The Bathtub Collection...Dorothy Schullian and some [not actually] dirty books

The National Library of Medicine is hosting an exhibition of its "Bathtub Collection"...a collection of material discovered when old bindings held by the library were conserved. The collection was started in the 1940s when the Library began a conservation program, retaining Dorothy Shullian as curator and Jean Eschman, a master binder. Eschman repaired many bindings, but replaced many, as well. Shullian was clever enough to save the boards:

Though she did not consider many of the intact bindings worth preserving, she was aware of the interest and value of the materials from which they were made. When the books were rebound in the bindery, instead of discarding the old covers, Dr. Schullian, took them home, soaked them in her bathtub to loosen the paste and separate the layers of paper or parchment, hung them up to dry, and placed them in envelopes, labeled with information about the volume from which they were removed. The History of Medicine Division staff came to refer to them as the "Bathtub Collection," both a tribute to Dr. Schullian's labors and a mark of affection for this eccentric assemblage.

They have many examples (like these and these) of the treasures found within the bindings. My wife does not seem pleased with the idea of soaking apart boards in the tub...

Not remotely book related...just annoying...

So Fortune just announced the biggest profit makers of 2007. The winner is, of course, ExxonMobil with 40.61 BILLION dollars in profits...nearly twice that of the number two and a record for annual profits for an American company. ExxonMobil *also* set this record in 2006 and 2005.

I am all for vibrant markets and making profits where/when possible...but there seems to be a little bit of a disconnect (at least to me) when fuel (gas/diesel/heating) prices are skyrocketing *and* the likes of ExxonMobil are claiming it is due to refining limitations and crude oil prices. I just spent $70 to fill the car. I wonder how many books will fit in a SmartCar.

Modern (nearly) book curse

Book curses are most often associated with medieval volumes, but I ran across this today in a 1918 tome:

Whoever shall steal this book of knowledge shall graduate in Sing Sing College.

Great bookish weekend...

This weekend was the Five-Colleges Library Sale in Lebanon, NH. We had never gone before, but had heard that it was big and good and fun...so we thought we would give it a try (and have a fun, relaxing weekend after two back-to-back fair weekends in NY and Boston).

We set out on Friday, stopping by to see George Sutton and DeWolfe and Wood. George was setting off on a buying trip of his own, but we had a nice chat. The stop at D&W was very nice. We picked up several very nice things and some fun things for clients and had a nice visit.

On our way to the B&B, we stopped by two places in NH (well, really one: Old Number Six Book Depot (both shops)). Again, found some nice things and had some good chats (the later being as much fun as the former, much of the time). We then went on to the Silver Maple Lodge in VT (inexpensive while nice and clean...good coffee in the morning).

The next morning we set out early to get to the sale. We arrived about a hour early (about 805 for a 9am sale). By my rough...but reasonably accurate count, we were about 100 and 101 in line. We were told that some people get there at 5 am...personally, I do not see that as rational, but who am I to judge *laughing*. By 5 of 9, there were at *least* 400 people in line and we were told by a security person with a clicker that, by the time we left (at about 12), over 1100 people had passed through the door (admittedly, I saw her click me twice on a return from the car).

It was an interestingly organized sale. They had things grouped reasonably well and as one would expect...though they added "Oddments", covering things that did not fit well elsewhere (think Victorian bindings, strange little bits of this and that and the like). They had a "Specials" table...from which we picked up some very nice things (e.g. reasonably significant Poe, a good Wyeth title in extremely good condition in the original box, a nice Walter Crane item, etc.). They also has some very nice things on a Sealed Bid table (I managed to pick up 5 of those, as well...nice limited of Kent's Shakespeare, a nice Russian Pushkin set, a beautiful copy of How to Wrap Five Eggs, etc.). I was pretty impressed with the pricing on the specials table...more than the $1-5 elsewhere, but not remotely unreasonable (and not the increasingly common "if it is "worth" $100 on ebay/abe, it should be priced such here).

The tables were filled with a stunning volume of material. We picked up a little bit from there, too...though not as much as from the Specials or Sealed. They have been doing it for years and it shows. Just a really well run show. I still favor the Brunswick Library's preview approach of a preview (night before, must join the FoL (good for coffers and mailing list) and then you are limited to just 10 books...little/no rudeness, no "sweeping", not picking a few things and going home). This was almost as nice. Too many people with scanners and laptops vetting...but that is because I do think you need to be able to do such things by touch. Hell, it is how you learn. The vast majority is $1-2...just buy the frigging book and move on with your life.

