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...

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]

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.

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.

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.

Book Theft Blog...

Not too long ago Travis McDade wrote a nice book on a book thief called, aptly enough, The Book Thief. He has, I have just discovered, also been running the blog Upward Departure...subtitled, in part, "Thoughts about book crimes and punishment..."

I have skimmed it and will be returning, when the dust of the next week settles, to delve deeply...as I know there is much to read and learn and grok. Enjoy.

Set up in good time and a bookish meme...

I am completely set up and back in the hotel to shower, have dinner and get ready for the first night. We are open from 5:30pm to 9:30pm this evening. I doubt I’ll blog when I get back, but one never knows. Until then, I offer:

So one who was, prior to this, one of my more favorite humans on earth just “tagged” me (figuratively speaking), with a bookish meme that has been kicking about for a few years. It is rather simple and arguably interesting. Take a look at what you are currently reading, page 123, find the fifth full sentence then transcribe the following three sentences. I am, as you know, “vacationing” in FL (yeah, I know, I’m doing a fair….but it is not really “work”, is it )...thus, the reading I took with me is…er...on the light and fun side:

1: Moore, Christopher, Island of the Sequined Love Nun (Avon, 1997):
“Why did you put us in tree?”
“I didn’t. It was an old island guy. I think he’s going to eat us.” [4, I know, but it was the middle of a quotation]

2: Montalbano, William, Basilica (Jove, 2000):
“They didn’t happen to say by any chance from what direction they heard it. Miami? Further south maybe?”
The Pope grinned. “Nice to get out. Air the mind, stretch the mental legs. Relax.” [I follow directions poorly.]

3: Millington, Mil. Things my girlfriend and I have argued about. (Flame, 2002):
There was never even a brief moment of indecision, climbing into the ‘reduced to clear’ bins, putting anything he passed that was remotely hat-like on his head and beaming right across his face. I’d have to rush after him and drag him back; there’s little Peter can be taught about controlling the balance of power.” [Admittedly, I read this myself already...but I am currently reading it out loud at night to my wife for reasons that are too funny to go into. Read the book, change the names, it is often far too close. N.B. Mil “started” with a website of the same name...take a look.]

4: Salen, Katie, The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning (MIT Press, 2008).
In one, players can learn about aspects of the world that particular games model, such as consumption in Animal Crossing or urban planning in Sim City. This is a kink of subject-centered literacy focused on examples of human practice. In the other, players can learn about procedurality itself, an inscriptive practice that will become more important only as computers continue to expand their role in society. [Always good to have something that makes you appreciate your escapist reading all the more.]

Sarah, in tagging me with this, noted that she hoped it would distract me from my re-dabbling with AD&D (only, of course, for the “family time” with the boys and Suz). This, mind you, from a woman currently reading, Cat Talk: What Your Cat is Trying to Tell You [Hint: Pick one: 1) Feed me. 2) Pet me. 3) Leave me alone. 4) Pardon me, I seem to have a wee bit of tinsel hanging out of my ass, would you mind pulling it out….slowly.]

I am now inflicting this upon Kent (of Ken Sanders fame) and Don (of Rabelais Books). Tag, you’re it. [N.B. Kent does not blog, to my knowledge...He is welcome to post here...now and in the future.]

Libraries of the world (Set Two)

Here is your next installment of overly lovely libraries (many more to follow).

Biblioteca Geral University of Coimbra - Coimbra, Portugal


Biblioteca Di Bella Arti - Milan, Italy


Biblioteca do Palacio e Convento de Mafra I - Lisbon Coast, Portugal



Biblioteca do Palacio Nacional da Ajuda Lisboa III - Lisbon, Portugal


Bernadotte Library - Stockholm, Sweden


Beatus Rhenanus Library - Basel Switzerland


Biblioteca Palafoxiana - Puebla, Mexico


Biblioteca Angelica - Rome, Italy

Aesthetically pleasing libraries (Part 1)

Courtesy of my mother (a medical librarian) and from her friend, Juan Maria de la Camara de las Heras, of the Hospital-Ribera in Valencia, Spain, I offer the following series of images of libraries. I will post about five each day until I run out. It is unclear whether Juan took the pictures himself...regardless, they are exceptional. Enjoy.

