Miegan Gordon of Asheville, NC's Captain's Bookshelf got a surprise last month when she opened the store. A copy of Billy Collins' poetry collection Nine Horses (a signed first edition, no less) was looking a little worse for wear. It was full of holes punched from front to back, and the author photo had been altered to make Collins look like a silent movie villain, complete with curling mustaches, goatee and an evil-looking eyebrows. At first, the store staff wondered if somebody had hacked at it with an ice pick. But, after local police stopped by to compile a report, the officers recognized what had actually happened to the book: it had been blasted with a shotgun, probably a .410, they remarked. The damage is most apparent from the spine view. Asheville is where I make my home, so I popped over to the Captain's Bookshelf to view this now-unique collectible -- with the words of Collins' poem “Building with its Face Blown Off” rattling around in my head: “How suddenly the private is revealed in a bombed-out city.” Does blasting a book apart make it easier to access the poetry inside? -- and heard the full story from owner Chan Gordon. From the code number inside the book, Gordon was able to determine that he bought the book about two years ago. What happened next is a mystery. Gordon feels a signed first edition of Billy Collins would not have sat on the shelf unsold for two years, so presumably the book was bought (or prehaps stolen) within that time, and recently ... [more Extreme Poetry Criticism]

Second Story Books in Washington, DC is looking for an experienced bookseller to fill a permanent full-time position in our Dupont Circle store. Shifts would be Sunday through Thursday, from 2-10pm. Compensation will depend upon qualifications and experience. Successful candidate will start right away. Please respond with an email and attached resume to dupontsecondstory@gmail.com. For further information, feel free to contact Eric Passaglia or Britt Law, Monday through Friday, at (202) 659-8884. [more Position Available at Second Story Books]

While in Ireland and out of the book world, I've been posting chapters from a story I'm working on. (See earlier entries on Bookman's Log.) The story is set in the town of Talman, a fictional iteration of Nyack, NY, one of the stops on my book route for decades. One of my favorite dealers in Nyack is Fred Rosselot, a lovely guy with a sharp mind and a sharper eye for books - with which he filled his house. This past weekend, Fred was severely injured in a fire which destroyed his house and his entire stock. For details go to Bookman's Log... Presumably the ABAA Benevolent Fund will be helping out as well. According to colleague Lorne Bair, "I've already forwarded Mr. Rosselot's devastating news to the Trustees, who will no doubt act appropriately." "Of course, there are many on this list who don't donate to the Benevolent Fund, but who might feel moved to donate to Mr. Rosselot directly. Where that's the case, it sounds like under the circumstances he can use every penny that comes his way." "I'll just take this opportunity to point out to all here how clearly this story illustrates the fact that many members of our fraternity/sorority lead a tenuous existence, one step away from disaster. The Benevolent Fund was established in understanding of, and as a partial antidote to, this reality. Give accordingly." "Nuff said. Good luck, Fred! [more Fred Rosselt Injured in House Fire]

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 ABAA. FULL MEMBERS: Sammy Blade Berk of Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. Sammy Berk is the head of the Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. Antique Map department. Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. is a family owned and operated business founded in 1964. Today we have a store front in the heart of downtown Chicago, with nearly 20 employees and specialize in a wide array of collectibles, including Ancient Coins, U.S. Coins and Currency, World Coins, Antiquities, Paintings, Antique Maps and Prints. Aside from becoming a new member of the ABAA and ILAB, we are also proud members of the Chicago and Washington Map Society. Harlan J. Berk Ltd. is also the sole organizer of the Chicago International Map Fair, which is held in October. For more information of the map fair, please visit the fair website at www.chicagomapfair.com. Mark Brumberg of Boomerang Booksellers, Northampton, MA Mark started Boomerang Booksellers in 2010 to connect serious readers and collectors with the fine books they cherish and love. Boomerang Booksellers specializes in illustrated books, fine printing, children's books, modern first editions, signed books, & poetry, along with a general selection of antiquarian b... [more New Members: February 2015]

Recently Anne and David Bromer, proprietors of Bromer Booksellers in Boston, made a $10,000 stock gift to the Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund. It hasn't been my practice to single out contributors to our charitable funds for public thanks — but this gift is important on several levels and should be recognized publicly. First of all, I should point out the extraordinary generosity of a donation this size. The Bromer's gift is among the largest single bequests ever made to the Fund, and it adds signi
cantly to its reserve. This is important: for much of the past decade, grants made from the ABBF slightly exceeded incoming donations. That trend has now begun to reverse, and with gifts such as this one we can now begin con
dently to speak of a long-term goal of building a self-sustaining Benevolent Trust that will function in perpetuity. The Bromer's gift is also unprecedented in another way: until now, the ABBF had been set up only to accept gifts of cash; with this gift we can announce that the ABBF can, for the
rst time, accept gifts of stock as well. This has certain tangible bene
ts for both the Fund and for donors, especially those wishing to make larger gifts. If you'd like more information on how to make a gift of stock, please contact Susan Benne. I'm consistently amazed and humbled by the generosity our members have displayed, year-in, year-out, in their support of our Association's various benevolent activities. Whether through donations to the Antiquarian ... [more Anne and David Bromer Give Stock Gift to Benevolent Fund]