We left after the Sealed Bids were dealt with and went to have lunch and visit Left Bank Books, Bearly Used Books and Chapman's Store and Books. We realized that Suzanne had left my good ball point at the fair. This is a pen that has been with me for about 20 years...lost once or twice and found its way home. I was reasonably certain that it was gone for good...and pretty much would not have bothered to return to the fair if Suz had not been willing to run in (her leaving it is *very* unusual and, I am certain, she was seeking redemption *g*). As it turned out, it was with the people at the auction table...they had been expecting her return. The pen, yet again, made its way back to my pocket.

Sunday morning we set out very early to meet a dear friend at a flea market from which his has culled remarkable things from and to which we have never been able to make it. We stopped by an absolutely great coffee shop in Hanover, Dirt Cowboy Coffee. They custom drip each cup, they offer a free scone to double espresso orders before 930am. They ship their coffee within 24 hours of roasting. It was one of the highpoints of the trip.

We were a bit late to the flea market (needed to get there around 830...did not make it until nearly 930). It was still fun to go and we did pick up a very large, slightly foxed engraving of "Shakespeare and Friends" (circa 1860)...for $5.00. Can't beat it with a stick. Stopped by Drake Farm Books in North Hampton, NH...wonderful shop and a great owner. 45K books in a huge barn. Not enough time...going back soon to dig.

Made it home at a reasonable hour...tried to catch up on email and the like and prepare for next week of shipping and cataloguing. Argh.

MARIAB fair follow-up (finally)

This is going to be short and sweet...as it has taken me too long to get it out as it is. It was, as my previous posts probably make clear, a great show for us. We had strong sales and strong buying and...perhaps best of all...strong stickiness. We had great conversations, what I hope will turn out to be a great interview with a trade journal and, well, just a great time. Enough "greats".

Eli was a lot of fun and remarkably well behaved for a 6 year old boy spending about 10 to 11 hours a day at a book fair. Joyce and Ken (and the rest of their crew) were lovely to and with him. He was very pleased with his bow tie, though was as disappointed as I that it was a clip-on (J. Crew's site did not indicate it and I assumed, wrongly, that the absence of the term meant it was "real"). He is getting a real one for his next show. He is overly excited about this. I am certain it will embarrass him later in life.

The promoter did, I think, a great job getting bodies in the door. The site was much better than last year...attractive and centrally located. $10/day is a genuine treat the week after a NY fair (and $45/day). The 7-11 next door even had cherry in the Slurpee machine (I know, embarrassing, a geeky but wildly addictive remnant of my tainted youth).

I was very pleased with the volume of humans in the aisle and in the booth. Admittedly, we were on the central aisle and I am not certain how steady the traffic was on the other three rows on the book side. We definitely did have a fair number of people really "there" for antiques stop by and look...and geared our front display case specifically to draw people in...it seemed to work.

In the end, it reaffirmed my belief that these kinds of hybrid shows are very good for us (Baltimore is another great example). I like any fair that draws in good crowds...the more the merrier. For these smaller and regional fairs, drawing in larger crowds seems like a good idea for all involved. I think it is great that MARIAB was willing to give this format a try...while it has only been two years now, it seems to me to have been a great decision.

A butterfly flapped its wings in Brazil and...

science looses another great. Edward N. Lorenz has passed away and somewhere there is a very guilty-looking butterfly. The meteorologist, seeking better models of weather systems, and in doing so be became the father of Chaos Theory.

The concept of the butterfly effect dates to the 1890s, but it was Lorenz in 1961 who reduced the concept to its modern conception and developed it into the theory we are familiar with. Interesting, his analogy first revolved around a seagull, "One meteorologist remarked that if the theory were correct, one flap of a seagull's wings could change the course of weather forever." (1963 paper to NY Acad. of Science).

It is possible that his subsequent use of the butterfly is, at least in part, a hat tip to Ray Bradbury. Bradbury's 1952 short story on time travel, "A Sound of Thunder", revolved around consquences of the death of a butterfly in the days of the dinosaurs. It is hard to argue that the wings of a butterfly are more poetically pleasing than the wings of a seagull.