The images are:

Strahov Monestary Library, Prague

Strahov Theolog. Hall (orig. Baroque cabinets)

Strahov Theolog. Hall (stat. of John the Evangelist holding a book)

August Herzog Library, Wolfenbuttel, Germany

Angelica Library, Rome Italy

Abby Library, Gallen Switzerland

Day three, pack out and home....

The nicest day thus far for the weekend. Sun was out, sky was blue and there were some humans present (and cheerful). We had breakfast again at Hudson Deli and headed for the show well sated. Bought a handful of nice things.

It seemed to start a bit slower, but picked up quickly and was rather steady through the day. Several sales and what will, with luck, turn out to be good first contacts. Overall, a very nice day.

It was a great fair. Well run and painless. Our location does not make me jump with joy, but it has potential. We have not figured out what our schedule looks like for next year, but this would definitely be on our short list for another go.

I did manage to be either the last one out or very close to it (I *might* have beaten Bruce out by a step or two). My assistant, while very good and moderately helpful, was not particularly strong on the packing/lifting/sorting front....though very good on the overt cuteness and cheery disposition fronts...which are good, too.

We were out at 7pm. Made it to Reins Deli for a late dinner that was extremely entertaining (more on this later) and made it home around 1am. Eli slept the vast majority of the way...which was the rational thing to do.

Addendum: There will be a follow-up to this weekend re my assistant...including tales of adventure and chopped liver (and, possibly, a pod containing my real son).

Results are in for the First (and hopefully not last) Ancient Near Eastern Valentine Contest

Eisenbrauns (biblical and near eastern biblio-specialists) has announced the winners of their Ancient Near Eastern Valentine Contest. The winner can be seen at the right and translates:

I love you.
I’m going to steal your heart
Because I am hungry for your love.
There is no other woman in my heart.
Unloose the bolt to your heart.
Dance with me till the land brightens.
You are my first, my end, my everything.

Heaven on earth is being in your embrace.
You are beautiful of face.
Your body is carved in alabaster.
I adore you like a flower or a star.
You are my first, my end, my everything.

I taste your lips and they are like a soft breeze.
I smell your perfume.
You are a goddess to me.
I was blind but with you I see.
I will take away your clothes
Because we wish to make love.
I breathe upon your body,
Making you tremble with exultation.
I kiss every place of your body.
You fill me with desire.
I will obey your every command.
I can’t stop loving you.
I love you.

Please note that the image is not pure digital, but was apparently hand-drawn (or hand-burned)...just wonderful. Also, don't miss the .mp3 that accompanies honorably third place winner: The Cyprosyrian Girl.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Shall be lifted -- Nevermore

...and yet, it shall be celebrated today. Happy publishing birthday to Poe's, The Raven, published today in 1845 by the New York Evening Mirror [to be read, if one is so inclined, in its entirety at House of Usher]. It was Poe's more or less "breakthrough" hit and offered him reasonable fame and demand for the last few years of his life (he died in 1849).

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door —
Only this, and nothing more."

I guess I know what I'll be reading to my wife before bed this evening...

Arrest in thefts from NY State Library

NYTimes is reporting on a history buff who discovered items he knew to be institutionalized on ebay and assisted authorities in catching the thief. Daniel D. Lorello, who worked at the New York State Library Archives for 29 years, admitted to stealing 300-400 items in 2007 alone...and he began stealing material back in 2002. Apparently much/most of it was minor material and was sold either to local dealers or on ebay.

The local dealers who bought from him will undoubtedly do their best to assist in returning material to the Library. Ebay, of course, doesn't care at all if items sold through them are stolen or not.

The glory of pulp...

It has been too long since I have been over at Hangfire's blog and clearly a bad oversight on my part. He has just posted a great review of wonderfully horrible pulp covers. This gem is captioned:

First Hoke Jackson's Orgy Days (Nightstand NB1903) featuring topless, high-heeled rock climbers on their way to the sex chalet.

