The Brown Bag Lunch Series, presented by the ABAA Gender Equity Initiative, is a series of short virtual talks covering various topics, from crash courses in areas of expertise to best business practices. Please join the Gender Equity Initiative on Zoom on July 31st, 2024, at 2 PM ET for a Brown Bag Lunch Series with Jim Owens of Thorn Books. During the session, Jim will delve into a short overview of paper marbling, from the earliest known types in Japan ('suminagashi') through the rise and development of 'Turkish' marbling ('ebru'), and finally, a brief look at some modern work by noted marbling artists. Along the way, we will visit the marbling processes, speak to at least the more common patterns, and examine a few reference books. July 31st @ 2 PM ET Jim Owens - Thorn Books Marbled Paper: When, Why, and How CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Jim Owens, Thorn Books Jim Owens, an associate member of the ABAA and a Principal at Thorn Books, and his wife Lynne Owens (full member) since 1987. Jim's educational journey is a testament to his intellectual curiosity, with an undergraduate degree from St. Mary's of Moraga in Philosophy, Latin, English, and Vertebrate Zoology. Jim, also a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Ventura College of Law, has been involved in many volunteer works in public radio and television and for the Postal History Museum Foundation in Tucson, AZ. Beyond his professional pursuits, Jim's interests span a wide range, from bookbinding and restoration to gardening, and p... [more July Brown Bag: Marbled Paper]

The Booksellers Documentary producers Dan Wechsler (Sanctuary Books), D.W. Young, and Judith Mizrachy recently premiered UNCROPPED, which rediscovers the work of James Hamilton, one of the great photographers of the cultural history of America. For over four decades working on staff at publications such as Harper's Bazaar, The New York Observer, and most notably, The Village Voice, Hamilton captured remarkable people and stories of the last half-century. Hamilton chronicled the punk and jazz music scene in 1970s and 80s New York City, creating iconic images of musicians like Charles Mingus, Patti Smith, and Lou Reed and taking intimate portraits of everyone from Akira Kurosawa and Jean-Luc Godard. He eventually broke off to do set photography for George Romero, Noah Baumbach, and Wes Anderson. He pursued controversial assignments across the U.S. and the world, which, at times, reveal its seedy underbelly. He never stopped amassing a stunning visual love letter to New York City in all its grit and glory. Hamilton's story and vast archive offer a singular window into the heyday of alternative print media. Taking its name from Hamiton's assertions that publications never cropped his images, Uncropped's filmmakers detail Hamilton's process and his uncanny ability to know the precise moment to unfold a vignette in just two colors. Among the most poignant works are his sympathetic photos of drug-addicted sex workers in pre-gentrified Williamsburg, a young Patti Smith with Tom Verl... [more Booksellers Documentary Producers Premiere UNCROPPED]

May 1 marks the hundredth birthday of Agnes Dawson, a mainstay of the Southern California book trade for over seventy-five years. Agnes' career in the book world began when she met Muir Dawson in 1947. When they met, Muir and his elder brother, Glen, had recently taken over the management of Dawson's Book Shop from their father, Ernest, who had founded the business in 1905. Agnes married Muir in 1948 and became immersed in the book trade: in a profile of Agnes in Zamorano Celebrates 90 (2018), Elizabeth Pomeroy explains that Agnes, Muir, Glen, and other Dawson's staff traveled to Venice, to England, to Japan for the ILAB Congress, and to book fairs all over the world. By the late 1950s, Agnes was running the finances of Dawson's, a role she maintained for nearly fifty years. She was more than the bookkeeper, however. According to her son, Michael Dawson, Agnes was “an unsung hero” of Dawson's. “She understood the business, and she knew the clients,” Michael said, adding that Agnes was the “financial glue in the company.” It was Agnes who made, in Michael's words, “possibly the single most important” business decision in Dawson's history: she advised Glen and Muir Dawson to relocate the shop to the Larchmont neighborhood in 1968 after the closing of the downtown “booksellers' row” location. At the time, Glen and Muir wanted to stay close to downtown Los Angeles. Much of the area they were looking for a new location never took off for retail business. Larchm... [more Agnes Dawson Turns 100]