It has been a bad week for the sciences. Three days ago, another butterfly flapped its wings which ultimately opened a wee black hole that took the life of John Wheeler. Wheeler coined the term "Black Hole" and was one of the key brains behind the development of nuclear fission. Wheeler was the last of physics' rockstars...those whose names are nearly all ubiquitous. He argued the nature of reality with Bohr and Einstein, his grad students include the likes of Richard Feynman (whose Nobel Prize is owed, in part, to Wheeler) and Hugh Everett (of "Many Worlds" theory fame...to the pleasure of cosmologists and speculative fiction writers everywhere). Freeman Dyson said of him, “He rejuvenated general relativity; he made it an experimental subject and took it away from the mathematicians,” (see, also and just for fun, Dyson shere).

I think in escapist homage I'll read, Who Got Einstein's Office? Eccentricity and Genius at the Institute for Advanced Study.

[and yes, the MARIAB wrap-up is forthcoming...I need more time in the day]

Michelle Obama: Funny and Truthy

For the record, I do not recall any of my law school professors being this...er...lovely. From last night's Colbert Report:

[N.B. Nothing bookish here...but I wager she will write one in the not too distant future...it is, thus, proto-bookish.]

Dust still settling, Show wrap-up pending...quick shop plug

Still catching up on the many things that have to be shipped, caught up and or filed (books, chores, taxes, etc). Final re Boston MARIAB will be posted tomorrow. Just a quick update:

I had to run some material up to a client in western Maine and used the opportunity to stop by a shop I have been meaning to visit for a while. I stopped in at Shoestring Books (now "The Maine Bookhouse") and it was just a great way to wrap up the afternoon. If you are in Norway and/or Oxford, I recommend stopping by. They have a broad selection, nicely organized and very well displayed (a result, I believe, of the touch of their daughter's artistic eye). I spent two hours poking through radical lit, Maine history, fiction and a great selection of farming/gardening material...and some genuinely interesting niche items....and did not manage to get upstairs (art, photography, etc) at all. I will be back in the very near future.

I love finding a great new open shop. It was a very nice day.

Final day, seminar, pack out and home...

Full review and follow-up to follow as it is late and I beyond fried. Sunday was a nice. Solid traffic pretty much all day...a lot of "stickiness" and a sale or two. One or two old friends and/or clients stopped by. Fun was had by all.

My presentation went well...particularly as I could not see my notes. I realized as soon as I was done (of course) that I had forgotten to turn off screen mirroring. 26 twit points to me...urgh. The people there seemed to enjoy it and asked some good questions. Eli asked "What is Ulysses?"...so I get to explain that to him for hours and hours *laughing*. It was a little rushed, as it is aimed at about a 45 min. session and I realized it was only for 30...Oh well. It was fun.

I packed out with Eli's help. It took about 10.5 hours to set up and about 4 hours to pack up. On the plus side, by the time I was done packing, most of the other dealers where gone and I was able to bring the car very close to the booth. Peter Luke and one or two other book guys were still there when I left...it is very nice not to be the last. I will have to get Peter a present *g*.

The drive home was uneventful. I am completely spent. Going to bed. I'll post one more on the fair tomorrow. It was, in brief, a great weekend for us on pretty much all fronts. Just a great and fun show.

Day one in Boston (MARIAB)...

Wow! Day one was just great. The promoter has clearly done a great job with this show. There was a *big* crowd waiting to get in and it was pretty steady all day long. It was 330 in the afternoon before I remembered to have lunch.

Joyce from Brattle Books (great books, bags, peanut M&Ms and just generally nice to share a booth border with) watched the booth while Eli and I went off for a quick and good lunch right on the pier (and, hypothetically, a cherry Slurpee on the way back to the show).

I saw a fair number of old friends...other dealers and "real humans" and, as mentioned, we really did have pretty steady traffic in the booth all day long. There are not many shows you can say that about and it was a nice treat today. With luck, tomorrow will be more of the same.

We sold some good books today...shockingly, only one sale was to a dealer. It is a really nice day when you have a good number of sales and the vast majority are to real humans. We've also had a lot of people say really nice things to us today, about the booth, books and boy *laughing*.

Images show the booth before set-up. There are pretty nice "right view" and "left view" of the booth. My assistant...he of "I really don't like these long ties, could you get me a bow tie, they're cool" was wonderful pretty much all day...going between playing with some actions figures/game boy and offering cards and book advice to customers. Also, Eli is-clearly-at least as excited about my recent ABAA membership as I am. He proudly tells people about this (in the booth, at restaurants, checking into the hotel, etc) and is quite convinced that he is a "half member" due to his status as Thing Two (perhaps his brother has the other half).