It may just be me, but I think the world needs more topless high-heeled rock climbers...and cute little cape sex chalets.

Don't miss the Detroit textbook warehouse (of death) image post, either...I highly recommend opting for the "slide show" viewing option with Mozart's, Requiem playing in the background.

Day Two and heading home...

Well, we are back in Portland. The show wrapped up at 5pm, we were out of there at about 8pm and were home by 230am. If we had brains, we would have spent another night, but I think we both wanted "this"...that being, waking up at home and having a Sunday to unwind and do show follow-up. It was a great weekend.

We had a very nice and relaxing morning. The show did not start until 11am, so we were able to sleep in a bit and have a nice breakfast courtesy of the Giraffe. We wandered over just before the show opened. There was a small group waiting to get in (a very tiny throng *g*).

While there was never a big "crowd" on Saturday, there was was a very steady stream of interested and engaged visitors who were actually buying books. The buying at the show was also really quite good. I picked up an as new copy of the signed limited edition of Ginsberg's, Planet News (very nice, given my pending journey to SF) and the nicest copy I've seen of the vellum edition of Golden Cockerel's, Hero and Leander and a number of other really nice bits of this and that.

Interestingly, Maine dealers were the most highly represented (per capita) at the fair...hell, there were as many dealers from Portland (3) as there were from Brooklyn. In addition to us, Maine was represented by: Rabelais Books; James Arsenault & Co.; and Edward Pollack Rare Books and Fine Press. It is pretty neat that out of about 60 or so dealers from around the country, 4 were from our wee strange state.

Breakdown went smoothly. Once again, the Giraffe was wonderful. Truly, the "value" in being able to call over, as we were finishing up the packing, and asking for the car to be brought around is just too good. I went out the back of the Armory, picked up the car, pulled forward 30 feet and into the venue. Too easy.

We had dinner at a great little Greek diner in CT (very good gyro for me and chicken souvlaki for Suz). Our weekend of nice surprises was capped off in MA when I pulled in to a rest stop on Rt 90 to get a large coffee only to find that their "system was down" and they could not, you know, function at all (make food, take money, etc.). The nice young manager apologized and gave me a large black coffee and refused to take anything for it. Hotel upgrades, great booth location *and* free coffee...pretty much a perfect storm.

We are unwinding today, doing my show follow-up (notes to clients and the like) and beginning to look ahead to our next shows. We pulled all our descriptive slips from all our books at this show, because I am going to reprint all of them on slightly different paper and a slightly different layout...more importantly, I'll have all the books at a given show "grouped" so that I can produce printed catalogues of what I have with me. I have had a number of people ask me for such a list and I think I have figured out how to make it work with relative ease. We have a few weeks to prepare for the next pair. We will be at the NJ Antiquarian Book Fair Feb. 1 and 2nd and then the San Fransisco Book, Print and Paper Fair the following weekend...and then the Greenwich Village Book Fair about two weeks later. It is going to be a chaotic few weeks.

A pop-up "Books of Lights" [working, even]

This might be the coolest and geekiest bookish light I've seen in a very long time. I think I want one of each.

I am very happy that there are people in the world who wake up and say, "a working pop-up lamp book is a great idea". The world needs more of them.

Please feel free to post/email re other seriously geeky bookish items out there.

Holiday wrap-up...

Somewhat fitting on New Year's Eve. We are back down in Portland after spending the x-mas holiday in Tenants Harbor with my parents. It was the usual crazy, slightly masochistic fun that all family gatherings should be...

We had our traditional lobster dinner on the Eve (10 people, as many dead crustaceans). This was followed by everyone getting night gowns/night shirts/pajamas from my Grandmother and, once changed, the annual reading of D. Thomas', A Child's Christmas in Wales. (Here if you would like a copy of Dylan his very self reading this wonderful classic.) I will not mention that after the boys went to bed, we all watched "V for Vendetta", because that seems a less than jolly flick for the Eve. On x-mas day, we had our annual roast beef and Yorkshire pudding extravaganza. We had special holiday poppers this year that had a musical theme. In addition to our wee paper crowns and jokes, each "prize" was a numbered whistle. After the meal, baton in hand, my mother led us on a variety of very poorly played (and off-tune) holiday songs...very funny.

