on the sales and reprint, etc., etc. My favorite, however, is the laid in "censored plate" of a charicature of Dr. Johnson that was deemed so offensive at the time that it was struck before publication. The title, as can be seen, is "Bossy Bounce Preparing for the Scotch Professors to Kiss." Personally, I think it is charmingly subtle *g*.

books and bacteria...

My father (physician and medical historian) bought my son (silly 8 year old) a very cool book/kit at the start of the summer. It is basically a set of five petri dishes, some powder to make a glucose/gelatin culture medium and a few swabs for taking samples and a cool book called "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly! A Book about Bacteria and Germs (Luann Columbo, 2004). A few weeks ago, Aidan, Eli and I read the book and then collected five samples: one each from our cheeks, one from the cat's cheek (he enjoyed that a lot) and one from several sample points on a toilet in the house.

I won several jellybeans from the boys as they did not believe that their mouths would grow more interesting things than other spots. The picture does not do it justice, but suffice it to say that upper left is cat, bottom left is toilet, center is Eli, upper right is Aidan and lower right is me. The cat and toilet have very minor growth but are largely clear...the human mouths are...well...vile *laughing*.

Aidan is fascinated and has taken out another book on bacteria and viruses...he even recogized that my IM icon is an ebola virus (I'm ever so proud). He looked up after reading a section on how viruses can mutate and said, "who knew reading science books could be so cool." He wants to read the Hot Zone *laughing*.

Quick observation/vetting of friends...

We have a long entry foyer, with the stairs on the left side and a long, narrowish hall that deadends. I have ten foot tall bookshelves running the length of the 20 foot hall. At the moment, it is upon these shelves that I keep the significant material we have on hand (items of lesser value are boxed and stored). It makes for a lovely entrance to the house...largely comprised of fine bindings, early material in exceptional condition, first editions in Brodarted DJ...literary/historical significance notwithstanding, it is an aesthetically appealing wall.

I have been noticing, of late, peoples' reaction when they enter the house. There are three general reactions (from non-dealers): 1) complete engagement/deer in headlights - those who suffer our affliction stare in rapt engagement, eyes darting from one spine to another (my personal favorite); 2) obligatory compliment - sees the books, knows they are "nice" and says something equally "nice" (the slightly more sophisticated of this group will quickly scan for a title they recognize and ask a directed follow-up question)...they are not really book lovers, but are polite enough and/or know enough of books to recognize that the shelves are special; 3) willful blindness - this group does not look at the books, comment upon them or in any way acknowledge their existence...it is as if they have decided that anything bound in boards is beneath their purview and/or is intimidating to the point where the only recourse is to ignore the offending volumes existence.

I have decided that I should vet my friends by how they react to this wall. We have friends who are highly educated otherwise charming people (lawyers, a doctor and a CPA) who fall into category "3"...I just don't trust them anymore, there is something missing deep in their souls. Anyone who has the "1"...or even the "2"...reaction can stay (1s, because they share the disease and 2s because they are at least well behaved enough to offer the compliment and are thus likely well mannered enough to be pleasant company).

Our UPS delivery guy is a "1". I love how his eyes devour the shelves as I am signing the electronic pad...how he kibitzes with me about books until he finally says that he has to go (I'll chat with him as long as he likes)...how he chides me to ship more via UPS so he can stop by more often. I'll take 15 minutes chatting with him over a long dinner discussing the finer points of golf/sailing/organic gardening any day.

[Please note, the foregoing is clearly a gross generalization. I am aware that some very fine people are not of the bookish sort. I am well aware of my profoundly deep and varied character flaws that would make me an unsavory guest to many friends were they to enforce a similarly arbitrary vetting process. That said, if you are not bookish, you had best know some good jokes, cook well or dance with gusto.]

Never look a gift library sale in the mouth...