The last shot is strait downt he middle of the aisle at about 2pm....pretty typical of the day.

Tomorrow starts at 10am...I am the seminar speaker for the 2ish pm seminar. It should be fun, though I hate having to leave my booth abandoned (though watched) during a chunk of the "wind down" before show end. Oh well. Then break down starting at 5pm and home. Most likely no update until Monday. We shall see.

Set up in Boston....

Too tired to do justice. Suffice it to say that I arrived at my appointed time of 8am and managed to get out, completely set up, at about 630pm. I did chat a bit and did get Slurpees for the two of us (7-11 next door *and* cherry in stock...life is grand).

We have a booth and a half...pretty much "a lot of room" and have used it pretty well. I wish the show was 3 or 4 days. I hate setting up a nice booth only to take it down moments later *pathetic smile*.

We are in early tomorrow, but out pretty reasonably early as well (6ish). I'll try to get images up tomorrow.

Simon Winchester on his new book...

I mentioned some time ago hearing one of the Simon's first "public" presentations around the subject of his new book on J. Needham.

Enjoy.

Assumption of Risk: Buying books on April 1

The following was listed on one of the ABAA listserv groups on April 1, 2008:

Mela, Pomponius. ORBIS SITUM DICERE AGGREDIOR... [i.e. Cosmographia, Sive De Situ Orbis]. Milan: (Pamfilo Castaldi). 1471. Sm. 4to. 59 (of 61) leaves lacking the final 2 blanks. Cont. vellum, somewhat soiled. On the first leaf at top right corner is the genuine autograph “Cristoforo Colombo, Genoa, 1472.” The “editio princeps” of a very rare book, one of the earliest printed geographical works, by the first Roman geographer, and the copy which was acquired by Columbus at the age of 21. Long known to bibliographers – it was first recorded in the 16th century manuscript inventory of the Orsini family library – and thought to have been lost. This amazing copy has recently come to light, in one of the California mission libraries, now being sold (on consignment to us) to raise necessary funds. $1,000,000.00 net

It caused a bit of a stir and at least one dealer noted that they were very pleased to have called its creator before calling clients. It made my day and Kenneth Karmiole, who clearly spent too much time crafting this great listing, kindly gave his permission to post it here.

Somewhere there is a pod with my real son in it...

Just a quick note in the midst of the chaos of preparing for Boston this weekend. Suzanne, Eli (my 6 year old) and I had dinner tonight with Priscilla Juvelis and Dan Posnansky. It was our usual "dinner before the monthly Baxter Society meeting." Eli was ridiculously well behaved. As an example, he *waited* for a pause in the coversation (difficult with this group) and asked, "Mrs. Juvelis, how was your fair in New York?"

Clearly he has heard too many dealers having too many of the same conversations *laughing*. He is the first to say that he considers himself a book dealer and this was clearly a question one dealer should ask another. Needless to say, Priscilla was pretty smitten.

Eli then attended the Baxter meeting, in which Don Lindgren spoke on "The Education of a Book Dealer". My son...my six year old...sat through the evening (on the order of a hour and a half, announcements and presentation) AND during the Q&A session asked Don "What is your favorite book in your shop?".

Clearly, there is a pod somewhere with my son in it and I will have to do something, eventually, with this alien. Then again, perhaps the universe regain balance by him running around the Boston show this weekend naked and swinging a machete. Until then, I will just revel in the bizarre goodness that is Thing II.

Sunday at the Armory and home....

We came back into the city on Sunday to spend the day at the Armory show and catch up with people (rather, some people...there really just isn't enough time in the day...). We managed to find a few other things for various clients and I managed to arrange for someone to pick up a Kelmscott on vellum from an auction house on Monday (as we would be back in Portland) and bring it to Boston for the show next weekend (thank you, Joe).

Bryan Bilby of Appledore Books and I had great fun (as always) talking about books and the business. I managed to buy a nice book from him and plan to pick up several more when I see him next (Boston?!?). Bryan is a great young dealer and has a gift for finding really wonderful books.