The tree this year was quite exceptional...over 12 feet tall and very "open", allowing my mother to work her magic and show off her many, many antique and repo ornaments...blown glass to big pickles to strange feltwork...and glass bead chains that came over from Germany many generations ago. There is a smaller tree in the big bay window overlooking the harbor and the electric train and antique village (made by my great-great grandfather) was set up under it. Just beautiful and very holiday-ish for all.

Everyone got way too much...but I was the luckiest boy. The first image shows the 350ish pound circa 1850 guillotine paper cutter that was under the tree for me from my parents. It is in exceptional condition, much of the original paint/gilt work is still on it after all these years. I can now cut an entire ream of paper in one slice. It is, quite possibly, the coolest present I have received since my teens (the competition being a MacPlus in the year they came out). The only problem was the 350ish poundness of it...I nearly pulled several "things" while schlepping it out to the car.

The boys got matching jammies...this included the newest addition, my nephew Oliver who joined the family last November. The boys all had a great time. The older two looked pretty cool in their trains and had a great time. They (and the family, et al) got a Wii and, "don't Wii in the living room" jokes from their grandfather notwithstanding, it was a smashing success. I hate to admit how much fun it is and how brutally cool the controller technology is. Watching my mother pay tennis with the boys made the holiday...great fun for all.

Oliver proved that he is, indeed a proper member of the family my picking up a book and amusing himself during dinner with it. He'll be reading in no time...

Many books changed hands in many directions. Andy (my BiL) and Oliver and my two boys and I all received a copy of The Dangerous Book For Boys. The boys got many, from the new (and strange) Ripley's Believe It or Not to some good kids lit, to add to their ever growing collection(s). Suz gave me a hardback copy of Gaskell's, A New Introduction to Bibliography. I have already started it, in preparation for attending the UVA Rare Book School this coming year.

I have one last entry before the new year...a minor rant that I want to get out so I can start the year fresh and happy *laughing*. I hope everyone had a wonderful bookish holiday.

A lasting legacy...Here's to Harold Alfond

After I'm dead, I'd rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one.
- Cato the Elder

Harold Alfond, the founder of Dexter Shoe Co., passed away last month at 93. During his life, he gave away about $100 Million. It has just be announced that he spent his final months planning for a much grander legacy. Called the Harold Alfond College Challenge, his plan is to see that *every* child born in Maine receives a $500 contribution to start a college fund.

I love Maine. We have more than one program that promotes reading for the young (and old) including the brilliant Raising Readers program that sees that every child gets books of their very own when the go home from the hospital and after every wellchild doctors visit. The Maine Laptop Initiative sees that every Maine 7th and 8th Grader gets their own iBook for school. Now we have a first of its kind program (in size/scope) to see that every child has money put away for their college. The blueberries and lobster isn't too bad, either.

Harold Alfond managed to do something that very few people ever manage to achieve...create something that will do "good"...indefinitely. Remarkable. I wonder when someone will build a monument to him.

Engineering a Solution to the "Library Problem"

A husband and wife pair of engineers had 3500 books and no shelving or organizational scheme. The solution is explored, in detail, at their blog Hackito Ergo Sum. It is a sound plan and they seem happy. All is well.

Interestingly, the "geek factor" of it was enough to get it posted on Slashdot (N.B. the couple hosts their blog on their own hardware and he wisely posted it immediately to /. to avoid having the hordes of /.ers crash his system. The posts there are a riot. My personal favorite:

Oh, painful memory (Score:5, Funny)

...of my ex-daughter-in-law, who decided to surprise me for my birthday by reorganizing my (3500) books:

By height.

Great fun, all around...

Quick blog update and a huge apology...

It has been too long since I updated my book blog list...and I am not really going to do so now as I just don't have the time. That said, I have to note a few things and make a big apology.

1: Don and Samantha Lindgren of Rabelais Books are blogging and is is great if you like cooking, food, wine, $300,000 fungi and pink sheep. I bought two copies of Beyond Nose to Tail for the holidays (one for my Brit. BiL and one for...er...me). It is a great read.