The ABAA and Sanford L. Smith & Associates are proud to announce that the British Library will be the institutional partner for ABAA Connect at this year's New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. A program resurrected from the early 2000's, ABAA Connect will allow our 2024 institutional partner, the British Library, to request items at the NYIABF from exhibitors, and have those items purchased for the Library as recommended by tax-advantaged contributions from donors to the American Trust for the British Library (ATBL). British Library curators will browse a list of items exhibitors will bring to the fair and choose items they are interested in acquiring. Our British Library and ATBL colleagues and donors will attend the fair and discover these items together in person, and donors can either contribute the value of an item in its entirety or make a gift in part to the acquisition value for a particular item. Unique to the 2024 ABAA Connect program: the ATBL will guarantee the acquisitions requested by British Library curators. The NYIABF hopes this program will expose curators to exciting items, connect booksellers with the British Library and their curators, entice donors to attend the fair and purchase items that will benefit both the British Library and their personal collections, and inspire any fairgoer to become a donor. Location Park Avenue Armory 643 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065 www.armoryonpark.org Preview: $75 (Includes one daily re-admission) Single-Day A... [more ABAA & British Library Bring ABAA Connect to New York Book Fair in April]

The Celluloid Paper Trail: Film Script Identification Course at UCLA August 5-9 2024 Kevin Royal Johnson and Erin McGuirl will teach the first west coast Master Class on film script identification from August 5-9, 2024 at UCLA's California Rare Book School (CalRBS). Kevin Johnson has been a rare bookseller and appraiser for nearly 30 years. He is the author of the first book on film script identification, The Celluloid Paper Trail, published in 2019 by Oak Knoll Press and is the owner of Royal Books in Baltimore. Erin McGuirl/has been the Executive Director of the Bibliographical Society of America since 2018. She is trained as a special collections librarian, and has worked for over a decade with institutional and private collections in New York City. Course overview: What kind of text is a screenplay? How were they made, and by whom? How did their form and function change over time? In hands-on exercises with archival film scripts and through course lectures, students will explore these questions by learning about the history, development, and bibliographical identification/of the American film script, from the silent era to the end of the twentieth century./ Screenplays are guides to the creation of another work of art: a motion picture. Students enrolled in/The Celluloid Paper Trail/will learn to see scripts as “blueprints” for films and to identify the material cues that tell how they fit into the larger filmmaking process, revealing the contributions of both credite... [more The Celluloid Paper Trail: Film Script Identification Course at Cal-RBS Aug 5-9]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America's Diversity Initiative Committee is proud to announce a paid summer internship program co-sponsored by AbeBooks. We invite you to apply and share this opportunity with qualified applicants at your institution and beyond. This 10-week paid, hands-on, learning-oriented program seeks to provide an opportunity for entry to historically underrepresented individuals in the trade—Black, Indigenous, people of color, and/or LGBTQ+, by offering tools, experiences, and exposures necessary to pursue a career in the antiquarian book trade. The intern will gain experience in research, cataloging, customer relations, and more with an ABAA member as host. Application Requirements Self-identify as Black, Indigenous, person of color, and/or LGBTQ+. Minimum requirement of a high school diploma, OR be a currently enrolled student in any degree program, OR be a recent graduate (< 1-year post-grad). Must be detail-oriented, have independent research experience, strong writing skills and time management, and be comfortable working on solo and collaborative projects. Prior experience working in a bookstore, library, or customer service setting is a plus. Ability to secure summer housing independently and ability to coordinate commute if necessary. The application is a 2 stage process. Stage 1 application can be found here. Stage 2 of the application can be found here. The application deadline for Stage 1 and Stage 2 is April 30, 2024. Please note... [more 2024 ABAA x AbeBooks Internship]

The Raab Collection is looking for a Medieval Manuscript Specialist. See below the job description. Medieval Manuscript Specialist at The Raab Collection Rare opportunity to help build and develop a medieval manuscript department from the ground up, joining an established firm in the historical document field, The Raab Collection. Main Responsibilities – Acquire and catalog inventory, following dealer and auction sites – Liaise and be a point of contact for buyers and sellers – Write blog posts and other pieces that aid promotion – Maintain relevant sections of the website using WordPress content management system (no coding required) – Support public relations efforts Requirements: – Self-starter, multi-tasker, well-organized – Existing network of contacts within the collecting community – Background in Medieval art history or paleography, particularly English - Minimum 3 years industry experience - Salary commensurate with experience. Full-time position Starting date: ASAP Location: this is a remote position; no location requirement. Occasional visits to Philadelphia. Interested applicants should contact nathan@raabcollection.com, attaching their resume. [more Job Opening: Medieval Manuscript Specialist at The Raab Collection]