I have a funny thing about library sales. I tend to be of the camp that if you are not there at the start, then you may as well skip it as anything of interest will be gone after the first 10 minutes or so. Add to that my disdain for those who rush in, grab armfuls (or bagfuls) of books and then go "sort" them later in a corner...and I'm often pretty willing to pass unless I, A) need some things to read for fun (no place like a library sale for trashy reading) or B)my ever so brilliant wife tells me to stop being a putz and go with her. She is, as always (and annoyingly), correct.

We went to a smallish sale this morning. We bought about a dozen books or so (including a small set of ten). We spent about $30. Three or four items were for reading/schoolhouse placement...most of the rest are individually worth more than we paid for the lot. The treats, however, were extreme: Islands of Hawaii (Ansel Adams and Edward Joesting, warmly inscribed by Joesting); a truly lovely set of the 1922 edition of Journeys Through Bookland (10 volumes, complete, in Near Fine condition) and (my personal favorite) Twopeny's, English Metal Work (1904, first edition, Fine). Simply lovely things. They made my day...not so much the bargain they were...but rather that such lovely and slightly off the beaten path material would show up in such a funny place.

I doubt the Journeys will leave the house. They are, if you have not run across them before, a set of literature for children. I have just picked up Volume 9 at random and scanned the table of contents. Among the 35 stories/essays in this volume are works by Charles Lamb, Charles Dickens, Plutarch, Shakespeare, James Boswell, Edgar Allan Poe, Theodore Roosevelt, E. S. Creasy, Francis Bacon, Robert Louis Stevenson, William Cullen Bryant, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Patrick Henry..among others. It ends with a section on the pronunciation of Proper Names. This is just Vol. 9 (clearly a largely "non-fiction" volume). Our president has stated that it is his "goal" that every 9 year old in the country be able to read.

My 8 year old reads on a high school level...I am unclear as to whether his reading is genuinely advanced or if our expectations of high school achievement has fallen so low that a marginally sharp 8 year old can exceed them. I want to see my son's 3rd grade teacher's face when he turns in a summer reading list that includes Francis Bacon.

Have our expectations fallen so low that we are pleased when our kids will read *anything*...so Captain Underpants is not Plutarch, at least it is ink on a page (mind you, CU is quite funny...in that nonsense/theatre of the absurd sort of way). Can Goosebumps and Magic Treehouse really share a shelf with Dickens, Hawthorne and Hans Christen Andersen? Should they? There is not doubt that there has been a tremendous surge in genuinely good juvenile, thanks in large part to Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket and all those who followed...clearly some publishers have come to the conclusion that not all children's lit needs to be pablum (or, worse, some strange ink-on-paper extension of Nickelodeon programming). Kids *love* being challenged...they like the big words of Snicket, the scarieness of Spiderwick (or Grimm). hmmmm....I'm ranting...I will stop now. I need sleep.


I think I will read Journeys with the small ones...better yet, have him read them to me. It was a great library sale. A wonderful day (pancake breakfast, book sale, parade, beach, ice cream, lobster dinner, fireworks...does it get better than that?!?). I hope yours was pleasing as well.

Tag, you're it....

Fine Books and Collections, The Blog relatively recently (*head hung in shame*) credited me with turning him onto the value and fun to be found in "Illustrated Price Guides of Books Wanted" that a handful of dealers produced in the 1930s. He does a far nicer job exploring their pleasures than I did in my post (though I prefer the Tamerlane image *g*).

I have been very open about my pleasure in reading FB&C (and advertising with them). For some inexplicable reason, The Blog does not seem to be accessible from the journal's main page, but it is content rich and I strongly recommend it.

Two abstracts...Irish lit you may have missed...

