“Lynd Ward was way ahead of his time, a visionary, in understanding the importance of the book as an object, as a container of a kind of content. His books were made with great attention to that container and he worked within it as precisely as a concrete poet works with language.” — Art Spiegelman The so-called graphic novel -- which may be no more than a successful rebranding of comics -- has become a very popular genre, with its own bestseller list in the New York Times, and growing shelfspace in new book stores. In light of this new-found prominence and respectability, it's interesting to look back at the precursors to the graphic novel, the stages the idea of the illustrated novel-length story went through before settling into the form we current know. One of these stages was the wordless novel, in particular the work of Americ... [more Lynd Ward and the Wordless Novel]

The last major antiquarian book fair of 2016 is almost upon us. The center of the rare book world moves to Boston, MA for three days at the end of October for the 40th annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair. Once again, the Hynes Convention Center hosts more than 120 rare book dealers from around the world. The event is one of the oldest and most-respected antiquarian book shows in the country, and this year celebrates its 40th Anniversary. The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair is sponsored by the New England Chapter of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America. Dates Friday 28th – 5:00-9:00 PM Saturday 29th – Noon-7:00 PM Sunday 30th – Noon-5:00 PM Free Admission Over the Weekend! As the Boston Book Fair is celebrating its 40th year, they are offering free admission for all on Saturday, October 29 and ... [more 2016 Boston Book Fair]

Former president of the ABAA Robert D. Fleck died yesterday. Fleck founded Oak Knoll Books in 1976, and Oak Knoll Press two years later. The publishing operation was intended to fill a need he saw for books about book collecting, design, and bibliography. Fleck was extremely well-known and respected throughout the international antiquarian community, serving as president of both the ABAA and the ILAB during his long career. Just last year, he was awarded the ILAB Medal “in recognition of services rendered to the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers.” His son, Rob Fleck, posted this announcement on the Oak Knoll Books website: It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my father, Robert D. Fleck, Jr., proprietor of Oak Knoll Books & Press. He was our helmsman – our captain – our leader in this world of book... [more In Memoriam: Robert D. Fleck]

Bookplates are fascinating corner of the literary world. If your only exposure to bookplates are the rather anodyne mass-produced examples some modern bookstores sell, you may not appreciate the individuality, wit, and artistic skill that went into bookplates in years gone by. A new exhibition attempts to showcase the best examples for bookplates from centuries past. The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia presents The Art of Ownership: Bookplates and Book Collectors from 1480 to the Present, from September 21, 2016 through January 17, 2017. Edwin Davis French (1851–1906), bookplate of William Keeney Bixby. Engraved print and black printing ink on paper. New York, 1906. In Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864), The scarlet letter: a romance ... Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1850. The primary function of a bookplate is simply ... [more The Art of Ownership: Bookplates]

Happy Roald Dahl Day! The renowned British children's book author, screenwriter, and WWII fighter pilot, was born one hundred years ago, today (September 13, 1916). Dahl (or more accurately his books) has been in the headlines often in 2016, first as Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Dahl's classic The BFG hit the theaters and again after the death of the actor Gene Wilder, whose most-celebrated role was as the eccentric Willy Wonka in the 1971 film adaptation of Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (renamed Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory). Many book collectors doubtless brought their children (or grandchildren) to see The BFG and/or played Wilder's classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (or at least watched him sing “Pure Imagination” on YouTube -- scroll down to play the video for a little music while you peruse the... [more Collecting Roald Dahl]

Today is the third anniversary of the sudden death of Nobel-Laureate Seamus Heaney. A ground-breaking poet, his career sought to find parallels and common ground across many different traditions. Born of a Catholic family in majority-Protestant Northern Ireland, he rejected the violence of the 1970s, yet strongly claimed his Irish heritage and identify, politely refusing to be included in anthologies of British poets and declining the post of Britain's Poet-Laureate. His earliest poems, are described as naturalistic and explore his rural upbringing, celebrating the small comforts and familiarities of farming communities and considering his family heritage of agriculture on one side and industrialization on the other. As a fellow Irishman, his poetry was the first in which I found personal resonances, similarities to my own family stories,... [more Remembering Seamus Heaney]

The ABAA has recently approved several new members, all of whom have successfully proven themselves to be, in the words of the ABAA Guarantee, "established, knowledgeable, and of excellent reputation." These new members were sponsored by existing members, and have undergone a rigorous screening process. We welcome the newest members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America. Full Members Nick Aretakis, Nick Aretakis Rare Books Nick Aretakis was born and raised in California, and attended the University of California, at Berkeley, where he received a B.A. in American History. He also has an M.A. in International Relations from the George Washington University, and spent a year in the American History Ph.D. program at the University of Virginia. In the mid-1990s he helped launch the “BookTV” series at C-SPAN television, aft... [more New Members]

The Lilly Library, Indiana University, has announced its summer exhibition. “Eat Your Vegetables! Five Centuries of Vegetarianism and the Printed Word” will survey the history and impact of vegetarian movements on society, and it will also contain a variety of cookbooks that emphasize vegetarian cuisine. The materials in this exhibition are drawn from many of the Lilly Library's collections, most notably the collection of books, pamphlets, and other materials on the history of vegetarianism formed by ABAA-member William Dailey (William Dailey Rare Books Ltd), as well as the Dr. and Mrs. John Talbot Gernon Cookbook Collection. The exhibition will be on view in the Main Gallery of the Lilly Library from July 21 to September 10, 2016. The Library will formally open the exhibition on July 21 at 5:30 p.m., with a talk by William Dailey ent... [more William Dailey on Collecting Vegetarian Literature]

ABAA-member Jennifer Johnson of The Book Shop in Covina, CA, has been awarded a Young Antiquarian Scholarship by the Hungarian Antiquarian Booksellers' Association to attend the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers' (ILAB) Congress in Budapest in September, 2016. ABAA-President Mary Gilliam writes of Johnson that “Ever since joining the Association, Jen has been very supportive of, as well as involved in, Association activities, e.g, serving on the Southern California Book Fair committee, and organizing the now ever-popular Poker Tournament, which has raised ~ $15,000 for the ABAA Woodburn Educational Fund." "Jen represents the next generation of booksellers, and epitomizes the type of bookseller to whom we wish to entrust our beloved trade; e.g., along with , they broke new ground in terms of identifying and compiling archi... [more Johnson Awarded Young Antiquarian Scholarship]

Maxwell Perkins was the most famous editor of the golden age of American letters, working with Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and many others. Rather than attempt to compress his mammoth career into two hours, the new film Genius, starring Colin Firth and Jude Law, focuses on Perkins relationship with Thomas Wolfe, perhaps his most gifted author, but also his greatest challenge. ABAA members offer many interesting items connected to Maxwell Perkins and his stable of famous authors, from glamorous first editions and rare books, to unexpected ephemera like mundane letters between the editor and various literary executors. Carolina Folk Plays: Second Series. Edited with an Introduction on Making a Folk Theatre by Frederick H. Koch New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1924. First edition. Thomas Wo... [more Max Perkins: Genius Editor]