2: Bitch with Books is subtitled: "The Babble of a Bitter Book Seller, Bad Typer & Mostly Silly Girl"...all may be true, I just really like the blog name...and that she admits to playing D&D.

Finally, I have a huge and wildly embarrassing admission to make. I am very fond of a young man named Jeremy Dibbell. He is charming, funny and a wildly obsessive book human...all good things. He is also the scribe behind one of the few blogs that I check pretty much every day, PhiloBiblos where he blogs *much* more regularly than I about all the things that I wish I could blog about if I could find the time (he, clearly, is more organized that I). He even covers bookish events IN MAINE better than I...it is very sad. I have just discovered that despite my personal appreciation of his great blog, I had failed to include it in my list...because I cross-wired it in my marginally functioning brain with "Philobilon" (another bookish blog, but of a rather different bent...). Mea culpa. I have rectified it and do strongly suggest you stop reading my drivel and read Jeremy's far more cogent posts.

Art by writer's...well, art other than the written word...

John, of the Duck fame, recently emailed me about an exhibition he is hosting at the shop/gallery. The focus of the exhibit is of artwork created by those best known as writers. I've chatted with John about the event and it sounds like it is going to be an amazing show. I am posting the press release as it was sent:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Writer's Brush
An Exhibition of Art by Writers

15 December 2007 through 15 January 2007
Opening Reception 15 December 6-10 (or longer if we can stand it):

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We are pleased (neigh unto delighted) to announce our next exhibition, a monumental show of visual art by writers, mounted in conjunction with the publication of the wonderful new book on the subject, entitled The Writer's Brush, by Donald Friedman, with supplementary essays by John Updike and William Gass (see the wonderful review in this week's New York Times Book Review).

The first leg of the show took place in New York in September and October at Anita Shapolsky Gallery, and our show is an expanded (and I hope improved) version of that event. It will run from the 15th of December through the 15th of January, with an opening reception on 15 December, at which Mr. Friedman and some of the writer/artists will be present and happy to sign or inscribe books. The show will go to Los Angeles from mid-February through mid-April at Denenberg Fine Arts (with a reception during the Los Angeles Antiquarian Book Fair), and perhaps then on to Houston. It will contain work by more than 120 writers, including:

Walter Abish, Rafael Alberti, Roberta Allen, A.R. Ammons, John Ashbery, Enid Bagnold, Amiri Baraka, Djuna Barnes, Mary Beach, Andrei Bely, Bill Berkson, Ted Berrigan, Elizabeth Bishop, Star Black, Jorge Louis Borges, Breyten Breytenbach, Joseph Brodsky, Charles Bukowski, Gelett Burgess, David Burliuk, William Burroughs, Josef Capek, R.V. Cassill, G.K. Chesterton, Tom Clark, Daniel Clowes, Jean Cocteau, Norma Cole, Douglas Coupland, Morris Cox, Jim Crace, E.E. Cummings, Annie Dillard, J.P. Donleavy, John Dos Passos, Rikki Ducornet, Robert Duncan, Lawrence Durrell, Russell Edson, David Eggers, Kenward Elmslie, Mary Fabelli, Jules Feiffer, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jacopo Fijman, Charles Henri Ford, Federico Garcia Lorca, Kahlil Gibran, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Allen Ginsberg, Louise Gluck, Guenter Grass, Alasdair Gray, Nicolai Gumilov, Alan Gurganus, Brion Gysin, Donald Harrington, Hermann Hesse, Jack Hirschman, Susan Howe, Georges Hugnet, Victor Hugo, Aldous Huxley, Tama Janowitz, Charles Johnson, Donald Justice, Anna Kavan, Weldon Kees, Robert Kelly, Jack Kerouac, Maxine Hong Kingston, Bill Knott, Richard Kostelanetz, Alfred Kubin, D.H. Lawrence, Jonathan Lethem, Wyndham Lewis, Pierre Louys, Mina Loy, Lucebert, Clarence Major, Gerard Malanga, Andre Malraux, Robert Marshall, Henri Michaux, Leonard Michaels, Henri Michaux, Henry Miller, Susan Minot, Bradford Morrow, Walter Mosley, Vladimir Nabokov, Hugh Nissensen, Clifford Odets, Fernando del Paso, Kenneth Patchen, Mervyn Peake, Claude Pellieu, Francisco Picabia, Alexandra Pizarnik, Sylvia Plath, Beatrix Potter, Annie Proulx, James Purdy, Alexei Remizov, Kenneth Rexroth, Maclaren Ross, Peter Sacks, William Saroyan, Mira Schor, Maurice Sendak, Charles Simic, Patti Smith, William Jay Smith, Iris Smyles, Ralph Steadman, Mark Strand, Aldo Tembalini, Igor Terentiev, Cecilia Thaxter, Ruthven Todd, Frederic Tuten, Josef Vachal, Cecilia Vicuna, Tino Villanuevo, Kurt Vonnegut, Janwillwem van de Wetering, Derek Walcott, Keith Waldrop, Rosanna Warren, Lewis Warsh, Denton Welch, Marjorie Welish, Richard Wilbur, Tennessee Williams, Gahan Wilson, Stanislaw Witkiewicz and Unica Zuern (and a few others not all yet committed, if you can imagine that).