My father (physician, Oslerian and general medical historian) forwarded me two articles the other day and I thought I should pass them along:

The first is "Medicine in the Age of "Ulysses" - James Joyce's portrait of life, medicine, and disease on a Dublin day a century ago" by Fergus Shanahan and Eamonn M.M. Quigley (Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, Vol. 49, No. 2: 276-85pp). The abstract sums it up nicely:

Over time, contemporary writing becomes part of the historical record. In medicine, it is an important learning tool, particularly for understanding the experience and context of disease and illness. Although a century has elapsed since the fictional events on a single day described in James Joyce's Ulysses, the work is still fresh with references and allusions to doctors, illnesses, and the human experience. Ulysses provides perspective on medical and social history and offers a biting commentary of continuing relevance to the doctor-patient relationship.

The other is a bit more off the beaten path. "Oliver St. John Gogarty, MD (1878-1957): Quintessential Irish Literary Renaissance Figure" by Richard Carter (Journal of Medical Biography, 2006, 14: 118-23pp.). The abstract (all articles should have nice, easily cut/pasted, abstracts):

Oliver St John Gogarty (1878-1957) was a quintessential figure of the Irish literary renaissance. He was a successful surgeon, accomplished lyric poet, a man of letters, a senator in the first Irish Free State and a celebrated wit. While pursuing a successful career in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgery, Gogarty served a brief, nearly lethal term in politics. He devoted the last several years of his life to a remarkably versatile literary career, the spectrum of his creativity including elegant lyric poetry, autobiographies, biographies, essays, novels and parodies.

Neither is available (easily) online...however, if you drop your friendly, neighborhood medical librarian (all hospitals have them) a quick note and ask nicely, I am confident a copy could be emailed to you with ease (disclosure: my mother is a medical librarian...trust me, they much prefer dealing with nice bookish folk than annoying med. community folk *g*).

Upcoming Book Fairs we will be attending...

We are planning to attend the following book fairs over the next few months:

Searles Castle Antiquarian Book Fair - Great Barrington, MA; July 30-31
Baltimore Summer Antique/Antiquarian Book Fair - Aug 31-Sept. 3
Pioneer Valley Antiquarian Book -North Hampton, MA, Oct. 22
Princeton Antiquarian Book Fair -Princeton, NJ, Oct. 27-28
Boston Book, Print and Ephemera - Boston, MA, Nov. 18

If you know you will be attending, please let us know and I'll see what I can do about a pass (or, at least, a discount)...no promises, but one never knows. Far more importantly, if there is anything we can bring that might tickle your fancy, let me know.

We have recently absorbed several rather significant collections and are really looking forward to bringing some exceptional items to these events. If you do attend any (or all), please stop by the booth and say Hi.

Amazingly good press...yikes...

So the best news of the summer is that just prior to the NY book fair, I had a call from a reporter at the Portland Press Herald. He told me that an anonymous someone had suggested that Lux Mentis would be a good candidate for a business profile and would I be interested in being interviewed? I tried to hide the sound of my jumping up and down while telling him that I would love to, but was packing for a book fair. "Perfect," he said, "the photographer will love that." Admittedly, it is slightly more interesting than capturing me while I am cataloguing *laughing*.

So he (and the photographer) came by a few days later. He interviewed me for a couple of hours or so and we exchanged a few emails afterward. The article came out while I was in NY at the Carriage House show. I knew it was out because I started getting calls from friends, clients and others starting at about 9am Friday morning. I am still getting calls that start with, "I saw that nice article about you..."

The article was quite amazing. It was pretty much 1/3 of the front page of the Business section and then a column or so on the back page of the section. Remarkable.

There was a spelling error or two and a misquote or two as well, but truth be told, I could not have written as nice an article about us *g*. My biggest regret is that one of the pictures included in the article was of a wonderful binding by a genuinely talented binder here in Maine, Julie Stackpole. The picture was wonderful, but they did not include her name in the caption, which I think was a miss. I am hoping that it is because they plan to do a similar profile about her bindery...it would be far more interesting.

I have posted a .pdf of the article here. Sadly, it does not include the images...if you really want to see it in all its glory, email me and I'll send you a copy (I have MANY *laughing*). All together too much fun.

Library Thing...