We stayed until the bitter end, took our new toys and began the journey home. We made our traditional stop at Rein's Deli for dinner...I had a very healthy First Cut Corned Beef Reuben Fresser...even with the lean, I could pretty much feel the artery in my chest harden as I ate it. Yum. Several cups of coffee later, we were back on the road. The drive was uneventful. We are listening to Heinlein's, Stranger in a Strange Land. It's the first time in years I've read (well, listened to) the book and it is Suzanne's first time...great fun.

Home by 11pm, unloaded the van. Twitched for a little bit. Crawled into bed and were lost to the world. It has been a very long week...exciting and great fun...but very, very long. Nice to be home...cataloging new finds and shipping things off.

Oh...yeah...and getting read to next weekend's MARIAB fair in Boston. I need to pack books. And prepare for the seminar I am supposed to give. I am going to bed. I may or may not get up in the morning.

First ABAA meeting and getting hit in a cab...

Saturday morning was the ABAA breakfast and annual meeting at The Morgan Library. I somehow managed to get my wires crossed as to the start time, as I thought the breakfast was at 8 and the meeting at 9...when it was 9 and 10. Luckily, I was not the only one to make this mistake...strangely comforting. They kindly let us in early and it was, in the end, just extra time to enjoy the Morgan and the exhibit in the hall we were eating in...not a bad thing.

Breakfast and the meeting were nice. I had a very nice chat with one of the curators there and was able to catch up with several people and meet several new (to me) dealers. There appears to be some consensus that the ABAA needs to focus on both young dealers and young collectors...two things I could not agree with more strongly. I look forward to see where this focus leads and hope I can be involved...we shall see.

Bob & Lynne Veatch kindly offered me a ride back to the Armory/Hunter College after the meeting. Little did I know it was to provide extra padding... We were having a nice, if stilted, chat...stilted as the cab ride was slightly more "exciting" than is typical. Every now and then you get a cabbie whose sense of place on the road (and that of other movable and immovable objects) seems slightly...er...off. We were chatting, but all the while trying to anticipate where the hit was going to come from so we could brace appropriate. As it turned out, it was from the right hand side as our cabbie chose to ignore the massive Muni bus that was clearly pulling out into the lane. He hit (ok, rubbed) us from about my door (passenger side) down the rear quarter panel. He waved out the window, I assume the bus driver waved back...and we all went on our merry way. Mind you, the three of us in the back were a bit taken aback. This is why Muni bus bumpers and cab panels are mostly made out of plastic...they rub, they slide, they don't actually crumple.

Apropos of nothing, it was a nice "full circle" event. When I did my very first "real" show, the Radison shadow show to the Boston ABAA event, Lynne Veatch came into my booth and spent a bit of time looking around and then gave me two very nice compliments. First, she told me that my booth and books were lovely and then she gave me a very serious look and said, "you will join the ABAA when you are eligible, won't you?" (or words to that effect). I told her that I was planning to do so as soon as I was able and she was pleased. Our wee run-in with the bus notwithstanding, it was very nice to ride back from my first ABAA meeting with the Veatchs,
four years later.

Day Two, Pack out and my favorite book pairing of the weekend

Day Two started for me at The Morgan (see next post). Suzanne (wo)manned the booth alone for the first time and did a masterful job. She even sold something whilst I was wandering about.

I made it back to the Huntington College site by about 11am and found it reasonably busy. It has just occurred to me that I have not mentioned the most interesting aspect of the Hunter College venue. It is a gym complex...buried THREE STORIES UNDERGROUND. We were so deep underground that there was no cell coverage. We were, effectively, in a dungeon. A very nice, roomy, carpeted dungeon...with champagne...and good books. The only downside is that there were apparently some reasonably strict rules about signage...so it was a little hard to find from the outside...but there were "show staff" at every turn to help shepherd the cats down the various escalators.

There was more champagne in the afternoon and a nice, steady flow of people until the show closed...not huge numbers, but steady and engaged. Two of my favorite new clients showed up, which pretty much made my weekend....young, focused and really just all together too much fun. I pretty much always love what I do...sometimes I love it even more...they just made my day.

