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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.


The Northern & Southern California Chapters of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America would like to announce The California Young Book-Collector's Prize. UPDATE: Deadline extended until December 15. Submissions should be sent as a .pdf file to Ben Kinmont, Chair of the Northern California Chapter of the ABAA, at bkinmont@gmail.com. Most great collectors started when they were young, and most great collections started with a passion for a particular object or subject. When these objects are books and manuscripts, the collectors are called bibliophiles, or lovers of the book. Curiously, the love of books continues unabated today, despite their increasing rarity and the rapid growth of digital media. Some might even argue that the printed page has taken on a new meaning and cultural resonance in our era of computers and electron... [more ABAA’s California Chapters Launch Book-Collecting Prize, Deadline Extended!]


Stolen/Forged LDS Material

By Susan Benne

We were alerted to a news story that Kevin Schuwer of Lehi, Utah has confessed to selling forged LDS material. In addition to these materials, he is being investigated for selling items stolen from BYU and other venues. Read more here. Jeff Long at BYU Police is the officer investigating the matter. His number is 801.422.5216 and email is jeffrey_long@byu.edu. The investigation may end up involving multiple jurisdictions and therefore other investigators. We will update as information becomes available. [more Stolen/Forged LDS Material]

Please contact us if offered this book. In addition to the description below, it also is housed in a clamshell case. HUGHES, Henry. Treatise on Sociology, Theoretical and Practical. Philadelphia: Published for the Author, 1854. First edition. Octavo. 292 pp. plus two folding charts. Publisher's sage cloth with large blind-blocked arabesques on covers, gilt spine lettering. Tips lightly bumped and light browning to endpapers. A very good copy in the original binding. This is the first American book on sociology and one of the first books to use that term. "The very term, "sociology," was introduced into the American lexicon of social science in 1854 by Henry Hughes, an obscure Mississippi lawyer. His Treatise on Sociology, Theoretical and Practical is the first book-length work to employ that term in its title... Despite the availability o... [more Missing: Henry Hughes’ Treatise on Sociology, Theoretical and Practical.]

Please inform Stranraer police if you are offered the ”Treacle Bible” which was stolen from the Old Kirk (Kirk Covenant), outside Drummore village, at the end of June. The bolts were removed from the glass case where it had been displayed for years. Before the King James Bible of 1611 pre-reformation translators were risking their lives if they translated the scriptures from Latin or Greek into English. It was considered heresy, a capital offense punishable by burning. This 1549 edition of the Great Bible has been referred to as "The Treacle Bible" because of a verse in Jeremiah which says, "Is there not triacle in Gilead". “Treacle", variously spelled, is an old English name for ointment or balm. Stranraer Police can be reached at 44 1786 289070. [more “Treacle Bible” reported missing in Scotland]

One of our members recently purchased material bearing the Börsenverein Library's stamp. It seems the library doesn't typically deaccession material and was the victim of looting and related problems during WWII. If you happen to hold or have handled any of this material, kindly contact the person below for further details. Dr. Ramon Voges German National Library Deputy Head German Museum of Books and Writing Deutscher Platz 1 04103 Leipzig Phone: +49 341 2271-315 Fax: +49 341 2271-240 Mail: R.Voges@dnb.de [more Material from Börsenverein Library in Leipzig]

Many booksellers have insurance policies that protect against loss, damage, and even liability, but what can you do to protect against crime? We asked experts from Risk Strategies and Michals Insurance to give us the low-down. In the case of credit card or check fraud, certain policies can cover loss. Kierstin Johnson of Risk Strategies says that certain Fine Art and Rare Book policies will treat the incident as a theft if the dealer ships the item out prior to the transaction going through, and then cannot collect the money. In essence, the dealer is out the book and the money and a “theft” claim could be filed with the insurance company, as the book has essentially been stolen. However, different insurance carriers take a different view. It is important for booksellers to review the exclusions in their policies. Look for the word ... [more Crime in Bookselling: Insuring against Unforeseeable Acts]

A recent discussion on social media illustrates there are some misunderstandings about the cost and application process when a firm has more than one owner or shareholder. Though not all shareholders may want to become ABAA members for those who do the application process is slightly abbreviated as some components are waived — after all, the viability of the business has already been established. Dues for each additional full member are $250 per year. The benefits of being a full member include the ability to take an active role in the governance of the ABAA through voting rights as well as the ability to serve on the Board of Governors and Committees. The following Q&A aims to answer the most common questions. Second Primary Full Membership What is a Second Primary Member? A Second Primary Member is any additional full member in a firm... [more Membership Options for Firms with Multiple Owners]

Book Theft, August 2018 The House of Seven Gables in Salem has suffered a theft of a first edition The House of the Seven Gables, A Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Here are the details: · Published by Ticknor, Reed and Fields, Boston, 1851. Stereotyped by Hopart & Robbins, Boston. First printing. 344 pages. · Brown cloth-bound book with cut fore-edges, blocked-in-blind covers, and gilt blocked lettering on the spine, · Written in pen on title page “Jane Howden.” Written in pen on fly-leaf “To Mrs. Carlyle with the kind regards of ? April 1852. From Mrs. Carlyle (Jeanie Walsh) to Jane Howden Maitlandfield.” Written in pencil on first few pages “B90.0.56.” · Dimensions: o 7 3.8” long o 5” long If you run across this book, please notify the Salem Police Department immediately at 978-744-1212. [more Missing from House of Seven Gables: 1st Ed. The House of the Seven Gables]

This morning, the ABAA leadership learned that Greg Priore, former Carnegie Library Archivist, and former ABAA member John Schulman of Caliban Books, have been charged with theft from the library. This is a truly regrettable situation for the larger book community, and one in which the Association shares the public's dismay that such a theft took place. At this point in time, to comment further would be premature, as we support the legal process currently being pursued and will await its outcome. During this period we will continue to closely monitor the developments concerning this serious matter. Sincerely, Vic Zoschak President, ABAA [more ABAA Statement regarding Carnegie Library Thefts]

The ABAA has received a preliminary report of a theft of French literature from a private residence in Hamden, CT within the last two weeks. Here are the details of the missing materials thus far: Finely bound sets of Victor Hugo, Jules Verne, other authors include Gide, Camus, Baudelaire, Balzac. Most in fine bindings, or illustrated and fine press editions. Books were originally purchased in France, some would have prices pencilled in Euros or Francs. Approximately 300-500 volumes missing, presumably stolen, sometime in the last 2 weeks. If you have any information about this or have been offered these books, please contact: Detective Don Remillard Major Crimes Unit Hamden Police Department 203-230-4052 dremillard@hamdenpd.com [more Missing from Hamden, CT: French Literature]