From the shameless plug department: If you have not discovered Library Thing, go now.

Think of it as Social Networking for Bibliophiles. You can "catalogue" your library (or any portion thereof) and it effectively shows you who else shares your strange obessions. You can play with others or poke about silently. I've discovered WAY too many new and interesting things I "must read."

Best of all, it was started and remains based in Portland, Maine. My little town. Who would have thunk it? The only downside is that they have recently sold a bit of themselves to ABE. With luck, controling interest remains locally and ABE will not attempt one of their ham-fisted efforts to "improve" it (admittedly, I have some mild ABE issues at the moment...it's a love/hate thing...quite refreshing).

I mean it, go HERE now...explore...most interesting thing on the techo/biblio front in a very long time.

Items I will miss...

It is not often you can blend blasphemy, obscenity and great art in one charming piece. I have had the pleasure of cataloguing a collection from one of the original artists for National Lampoon. In addition to some wonderful books and bits of '60s underground art was a cache of original art from Lampoon.

Saint Onan, shown here, was from the early 1970s "Religion" issue that included three "Saints Who Should Have Been." A truly brilliant (and horrid) item. I designed a shadow box that allowed me to backlight it at shows.

As I predicted (and feared), it did not make it back from NY. I miss it in all its completely inappropriate brilliance.

A book dealer is born...

My son attended his first big show in NY this summer. He was my assistant at the Carriage House show (the same weekend as the NY ABAA event). He his officially in charge of miniature books and has spent a fair amount to time reading about them and learning about what different types and what to look for, etc., etc., etc. He does not yet know as much about them as he does about Pokemon or dinosaurs...but hope springs eternal.

The NY fair was a great show and the ABAA event was wonderful to visit...I look forward, if all goes well, to be there in a few years.

My favorite sale of the weekend was a very early (1855) sationary counter book. A simply wonderful item that I (and my client) wanted to be certain went to a good home (were it would not be broken up by a paper dealer and sold in peices). I am pleased to say it was acquired by a lovely older woman with a long history in the stationary realm and was entirely taken with it. She spent nearly an hour looking at it...page by page...she finally turned to me and said, simply, "I must have it." I love moments like that. She sent me a thank you note several days later on engraved Cartier stationary...defintely the right home.

Portland Book Fair (revisited)...

The Portland Book Fair was great fun. It is held about 5 blocks from home, making it wildly convienient and this year, was not overwhelmingly hot. My son was a great help and had a fair amount of fun (having his gameboy did, I'll admit, help).

I love this fair in part because I get to see a lot of the Maine dealers who do not come to other event and in part because it is just way too much fun (in that strangely pleasing Theatre of the Absurd way).

Best of all, I get to see my favorite Young Maine Female Dealer Who Blogs (ok, also probably the only one). Sarah is wonderful and if you have not read her blog, I highly recommend it. She annoys me a bit...started blogging far after me, but is so much better about posting regularly and pleasingly. I bought a wonderful copy of Design for Death from her...a wonderfully strange little tome.

My best buy of the weekend, however, was wickedly userous. Another young dealer friend (but "from away") attended the show and sadly (for him) had a rather drearly day. I managed to turn the show around for him in the last minutes (and buy him and his extremely lovely partner another night in Old Orchard Beach) by picking up a wonderful set of Edmund Spencer's, The Faerie Queene (the 1897, 6 volume set by George Allen) *and* a beautiful copy of Gertrude Stein's, The World Is Round (a very round book, complete with the promo balloon). It is nice when you can take advantage of a friend and have everyone be happy.

I grovel (again) in mortification...

I am sorry, to all those who have pestered me about why I have been so quiet, for my absense. I am back and will do my best to keep active and posting. I really appreciate the missives and even the jibes *g*. I have been extremely busy on many fronts. The following posts will cover most of the chaos that has been my life for the past few couple of months or so (all right, four months...where does time go...). Great excite and hilarity has been had by all.