Credit where it is due department: I was hoping to be able to make it off the waiting list and be able to do the Armory show as my first ABAA event...though I knew the likelihood was very slim (and, as it turned out, impossible). We had more or less decided that we would just come down for the weekend and shop both shows and visit and try to get a better feel for the proverbial landscape. More or less at the last minute, we decided to take a single case at Bruce and D's show and bring a small amount of really nice material...mainly because it was just such a great location, a block and a half from the Armory (and 3.5 stories down). Logistically, it was a very difficult venue (60ish dealers, two elevators, a loading bay that holds about 3ish vehicles and a rather narrow street). D arranged for valet parking (so you could take your material in and your car would just disappear at the garage rate), great porters and just generally had things running so smoothly and efficiently that it seemed effortless...not small feat given the complexity and number of moving parts. There was carpet covering the gym floor, all the tables were draped, there was food and drink (snacks and a boxed lunch) during set up and problems, when they arose, were resolved quickly and with apparent ease. It was a great show, extremely well run and we are very pleased we decided to roll the dice on it.

Also making my day was Susan Weiser Liebegott of Enchanted Books fame. I stopped by her always lovely booth to see what she brought with her and just to say hi and chat. Centered in her lit case, on the bottom shelf, surrounded by her dozens of wonderful children's' books was a lovely of "Pose Please" in the original box. This, by itself, would amuse me....the naked woman frolicking among the children's books. What pushed it completely over the top, and Susan *swears* it was unintentional, is her placement at the bottom left of a lovely copy of "Somebody's Pussies" (click on the image to blow it up). I tried to convince her that moving the copy of "Wee Willie Winkie" and other appropriately tawdry titles around "Pose Please" would be great fun but Susan is a much more proper and presentable human than I (and much the better for it). [N.B. She did give me permission to post this wonderfully prurient image.]

I spent a fair bit of time at the Armory and did find several good thing to pick up for stock and clients. This weekend in NY is unlike any other for a book lover. There is simply no other place where you can see so much, from so many genres, in one place. I feel badly for those who loose their ability to be taken aback from the sheer volume and scope of what can be seen and examined at these shows.

Day One in NY

We arrived at about the same time as the show opened and were pleased to see the number of people. In addition to the usual crush of ABAA members shopping the shadow show before the Armory opens, there were a considerable number of "real humans". This is always a nice thing to see...

There was steady traffic from 8 in the morning to about 2pm. There was then a painful lull (literally, as far as my feet were concerned) that picked up a bit around 530 or so and stayed rather busy until about 8pm.

As can be seen in these images, we really did just one lit case. We ended up adding a small (four foot) table on site...giving us both a bit of horizontal space for some atlases and, more importantly, a means to hide my computer and printer when not in use. We also stacked our Pelican cases and draped a black cloth over them, providing a bit more reasonably presentable space. We were adjacent to Don Lingren and he did the same thing with his Pelicans...It looked like we planned it...scary.

The last two images show both sides of our case. We ended up using one of the "see through" cases...allowing me to set it up "displaying" to both sides. This worked, frankly, better than expected.

Sales on the first day were solid, nothing exceptional, but not unreasonable, either... We found some good things to purchase and the chatter was overall, quite positive.

We were back in the far corner, which worked well for us. Better yet, we were right across from the fine folks at Biblio.com books). This made for a good time both days (Save a tree, Buy used as they got grumpy and twitchy in an entirely different way than bookdealers *g*. Truly, it was a pleasure having them nearby during the fair...they genuinely love what they are doing...and are really quite good at it. Unlike some others that will not be mentioned (or linked to) here, Biblio is genuinely striving to improve it site to benefit its booksellers....a novel idea these days...

Champagne with fruit and cheese in the afternoon. Pleasant music. Engaged people. Not a bad afternoon.

Addendum: We had dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House for Suzanne's birthday. She likes red meat and RCSH is famous for their steaks....and well, suffice it to say their tag line could be "Why Pay Less". The steak was, to be fair, some of the best I recall. Overall, however, I really expect "more" for what dinner there entails...great sides, great, salads, great everything. They do have outstanding steaks...but everything else was simply good. It is, clearly, a spot for business folk on expense accounts. Did I mention that the steaks them selves were outstanding...

Set-up and ABAA Morgan Lib. Event

Well, one would think that setting up a single glass case would take almost no time at all. Then again, clearly "one" has never met me *sigh*. It did take a bit longer to get set up than we had hoped, though part of this was just the cleaning of the glass...by "cleaning", I am not only referring to a bit of glass cleaner to get the fingerprints off, but having to take a razor to the remains of duct tape on several of them...urgh.

