An extensive Ernest Hemingway collection compiled by a Mississippi physician was donated to the University of South Carolina Columbia and put on display at the Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library for a special showing earlier this week. Edgar Grissom, the 70-year-old collector and donor, has worked for more than 50 years in his quest to compile all of Hemingway's English-language publications. He likened his pursuit to "an Easter egg hunt", but now, at the end of his journey, he is delighted to assert that he has "the most complete collection of primary works in existence." William Rivers, chairman of USC's English department, agrees. "It provides a tremendous resource. It makes writing real in a very powerful way," Rivers said. "There is no other place in the world now where scholars can go to look at Hemingway's primary materials." Thisto provide an institution, and thereby students and scholars, with an extensive collection that would allow for further research on Hemingwaywas Grissom's intention all along. He was smitten with Hemingway after reading The Green Hills of Africa, and began seriously collecting in his 2os when he was still a medical student. Last year he published his own bibliography of Hemingway's work. It wasn't always an easy road, though, and Grissom encountered opposition from a number of research libraries and museums he tried to work with over the years. "I could give you story after story of Hemingway scholars who told me to get lost," Gr... [more Hemingway Collection Donated to the University of South Carolina]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America is delighted to announce the winners of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest! First Prize: Jordan Haug, University of California San Diego, "Mormon Fundamentalism & Polygamy" Second Prize: Jessica Anne Kahan, University of Michigan, "Romance Novels in DJ, 1925-1935" Third Prize: Andrew Ferguson, University of Virginia, "Bibliography & Puzzle of R.A. Lafferty" Essay Prize: Kevin Baggot Roberts, Johns Hopkins University, "Cheap Thrills: Sex in American Publishing, 1924-1970" Congratulations to the winners! [more 2012 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Winners Announced!]

The blog will be silent until after Labor Day as I will be enjoying a little vacation. In the meantime, please visit our Facebook page to get your bookish fix. Enjoy the last days of summer! [more Vacation!]

My apologies for the lack of recent posts. I spent a week at the amazing Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar and have been catching up since then. CABS was a ton of fun and provided an abundance of information, but more on that later. Now back to rare book and literary news and items of interest! [more ...And I'm back!]

Yale University provides incredible online access to a number of introductory courses through the Yale Open Courses program. The goal of the program is to "expand access to educational materials for all who wish to learn." Course are free and offer virtual students a full set of class lectures and any other relevant materials. The course offerings are varied and cover a number of disciplines. I, as I suspect many readers of this blog would be, was particulariy interested in the English courses, which include Introduction to Theory of Literature, Milton, Modern Poetry, and The American Novel Since 1945. A class that caught my particular attention was Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitgerald, taught by Professor Wai Chee Dimock. The course examines major works by the three authors, "exploring their interconnections on three analytic scales: the macro history of the United States and the world; the formal and stylistic innovations of modernism; and the small details of sensory input and psychic life." I've included the course introduction after the jump. Kudos to Yale for offering this wonderful open learning experience to all! [more Yale Courses Available to the Public]

There's a great article in this morning's NY Times about Rare Book School, check it out! UPDATE: A companion piece in the NY Times Arts Blog about the Hinman Collator is also worth a read. Rare Book School [more NY Times Profiles Rare Book School]

ABAA members James Bryant of Carpe Diem Fine Books in Monterey, CA and Edward Nudelman of Nudelman Rare Books in Seattle, WA recently received some attention in the press. Carpe Diem was written about by Cynthia Haven of Stanford University who dubbed the shop "the best bookstore I've never seen", and Rebecca Rego Barry of Fine Books & Collections magazine profiled Ed Nudelman. Congrats to James and Ed! [more Members in the News: Carpe Diem Fine Books & Nudelman Rare Books]

UFA colour lithograph poster for 'Metropolis', Designer - Heinz Schulz-Neudamm, Berlin, 1927. Items from or pertaining to Metropolis, Fritz Lang's 1927 silent science-fiction tour de force, have a high collectible value; seven years ago an original movie poster for the film sold for $690,000. One can only imagine the excitement then that an antiquarian book firm experienced upon uncovering a 32 page program from the film's London premiere (and the added surprise of discovering it among their own inventory!). The film premiered at the Marble Arch Pavilion and the program was created especially for the event. The program is comprised of anecdotes about filming; photographs; firsthand accounts on the backstory of the movie, including the perspective of the director and his wife and colloborator, Thea von Harbou; and essays about the making of the film and themes it explores. (It sounds like the bits on the special effects in the film would make for quite an interesting read on their own.) Peter Harrington, the London firm that rediscovered and currently has the program, said that only three surviving copies are known to exist. Click here to view the complete booklet. A few interesting facts about the film: More than 37,000 extras were used in the film, including 1,100 bald men (The 'Tower of Babel' scene required 6,000 bald men, but since they could only hire 1,000, the bald extras had to be filmed six times to create the illusion.) The film took 2 years to shoot and is one of ... [more 'Metropolis' Program from Film's 1927 London Premiere Unearthed]

Hunter S. Thompson In a nod to Independence Day, and the summertime, here's a gallery of some literary greats in their bathing suits. (At the moment I am wishing I was Hunter S. Thompson enjoying the beach rather than stewing in my apartment&) Enjoy the fireworks! [more Happy Fourth of July!]

A reminder to register for the upcoming Booksellers' Seminar in Seattle, which will take place Thursday, June 28 from 9am to 4pm at the Seattle Public Library. The event is sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the ABAA and will feature lectures on reference sources for researching rare books, rare book photography, how to maintain control over your digital assets, and the importance of social media for rare booksellers. There will be a question and answer session for attendees, and the day will end with a small reception. The event is free but space is limited and pre-registration is required. Please click here for more detailed information. To register, please contact Priscilla Anne Lowry at (360) 221-0477 or rarebooks@lowryjames.com. I attended a similar seminar last fall and can assure you that the speakers are fantastic and will impart a wealth of information, so be sure to take advantage and reserve a spot today! [more Reminder: Booksellers' Seminar in Seattle 6/28]