A catalogue will be made for the exhibition, with an introduction by the magnificent novelist Joseph McElroy.

Best wishes,
John Wronoski

Lame Duck Books
Pierre Menard Gallery
10-12 Arrow Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-868-2022 (bookshop)
617-868-2033 (gallery)
617-407-6271 (mobile)

www.pierremenardgallery.com
www.lameduckbooks.com

Clearly, a trip to Boston is in order...

Wishing you happiness in this time of terror...or something

It has been too busy of late and I apologize for my silence, several quick posts to follow starting with:

The holiday music here is all brought courtesy of the fine folks at the H.P. Lovecraft Society. They offer not one but TWO collections of holiday music: A Very Scary Solstice and An Even Scarier Solstice. Each arrives with its own songbook, what more can one ask for. OH, I know, you can get both of them in a limited edition tentacle stocking (mine, from last year, can be seen to the right).

I offer, for your holiday pleasure, the lyrics of my personal favorite, the "Little Rare Book Room" (Lyrics by Sean Branney and Andrew Leman, based on 'Little Drummer Boy,' written in 1958 by Katherine Davis, Henry Onorati, and Harry Simeone):

Come, they called me
The special book room
The rarest books to see
Librarian's tomb
Kept under lock and key
In terrible gloom
To save man's sanity,
It's pointless, we're doomed, thoroughly doomed, utterly doomed.
Necronomicon
The first I exhumed
From the book room.

Book of Eibon
So frightfully old
Vermis Mysteriis
A sight to behold
The Monstres and Their Kynde
With edges of gold
Could make me lose my mind
All covered with mold, fungus and mold, poisonous mold.
Kitab al Azif
Its horrors untold.
Still I am bold.

King in Yellow
Left me feeling glum
The Ponape Scriptures
I'd stay away from
And then The Golden Bough
My brain had gone numb
I read them all out loud
Well that was quite dumb, terribly dumb, fatally dumb.
Freed the Great Old Ones
Mankind will succumb.
What have I done?

I know, I know, I posted the lyrics last year too...so what. It is great. I am going caroling in my neighborhood singing nothing but the Little Rare Book Room. Enough of this "good will to men" and "season of joy" blatherings...

HPLS has many other lovely holiday gifts, I highly recommend the Bibliophile t-shirt (no small praise as I tend to avoid t-shirts as much as possible). As I am on a bit of a Cthulhu run, I will also give a plug for a personal favorite of mine, Baby's First Mythos (I occasionally give this at holidays...and at every baby shower).

"...I've just ordered some special plywood from Russia..."

So our tenant moved out on rather short notice. Our hope was that she would not get married off for another year or so and that Lux Mentis would take over the rent on the 1200 square foot space (we live in a row house with a rental unit on the first floor). Our fiscal conservatism is such that we just don't want to stretch inflict that kind of overhead on the business until it can absorb it with relative ease. So just when we are at wits end about what to do, good things fall into place.