We did add a small, 4 foot table...in part to hide my computer and printer, in part to give us a bit more space to display two very nice 1790 and 1792 French atlases. In the end, we were able to get everything looking as we wanted. The case is see-through, which is nice as I am able to display items in both directions...effectively doubling the usable space. We had a potential minor disaster when, during set up, one of the brackets holding a shelf failed (having been checked more than once by...well...me). Luckily, Natalie Bauman's quick reflexes saved the day and no harm was done to any of the handful of books on the shelf (or Natalie).

I have pictures to post, but the hotel apparently blocks FTP ports. Well thought out security structures are a good thing...the "let's block everything, that way we'll be safe" is really quite lame (and annoying). I'll update with images tomorrow, with luck.

I attended the ABAA Fair's preview evening benefiting the Morgan Library. The usual suspects were all out in force. There are some simply amazing items in NY this weekend. I picked up a nice Wyeth item from a Bryan Bibly of Appledore Books fame and have my eye on a few other things...we shall have to see how the weekend progresses.

Adventures on planes, trains and automobiles….and a great hotel.

Rented the car and ran about as needed. Rental pickup was interesting...there was one woman at the counter with a line of 8ish people, all looking reasonably annoyed and giving off “we have been here too long” vibes. I noticed, however, that there was a small “self serve” kiosk at one end that was unused and, given my pleasure of using the JetBlue kiosks, I thought I’d give it a try. Several touch screens and no more than 3 minutes later, I had a receipt and Slot Number where I could find my car. The agent was still taking to the same woman.

As I have mentioned before, having a good GPS is an amazing thing. I’d have never bought one myself, but have trouble thinking about functioning without it at this point. I did not spend one moment looking at maps or trying to figure out where I was going. I just dropped the address into the GPS and let it lead me.

The flight back was one of the more painful I’ve suffered in recent years. The seat and legroom was lovely (exit row, 36 channels of Sat TV...though it was the redeye and about 3am “my time” when I left...so sleeping was a higher priority). The plane was totally full. I was at the window next to this early middle aged couple giving off “first flight ever” vibes. He was trying to be pretty cool about it, but she was a twitching bag of neves...seriously. For the fivish hour plan ride, I do not think she ever stopped moving, She fidgeted right, She fidgeted left. She shuffled her feet around, She adjusted her coat over her (each time partly over me). She put her hand on my thigh...not once, not twice...on the order of 5 times or so. I honestly think that she thought it was her leg as she always seemed a bit confused that she could not feel it… All the while, her SO/husband was on the aisle, trying to be mellow and cool… He served her drinks...that is, when they gave us our drinks, he gave her a glass and would pour about 3-4 sips into her glass and refill it.

It went on like this for hours...fidgit, fidget, touch, shuffle, fidget, touch, shuffle, fidget, fidget, touch. AARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!! Also, there were two wildly cute 2ish year old twin girls. Wildly cute in the airport. Wildly cute for the first two hours in the air...less so later. They spent the last 2-3 hours wailing….steadily...the cool thing in being twins is, of course, if you are tired of wailing, your sister can spot you for a few minutes. Also, you can try to pair your wailing...so that it remains steady, with no noticeable breaks...for hours. Mind you, I have these really nice noise suppression ear buds (they fit inside the ear cannel and fill it). They are outstanding on planes...especially ones with wailing small humans. Not so good in cars or when walking…as you really can’t hear anything else.

The final straw was, and I am not making this up, that as we approached the gate we were told to stay in our seats as security would be boarding the plane to resolve “an issue”. So they open the door, TSA and some other patched human come on board, walk to my row and asks fidget lady and her husband for their IDs...and then escorts them off the plane. Don’t ask. I have no idea. It was, however, a perfect end to a horrid flight. [N.B. JetBlue and its minions were great, as always…]

In the end, the day is shaping up well. I was able to the AirTrain (the logo is a plane with track coming out the rear) all the way to the Jamaica Station. Then I got to take the E train all the way to 53rd and Lexington...then up the wildly deep escalator to the 6 train one stop to Grand Central Station. Then I took the Track 32 train up the Hudson to the Tarrytown Station. FOUR TRAINS. I should mention that I am really fond of trains in all their flavors. I know, I know, if you use the subway/comm. rail daily, it’s no big deal...but I only get to ride trains of any flavor when I go to big cities...what fun.