J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians LLC, established in 1977 and long-time members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Professional Autograph Dealers' Association, the Music Library Association, the American Musicological Society, &c., are internationally recognized dealers in rare printed and manuscript music, rare books on music, autograph letters of composers, and music-related iconography, 15th - 21st centuries. We pay special attention to the particular collecting interests of our clientele and over the last 46 years have helped to develop some of the most important antiquarian music collections, both institutional and private, in the U.S. and abroad. We aim to provide accurate and informed descriptions of material offered to best enable our customers to make the wisest decisions regarding their acquisitions. We operate from private premises in the township of Syosset, on the north shore of Long Island. The area is known for its attractive parks, pleasant villages, and proximity to the Long Island Sound, as well as very good schools, hospitals, and high-level healthcare. Syosset is approximately one hour by train from New York City. This is a full-time, on-site position, with compensation commensurate with qualifications and experience but in the range of $45,000-$60,000. Responsibilities - Create original cataloguing for rare music-related material utilizing an in-house music reference library of approximately 5,000 volumes together with online reso... [more J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians LLC Seeks Cataloguer]

Associate Bookseller Position Based in the historic Union Building in Old Pasadena, Whitmore Rare Books has been serving a range of collectors for over a decade, placing rare book and manuscript materials at some of the most influential private collections and institutional libraries around the globe. In 2023, our shop seeks to recruit an Associate Bookseller to assist us in expanding our operations. This is a full-time salaried position based in our Pasadena shop that includes a set in-shop schedule with potential travel to and from book fairs. Salary is commensurate with experience and includes health insurance and paid time off (range $65,000 - $85,000). Interested parties should email a resume and cover letter to info@whitmorerarebooks.com. What the position entails: Research and Writing: • Cataloguing o Assisting with backlog and overflow cataloguing • Editing o Assisting with editing print and digital catalogues o Regularly checking on/editing/revising existing descriptions • Book Fairs o As needed, traveling to or from book fairs to assist in set-up and break-down o As needed, providing on-floor sales support at book fairs Front of shop support: • Shop Walk-ins o Welcoming walk-ins to the shop o Handling in-shop sales o Collecting client information • Phone Call and Email Support • Managing door for deliveries/outbound packages Marketing: • Social Media o Collaborating in developing on-brand content for social media channels o Scheduling and releasing soc... [more Associate Bookseller Position at Whitmore Rare Books in Pasadena, CA]

Book Fairs are back! After two years without an in-person fair, the ABAA has been able to safely hold two so far this year with Boston coming up this fall. California and New York by all accounts were a success for exhibitors and customers alike, with New York particularly robust for sales and visitors, and exuberant crowds and attendance at record levels. At the height of the pandemic, some feared that Virtual Book Fairs would overtake in-person fairs in popularity. VBF's have been complementary, especially for those sellers and customers who are unable to travel, but are not replacements for in-person fairs as is apparent in these photos from the two events. Profile photo: Sunday Steinkirchner at the New York Book Fair, photo by Meredith Nierman. NCC Book Fair Committee triumphantly opens the Oakland Book Fair! L to R: Alexander Akin, James Bryant, Mary Hill, Michael Hackenberg, Laurelle Swan, Ben Kinmont, and Beverly Garcia-Garst. Photo by Joseph Driste. aGatherin' in Oakland, photo by Joseph Driste. Laurelle Swan awards the California Young Book Collector's Prize to Stacy Shirk. Photo by Joseph Driste. David & Caroline Brass in NY, photo by Meredith Nierman. Kiley Samz (B&L Rootenberg), photo by Meredith Nierman. Megumi Hill, photo by Meredith Nierman. Miranda Garno Nesler (Whitmore Rare Books), photo by Meredith Nierman. Michael Jennings (Neatline Antique Maps), photo by Meredith Nierman. [more Notes from the Field: Book Fairs are Back]