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Blog posts by Susan Benne

Susan is the Executive Director of the ABAA. She collects material on Brooklyn as well as ephemera and vernacular photography. Susan is focused on making the book trade diverse and equitable.


A book sent from London to the William Reese Company in New Haven, CT has gone missing in shipment. It was sent in July, and almost certainly addressed to the wrong recipient (likely a bookseller in the United States). The book is Henri Joutel's JOURNAL HISTORIQUE DU DERNIER VOYAGE....Paris. 1713. It is 12mo., bound in contemporary French speckled calf, gilt arms of Louis-Francois-Armand, Duc de la Rochefoucauld stamped on front board, spine richly gilt, raised bands, gilt label. Inkstamp of the Bibliotheque de la Roche-Guyon on titlepage. If anyone has received this book by mistake, or has been offered this copy for purchase, please contact the Americana Department at the William Reese Company, at amorder@reeseco.com. [more Missing in Transit: Henri Joutel’s JOURNAL HISTORIQUE DU DERNIER VOYAGE]

UPDATE: These items have been recovered. If you know the whereabouts of these items, please contact Larry O'Shaughnessy, Larry@franklinbooks.com, 800-627-3890 or 908-323-3686. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by John Tenniel, Signed Full Leather Bayntun Binding Binding Details: A beautiful signed Bayntun binding featuring full leather polished calf boards with elaborate gilt decorations and titling in compartments on the spine that has five raised spine hubs. The front and rear covers contain gold gilt characters from the book, double gilt ruling to the boards with floral stops, inner and outer dentelles, marbled endpapers, and gold gilted page ends. The Bayntun Binders stamp appears on the top of the first free endpaper. Book Details: Alice's Adventures in... [more Missing: Disney Gremlins and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland [and] Through the Looking Glass…]

The following book is missing after having been marked as delivered to Marc Kuritz of Churchill Book Collector in San Diego on July 22nd: Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence, copy #313/750 of the limited issue of the first British trade edition, published by Jonathan Cape in 1935. Two images are attached; please contact the firm if you know the whereabouts of this item: Churchill Book Collector, ABAA | ILAB | IOBA San Diego, California, U.S.A. / 619.384.7992 churchillbookcollector@gmail.com [more Missing in Transit to San Diego: Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence]

The following three books are missing as a result of fraudulent orders from the UK (London). If you are offered these items, please contact Marc Younger of Aleph-Bet Books: Marc Younger Aleph-Bet Books, Inc. Phone (914) 764-7410 e-mail: marc@alephbet.com RACKHAM'S PETER PAN IN DUST WRAPPER (RACKHAM,ARTHUR)illus. PETER PAN IN KENSINGTON GARDENS by J.M. Barrie. London: Hodder & Stoughton, no date . Large 4to (9 x 11 1/8"), green, textured, gilt pictorial cloth, 125 numbered pages, some offsetting and a few oxidation spots on endpapers else a FINE COPY IN THE PUBLISHER'S DUST WRAPPER WITH A MOUNTED COLOR PLATE (plate reproduces #50 from the book). First edition of Rackham's enlarged edition, later issue with plain endpapers and title printed in 1 color. This edition has a new color plate done for this edition, plus there are 7 fullpage black... [more Missing Rackham and Dahl material]

The following item went missing during transit after passing Canadian customs: ERASMUS, Desiderius. Institutio principis christiani, saluberrimis referta praeceptis, per Erasmum Roterodam, ab eodem recognita. Praecepta Isocratis de regno administrado ad Nicoclem regem eodem interprete. Cologne: Ex officina Eucharij Ceruicorni (colophon: Impensis M. Godefridi Hittorpij), May 1529. 8vo, pp. With fine woodcut title after Hans Holbein and woodcut white on black initials; contemporary owner's inscription on title-page crossed out; Latin inscription on first page of text in a contemporary hand; some light foxing. Early vellum over boards. BOUND WITH ERASMUS, D. Epistolae familiares propter singularem elegantiam & argumenti materiam Scholis & adolescentum studiis captuique accommodatae ex omnibus, quas reliquit, literis summo doctissimorum iudic... [more Lost in Transit: An Early Erasmus Sammelband of Student’s Texts]

UPDATE: This has been recovered. Someone Like You by Roald Dahl First Edition. Signed by the author and dated Nov. 11, 1953. A card inscribed by Patricia Neal (signed “Pat”) presenting the book is laid in. Very good plus in a very good dust jacket. Queen's Quorum. If offered, please contact Peter Stern at Peter Stern & Co., Inc. Phone (617) 542-2376 info@sternrarebooks.com [more Missing: Someone Like You by Roald Dahl]

B&B Rare Books is missing a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that was sent to London (technically Essex). If anyone is offered a first of Charlie, please contact info@bbrarebooks. Attached is a photo of their Charlie as well as the description (the most obvious marker is a vertical crease to the dj on the front panel, about an inch in from the right edge:) New York: Alfred Knopf, 1964. First edition, first issue, with a six line colophon. Publisher's red cloth, with the title in blind to the front board, spine lettered in gilt, black topstain; in the original first-issue dust jacket designed by Schindelman, lacking the ISBN number to the rear panel, with illustration of a chocolate candy bar, Charlie, and Willy Wonka to the front panel, illustration of Wonka dancing in front of billboards to the rear panel. Near fine, with gilt just a to... [more Missing in UK: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]

The following item has been reported missing from California, last seen on July 31, 2015. Bohemian Club Ledger. Manuscript ledger of the Bohemian Club from its founding in 1872 to 1899, roughly three hundred pages of manuscript minutes and records along with relevant printed material from the period. The notes include mention of founder Ambrose G. Bierce, Henry George, Ina Coolbrith, Mark Twain and others. The cover is a black “pebbled” ledger style cover, approximately 8” by 11”, 250 - 350 pages. If you have any information on this item, please contact Richard P. Koch at rpkoch1@sbcglobal.net or (415) 397-1060. [more Missing: Bohemian Club Ledger]

I was thrilled recently to learn, via John Windle, of the philanthropic activities of ABAA member Phillip Pirages and his wife Ellen Summerfield. The couple formed the Give a Little Foundation in 2007 with the mission to provide assistance to individuals and families in Yamhill County, Oregon who are experiencing financial adversity and to alleviate hardship and enhance the quality of life of those on very limited budgets. The foundation offers one-time grants of up to $500 to help residents in crisis, and it has other special outreach programs in place to help school children, job seekers, and seniors. Phil and Ellen were moved to give back to their local community after identifying a need through their professional acquaintances and social services organizations. From the beginning, they have worked with existing organizations who had t... [more ABAA Member Phillip Pirages Gives Back to his Oregon Community]

The ABAA's Woodburn Fund provides financial support for scholarly research and education relevant to the antiquarian book trade. This includes annual scholarships to Rare Book School, California Rare Book School, and the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar. Ezra Tishman of Aardvark Books/Ezra the Bookfinder was the recipient of a Woodburn Fund scholarship to Rare Book School this year and had the following to say about his experience. I wanted to take moment to officially thank the ABAA for the scholarship assistance I received to attend a Rare Book School course in Bloomington, Indiana. The assistance allowed me to take the time off from work, and I spent an amazing week at Indiana University's Lilly Library, learning from the legendary "Master of Bibliographical Resources", Joel Silver. His encyclopedic knowledge of available references -... [more Woodburn Fund Scholarship Recipient on Rare Book School]