The ABAA has recently admitted three new members, Don Myers, of Pacific Coast Books, Ezra Tishman of Aardvark Books, and Nicole Reiss of Brattle Book Shop. Full Members: Don Myers (Pacific Coast Books) Don Myers established Pacific Coast Books in 2000 and actively sells books at west coast book fairs. In 2009, after a 25 year career serving as Executive Director for national non- profit organizations, he opened a book store store three blocks from the Pacific Ocean in Lincoln City, Oregon. Don's specialty is Pacific Voyages and Exploration, Zamorano 80 titles along with west coast history. He looks forward to participating in ABAA Book Fairs and issuing several catalogues in the near future when not chasing grandchildren down the beach with his wife Merilee. Ezra Tishman (Aardvark Books) Beset by chronic bibliophilia in his early twenties, Ezra Tishman (aka Ezra The Bookfinder) did not let the ailment take him down. Like so many of his colleagues, he took to selective scouting to feed the insatiable hunger that this ailment exacts from its sufferers. Then, from the parted sky, came the Internet and around 1995, he found himself to be one of a dozen or so booksellers plying their wares online. A workshop with Dick Weatherford, founder of Interloc, then Alibris, gave him the idea that he could propel the many-month AB booksearch-cycle into the instantaneous future, and he became full-time bookfinder, and bookseller to individuals, universities, museums, corporations, and even b... [more New Members: December 2014]

ABAA members are not only experts in their fields, but also very involved in scholarship and philanthropy. Here are some of the many ways members have been in the headlines this past month. New Mark Twain Plagiarism Scandal Exposed Antiquarian bookseller and scholar Kevin Mac Donnell uncovered unacknowledged copying in a new book about Mark Twain from the Library of Congress. McDonnell identified numerous passages copied from another book on Twain, and other scholars following up on his work have identified further instances. Read more... What Makes Rare Books Rare? During the recent Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, members Ken Gloss & Seth Kaller discussed rare books with WGBG. Listen to the interview... PEN America-Fundraising Auction ABAA members Between the Covers, Aleph-Bet Books, The Captain's Bookshelf, and Jo Ann Reisler, Ltd., contributed to an upcoming auction of very special books to benefit PEN America. 'First Edition, Second Thoughts' is a special collection of first and fine editions of significant books which their authors have annotated and marked up to create truly unique artefacts. Learn more... How Paperback Books Helped Win World War II Member Michael Hackenberg provided some historical perspective for this Wall Street Journal piece on a new book about Armed Services Editions, and how these humble paperbacks brought about a sea-change in post-war publishing. Read more... [more Members in the News]

Ken Sanders Rare Books released Rare Books Catalogue #48, which features new acquisitions in the fields of Utah & the Mormons, Native & Western Americana, Maps & Photographs, and Illustrated Books & Wordless Novels. Catalogue 48 also offers some fantastic original artworks for sale and an exciting Charles Bukowski archive. The Lawbook Exchange is pleased to announce the publication of Catalogue 78: Recently Acquired Books, Manuscripts & Ephemera. Tavistock Books just published their 2014 Holiday Catalogue. Kuenzig Books offers their latest catalog of 150 items in the areas of science, technology, and photography (especially technical processes). The Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts Company has a number of new arrivals. Margolis & Moss is offering an annotated list of 19th century books on American education and various texts for young students. Email them directly if interested in the list. Walkabout Books' latest list contains a selection of 32 interesting and uncommon books relating 19th and early 20th century photographic methods. R & A Petrilla recently released a catalogue entitled "USA: State by State". Ken Lopez Bookseller announced a new list, "Books Into Film, Books About Film, and Some Cinematic Souvenirs", which includes books, screenplays, typescripts, photographs, posters, a film prop and various other assorted film-related items. Golden Legend Inc. issued a short list of 18th century rare books and prints devoted to spectacle. Bolerium Books offers their la... [more November Catalogue and List Announcements]

Summary of a report by Terry Belanger on the conference “Acknowledging the Past, Forging the Future: National Colloquium on Library Special Collections” Organized by the Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University 21-22 October 2014 Rare book and special collections librarians tend to be creatures of habit, with traditional migratory patterns. They flock (1) to the annual Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) pre-conference, generally held in late June, shortly before (2) the annual conference of the American Library Association (ALA); and – especially for mid-level members of the profession – (3) to ALA's midwinter conference, generally held at the end of January, when it sometimes annoyingly competes with the various tribal shrieks of (4) Bibliography Week in New York City. Those on the archival side of the roost tend (5) to gather at the late-summer annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), and there is always a substantial flight of librarians attending (6) the annual summer conference of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP) and the annual fall conference of the American Printing History Association (APHA). Library salaries and institutional travel budgets being what they are, most members of the profession must pick which conferences in this clutch of treats they will attend, since few of them receive sufficient funding to go to everything, and fewer still wish to take the time off to do so, ... [more Acknowledging the Past, Forging the Future]

The 2014 National Book Awards were presented last night at a gala event at Cipriani on Wall Street. Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) was the master of ceremonies, and let no opportunity to mock a certain massive online retailer pass -- nor indeed, did several of the other speakers. The winners of the 2014 National Book Awards were: YOUNG ADULT FICTION: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books) The third nomination for Jacqueline Woodson and her first win. POETRY: Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise Glück (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Glück, a former Poet-Laureate, had been a finalist for the National Book Award three previous times without winning. NONFICTION: Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Evan Osnos, who writes for the New Yorker and is the son of Public Affairs founder Peter Osnos, lived in China for seven years while working on the Age of Ambition. FICTION: Redeployment by Phil Klay (Penguin Press) Iraq-War veteran Phil Klay gave a moving speech were he said that after serving in Iraq, he “came back not knowing what to think” and that writing the short stories in Redeployment was his attempt to process his experiences of war. “War is too strange to be processed alone.” Redeployent is the first collection of short fiction to win the prize since Andrea Barrett's Ship Fever in 1996. The Literarian Award for Outstanding Contribution to the American Literary... [more 2014 National Book Award Winners]