Three Book Trade Veterans and a Collector Speak at the Houston Book Fair

The Houston Book Fair was held this past Saturday, November 8th at the Printing Museum.  One of the highlights was a panel discussion.   Collector Kurt Zimmerman and three veteran rare book dealers discuss their backgrounds, share book stories, comment on the current state of the trade, and answer audience questions.  The three dealers were Bud Plant, Peter Stern, and Dennis Melhouse.  A volunteer at the Museum filmed the discussion.  It's worth a view.  Get out the popcorn.

Houston Book Fair Panel Discussion


Stern, Plant, and Melhouse will each have booths at the ABAA Boston Book Fair this upcoming weekend.  Peter Stern has contributed a timely essay on the ABAA blog, "Boston: Characters in the Rare Book Trade."

Peter Stern. Boston: Characters in the Rare Book Trade

Two other relevant blog essays by Rusty Mott & Joyce Kosofsky are also recommended.

Rusty Mott. Recollections of the Boston Book Fair By a Lifer

Joyce Kosofsky. Changes in the Boston Bookstore Scene

The Grand Experiment

“He jumped. He jumped and I couldn’t stop him,” my wife said frantically to the ambulance driver, “He was out of his mind.  My God, he was out of mind.”

            I was strapped down in an ambulance, unconscious and injured badly, paramedic hovering, as it bounced and sped to the hospital.

            But I’m getting ahead of myself.  It had all started off a month earlier so serenely, so innocently, so risk free.  And I must credit no one but yours truly with the idea: an idea that manifested itself over thirty days into a dangerous, terror-filled biblio-ride with unforeseen consequences. 

Stephen H. Wakeman: American Literature Enthusiast

Stephen H. Wakeman

“If you can get that,” said Mr. Wakeman, “all right.  But remember that the collection is to be offered to no one but Mr. Morgan. . . “
          Surprises await even the most assiduous of biblio-readers.  I encountered this passage in George S. Hellman’s largely forgotten book, Lanes of Memory (1927), a collection of autobiographical essays.  Hellman (1878-1958) was a prolific writer and editor.  He was also a dealer and collector of rare autographs, manuscripts, books and art.   In the early 20^th century, Hellman sold exceptional literary material to J. Pierpont Morgan and other prominent collectors.  His discursive essays rambled down many literary bypaths and gems of manuscript and book hunting surfaced irregularly.  None read better than his chapter on selling material to J. Pierpont Morgan.  It was Hellman who facilitated the sale of collector Stephen H. Wakeman’s exceptional gathering of American literary manuscripts to Morgan.  That episode, a portion of which is dangled above as a prelude, is reproduced in its entirety below.  Hellman’s account is an unusually candid insider’s view of a blockbuster transaction.  Hellman had an advantage in his retelling.  He originally supplied Wakeman much of the manuscript material including the famous Thoreau journals.

Book Orphans Adopted: A Varied View of Ex-Library Copies

The mere sight of an ex-library copy on the bookshelf of a serious collector is usually met with disdain by other aficionados.  Let the book be bound in a sturdy library buckram binding with call numbers on the spine and the disdain becomes palpable.  The collector can be somewhat excused if it is a rare item and the book is merely holding a spot for the “upgraded” copy yet to come.  This leniency is heightened a bit if the collector assumes an apologetic tone.

            Ex-library copies are held in disfavor by collectors for a number of reasons.  The physical “mutilation” of the ex-library book is most troubling.  Distasteful ownership markings of all types are usually combined with missing endpapers, battered bindings, and utilitarian repairs.  This doesn’t suit a collector’s temperament for books in original condition or fine bindings.  There are other psychological factors involved but that is the nut of it.  Ex-library copies are inferior in the eyes of collectors and no amount of therapy, rationalization, or browbeating is going to change this rule of the book collecting game.  Rules however can be successfully bent if not broken.

            Writer and friend Nicholas Basbanes calls his own gathering of ex-library copies his “Orphan Collection.”  Scattered throughout my shelves are a number of ex-library orphans that are not only integral to my collection but also hold an honored place.   A brief description of some of them can provide a new perspective on the most humble of books.  My personal collection focuses on association copies related to the history of American book collecting.  A little imagination on the part of collectors of other areas could well raise their own occasional ex-library encounter to a higher level of appreciation.  Librarians may also view their holdings in a different light.

            Not long ago I acquired an ex-library copy for the price of a fast food lunch.  This example formerly resided in the Free Library of Philadelphia.  The book was A.S.W. Rosenbach’s Books and Bidders (1927), an autobiographical account of Rosenbach’s adventures in dealing.  “Rosy” (1876-1952) was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, shrewd, and personable, never missing a chance to promote book collecting.  He dominated the antiquarian book trade in the first half of the 20^th century and helped build many important collections including those of Henry Huntington, Henry and Emily Folger, and Pierpont Morgan.  I already owned copies of Books and Bidders inscribed by Rosenbach to various notables.  What intrigued me however about this association was Rosenbach’s close connection to the Free Library.  Rosenbach, a Philadelphian, supported the library throughout his long career.  He served on the board of trustees, hosted exhibits and talks at the library, raised funds to purchase material for their rare book collections, and most importantly, donated his private collection of rare early American children’s books to the library.  The nucleus of this sentimental collection was inherited from his favorite uncle and mentor, Moses Polock, a Philadelphia bookseller.  The Free Library of Philadelphia was probably closer to Rosenbach’s heart than any other institution.

           

Knowing When to Quit: The 1964 Smoking Report

I really should quit reading haphazardly.  As a collector it is bad for my financial health and shelf space. This habit occasionally sparks a willpower failure and results in the purchase of something totally unexpected.  On reflection, it is not the reading itself that is dangerous but easy access to online book searching while I’m reading.  However, books happen and the postal lady—named Judy, now a close friend--just dropped off this latest addition.  It is I think a great association item and I imagine long after I’m gone it will assume its proper place in the book pantheon, perhaps foundationing a future collection that I would admire but probably couldn’t afford.  I’m just glad I got to it first.  As formidable English collector Michael Sadleir said, ”In nature, the bird who gets up earliest catches the most worms, but in book collecting the prizes fall to birds who know worms when they see them.”

            The catalyst was a glance at the January 11, 2014 news headline, “Historic Smoking Report Marks 50^th Anniversary.” 

I read the first few paragraphs of the AP story:

“Sparks to the Dry Tinder in the Mind” -- A. Edward Newton’s The Amenities of Book-Collecting

Few collectors have ridden the book collecting hobby harder or with more enthusiasm than A[lfred]. Edward Newton (1864-1940).  Indeed, none have been able to infuse into others a virulent contagion for the grand sport like Newton did through his writings.  Even now, almost 100 years later, his wide-ranging biblio-essays continue to provide inspiration and entertainment.  His first and most famous contribution to bibliophilic literature was The Amenities of Book-Collecting and Kindred Affections (1918).  This diverse collection of essays reflects Newton as a man and as a collector.  The book would go through eight printings in his lifetime and be honored with a separate edition in the Modern Library series.