We have a very good friend who happens to be an artisan woodworker. For those of you who have seen my booths at shows, Brian designed the strange little table that it held together under tension without traditional fastens (mind you, in about an hour from concept to execution). Brian owns Opus One Studio...making wildly beautiful and wildly expensive furniture for individuals, institutions and museums (think $12K barstools (a set of six), a 15 foot long, 6 foot wide oval table that can split apart lengthwise (so a bartender can work in the middle) and remain stable, etc.). You can see one fun example here. The last line remains the same. Unlisted number. No sign. Work into the indefinite future.

So, while kvetching about needing to find someone for the apartment while not *really* wanting one...or wanting one with some flexibility, Brian says, "hey, I need a place to stay". Long and short, Brian is moving in downstairs, into the back 3/4 of the apartment. The front room will be "shared". Best yet, he is going to be designing and installing 11 foot tall bookshelves along two walls of the front room. They will, apparently, be stepped back at 50ish inches (so folios can be shelved down low) and will eventually have 6 foot tall narrow glass doors for the top shelves.

Brian stops by this evening to get some measurements and talk about design options. That's when he off-handedly says says that he's ordered plywood from a Russian disty. Apparently, they make some thicknesses that are very difficult to secure otherwise *and* comes in 5x7 sheets (rather than the traditional 4x8). I'm not certain why 5x7 is better for this project, but I am certain there is a reason and that the results will be fun.

Speaking of bookshelves, these, these and these are interesting...not exactly my cup of tea (not enough volume)...but the aesthetic is interesting.

"Before" pictures will go up shortly and I will, undoubtedly, post updates about the project. Rent and ridiculously well made furniture...reality tossed us lemons, and we apparently are making Lemonchello martinis.

Stephen King recommends waterboarding for Jenna Bush

Gilbert Cruz of Time Magazine interviewed Stephen King recently. In it, King suggests that Time should name Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan "person(s) of the year". His point, of course, being that most/all of the mainstream media appear more inclined to follow Spears' underwear choices (or the lack thereof) than, you know, all those annoying serious and dreary "actual news" events happening about the country and world.

I am inclined to agree with him about the decline of our focus and arguable forfeiture of cultural legacy:

We've switched from a culture that was interested in manufacturing, economics, politics — trying to play a serious part in the world — to a culture that's really entertainment-based. I mean, I know people who can tell you who won the last four seasons on American Idol and they don't know who their f------ Representatives are.

He also had some reasonably clear thoughts about how GWB might most easily get his head around the issue of waterboarding:

So I said something to the Nightline guy about waterboarding, and if the Bush administration didn't think it was torture, they ought to do some personal investigation. Someone in the Bush family should actually be waterboarded so they could report on it to George. I said, I didn't think he would do it, but I suggested Jenna be waterboarded and then she could talk about whether or not she thought it was torture.

It's not every day that a reasonably mainstream literary figure suggests waterboarding the president's daughter. Personally, I tend to believe one should not advocate a practice that one has not (or can not) personally experienced. I'll avoid the obvious issues, but I've always found it interesting that after the Maine legislature passed the "Maine Law" requiring that no Maine prisoner could be executed without the personal order of the governor, not a signal execution took place for 27 years. Apparently talking about the merits of the death penalty differed from the responsibility of actually ordering another's death.

More and more, we seem to have a great number of people who hold opinions/positions passionately and/or dogmatically with little or no...you know...thought/study/facts/contemplation supporting those positions. Mainstream media feeds into this in a significant way. There was a time, until relatively recently, when the "news", in its various forms, strived to educate on major issues and events. In recent years, if it is not prurient and/or sensational, it is not worth reporting...hell, one of the owners of one of the major news networks testified before congress that his network was not required to tell the truth, that it was, effectively, an entertainment network.

Personally, I'm with Stephen King, I'd like to see some high level discussions about the balance between real news and fake news. Then again, any coverage of such an undertaking would undoubtedly be preempted by another Spears' panty event. I'm going back to cataloguing...annoyes me much less...too much ranting makes me restless...