I am now in my room at the Tarrytown Marriot. As I have said before, it is just a great hotel and very convenient for easy in and out from the city and the GM is a book guy...oh, and it has the best mattresses of any hotel I’ve been in quite a while. Admittedly, having spent about 12ish hours on planes in the last 36 hours, my opinion may be skewed. Suzanne is driving down with the van and the books (on her birthday...I have to think of something suitably doting to make amends) and should be here in a few hours. Into the city tomorrow for set-up and the show starts Friday (8am to 8pm *shudder*) and I have a breakfast to attend and the big show and any number of other things. It should be a great weekend. I’ll try to keep you posted...

To prove I am working while traipsing about the West Coast

So, in addition to my meeting out here, I had this remarkable little collection arrive on Sunday...just before I flew out. In addition to a collection of Presidential letters/documents from Washington to Reagan and a very significant letter (and signed engraving) of John Hancock, there was this interesting photograph of Lincoln dated "March 6th, 1865"...this got me thinking, as he was shot about 6 weeks later and I dug about to see what I could find out about the image. As it turns out, it was the *last* photograph of Lincoln and, interesting, was immediately remounted/reissued by the photographer with a mounting of "The Last Photograph..." after the assassination. By itself, this would be a cool backstory for an image...but it gets much better, involving the President's young son and a pony. Enjoy:

Lincoln, Abraham; Warren, H.F. (photo). The Latest Photograph of Abraham Lincoln. Waltham, MA: H.F. Warren, March, 1865. First State. Bright and clean. 6”x8.25” image on 10”x13.5” mount. Original Albumen Photograph.. Fine.
This original albumen official photo of Abraham Lincoln, taken on March 6, 1865, by photographer H. F. Warren of Waltham, MA, is the last photograph taken of the President before his death on April 15th. Taken on March 6th, 1865, the photo is mounted to a cardstock photographer's mount and labeled "The Latest Photograph of President Lincoln - Taken On The Balcony At The White House, March 6, 1865." After Lincoln's assassination, the photograph was immediately reissued with the caption changed to "Last Photograph of President Lincoln.

“The most unusual photograph of President Abraham Lincoln, and his very last, was ... [taken] in the White House itself on a windy Monday afternoon, March 6, 1865. It was during the closing days of the Civil War that Henry F. Warren, a photographer from Waltham, Massachusetts, attempted to obtain a pass to photograph the Union forces in front of Richmond. He arrived in Washington in time for Lincoln’s second inauguration when the historical importance of photographing the president occurred to him. Though turned away with the daily throng of office seekers and lobbyists, Warren was told by a White House guard that “the surest way to obtain an audience with the President was through the intercession of his little son, ‘Tad.’” When Lincoln’s son appeared in the White House garden on his pony, it didn’t take Warren long to devise a plan to photograph the president.

“Tad” and his pony were soon placed in position and photographed, after which Mr. Warren asked “Tad” to tell his father that a man had come all the way from Boston, and was particularly anxious to see him and obtain a sitting from him. “Tad” went to see his father, and word was soon returned that Mr. Lincoln would comply. In the meantime, Mr. Warren had improvised a kind of studio upon the south balcony of the White House. Mr. Lincoln soon came out, and saying but a very few words, took his seat as indicated. After a single negative was taken, he inquired: “Is that all sir?” Unwilling to detain him any longer than was absolutely necessary, Mr. Warren replies: “Yes, sir,” and the President immediately withdrew. At the time he appeared on the balcony the wind was blowing freshly, as his disarranged hair indicates, and, as sunset was rapidly approaching, it was difficult to obtain a sharp picture. Six weeks later President Lincoln was dead, and it is doubtless true that this is the last photograph ever made of him.14 Lincoln interrupted his busy day—a meeting with former Congressman John T. Stuart of Illinois, a noon reception of a diplomatic corps, a conference with Marcus L. Ward, later governor of New Jersey—simply to comply with his son’s request to be photographed. The slight scowl on the president’s face, as clearly seen in the Warren photograph, might reflect his annoyance over the intrusion, or perhaps Lincoln was simply preoccupied." [From the White House History web site].

I leave on the redeye at midnight and get into NY tomorrow at 8ish. Too much to do. I should be in rare form this weekend.

Safely across the country....

Well, the flight out was very smooth. Paid the minor additional charge ($10) and got the emergency exit row. JetBlue has more leg room than most, but their emer. row is really just lovely. No one in the middle seat...it was all very civilized.

Am packed for NY...I'll be flying back to JFK on the red-eye later today and Suz will meet me in NY. Great fun is to be had by all. Next post will likely be after set up...