NYC Spots for Books Lovers

By Susan Benne

The LA Times has a piece online about the top bibliophilic spots in New York City.  Please click here to read.  A glaring omission made in the article is that if you are planning your bookish journey in April, the NY Antiquarian Book Fair is a must!  (The 2012 Fair runs from April 12-April 15 and will be held at the Park Avenue Armory.) NYC is full of literary landmarks, and there are lots located in my neighborhood downtown.  Petes Tavern in Irving Place immediately comes to mind; its where O. Henry used to hang out reportedly penned The Gift of the Magi there.  Edith Wharton and Henry James both lived alongside Washington Square.  Mark Twain had a townhouse on West 10th Street where he liked to throw lavish parties.  Emma Lazarus (author of the poem The New Collosus, which is inscribed on the Statue of LibertyGive me you tired, your hungry, your poor&) lived nearby on West 10th.  These are just a few that pop into my mind.  Can anyone think of other locations or events the LA Times left out?  I bet we could compile quite a guide! New York Citys spots for book lovers [more NYC Spots for Books Lovers]



CABS from an Attendee's Perspective

By Susan Benne

Last week I posted a link to Lorne Bairs review of his experience as a faculty member for the 2011 Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar.  This week we have a brief and lovely essay from Zhenya Dzhavgova, a young bookseller who was able to attend CABS because of a scholarship she received from the ABAAs Elisabeth Woodburn Fund. Enjoy! *************************** One of the Best Decisions I Have Ever Made by Zhenya Dzhavgova It is Saturday night and the time has finally come - in just a few hours I will be flying out to Colorado to attend the highly acclaimed Antiquarian Book Seminar. Thanks to the generous ABAA scholarship I have won I am able to avoid the hassle of navigating cabs and buses in Denver and get a commuter flight into Colorado Springs. A decision, which later makes me rethink its merits when the little jet starts shaking violently, or as our captain puts it: “And now, Dear Passengers, you are experiencing the slight effects of the lovely air currents we have flowing from the majestic Rockies.” The optimistically called CC Inn greets me with a bright and clean room, sans curtains or any other window cover, but with a lot of hangers, which I later find out other people do not have. I love it. Sunday night reception starts out a little hushed, until Kevin Johnson stands up and tells us he has a very important dress code announcement to make, which is that it is mandatory for each of us to wear at least a shirt and a pair of pants to lectures. The all-around gig... [more CABS from an Attendee's Perspective]



Lorne Bair Reviews the 2011 Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar

By Lorne W. Bair

ABAA member Lorne Bair has just returned from the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar, where he is on faculty. He wrote a very enjoyable piece on his experience at this year's seminar on his blog, which you can read by clicking here. If you are unfamiliar with the program, it is, as Lorne writes, "a full week of 14-hour days devoted to absolutely nothing other than talk of books." If you are an antiquarian bookseller and unfamiliar with CABS, then you need to check it out! "A Game-Changing Education For Aspiring Booksellers" Lorne Bair [more Lorne Bair Reviews the 2011 Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar]



Supposed Butch Cassidy Autobiography Inauthentic

By Susan Benne

Brent Ashworth, a Utah rare book dealer and collector, claimed that he had found a 200 page manuscript proving Butch Cassidy did not die in a 1908 shootout, as historians believed, but lived to old age and penned an autobiography. The manuscript is entitled Bandit Invincible: The Story of Butch Cassidy and was written in 1934. It appears to be an extended version of an unpublished novella of the same title by William T. Phillips. Larry Pointer has been on Butch Cassidy's trail for 40 years trying to find out what really happened to him. Pointer had found the truncated version of Bandit Invicible in the 1970s and, although it was a fictionalized biography, there were a number of obscure details that led Pointer to believe that William T. Phillips was in fact Butch Cassidy. Pointer got in touch with Phillips' wife, who denied that Phillips and Cassidy were one and the same, and his son, who was convinced they were. He then had handwriting experts compare Phillips' penmanship with known letters from Cassidy; they confirmed that the two matched. Moreover, there was a striking resemblance between the two men. Pointer was convinced: Phillips was Butch Cassidy. One can only imagine Pointer's excitement when he was contacted by Ashworth about a different manuscript of Bandit Invincible. He began examining additional details offered in the longer manuscript, specifically the names of Cassidy's associates. Using the Atlas of Prisoners at the Wyoming Territorial Prison, he noticed that... [more Supposed Butch Cassidy Autobiography Inauthentic]



Howard S. Mott, Inc. Celebrates 75th Anniversary

By Susan Benne

Howard S. Mott, Inc. is celebrating its 75th Anniversary! Howard S. Mott, Inc. was one of the founding firms of the ABAA, joining in 1949 when the association was formed.  Proprietor Donald N. Mott took over the family business from his parents, who, as ABAA members have commented, would be proud of this landmark in the trade. In celebration, Howard S. Mott, Inc. is offering Catalogue 260, which is available in print or electronically.  If you are interested in receiving one, please click here to email the shop. Congratulations to Donald and all those at Howard S. Mott, Inc. for reaching this milestone.  We wish you another 75 years of success! [more Howard S. Mott, Inc. Celebrates 75th Anniversary]



Ashcan Comics Displayed at Chicago Comic Con

By Susan Benne

A comic book collector and dealer, Gary Colabuono, displayed a number of very rare ashcan comic books last weekend at Chicagos Comic Con.  An ashcan comic is a hand drawn, unfinished version of a comic book that was produced for either legal purposes, such as securing trademarks, or to demonstrate publications for potential advertisers.  These comics were then intended to be thrown out, which is how they got their name, and makes them extremely rare.  (These ashcan copies would have been produced during the Golden Age of Comics, which lasted from the 1930s-1950s).  For many comic books, there are only one or two copies known to have survived. Among the ashcan copies that Gary displayed were Spierman, Superwoman, Superboy and Supergirl comics from the 1930s and 1940s.  Gareb Shamus, CEO of Wizard World, the company that puts on Comic Con, noted that what Gary has is a piece of history that people havent seen before&thats what gets the juices flowing for collectors out there.  Gary agrees that they are pop-culture relics or artifacts, but would not comment on the estimated value of his collection. Rare ashcan comic books on display at Chicago Comic Con [more Ashcan Comics Displayed at Chicago Comic Con]



German Book by Duchess Eleonora Maria Rosalia Gone Missing During Transport

By Susan Benne

This item was still reported missing as of May 30, 2019. The following item was reported missing during transport: Eleonora Maria Rosalia, Herzogin zu Troppau und Jagerndorff. FREYWILLIG-AUFFGESPRUNGENER GRANAT-APFFEL, Des Christlichen Samaritans... Wienn in Oesterreich: druckts und verlegts Anna Francisca Voigtin. (Vienna): 1708. Fuller title: FREYWILLIG-AUFFGESPRUNGENER GRANAT-APFFEL, Des Christlichen Samaritans, Oder: Auss Christlicher Lieb dess Nachsten eroffnete Behaimbnuss Viler vortrefflichen, sonders, bewahrten Mitteln und Wunder-heylsamen Artzneyen... Auffs neue vermehrt, (sambt einer kleinen Diaeta, wie sich bey jeder Kranckheit in Essen und Trincken zuverhalten ; wie auch beygefugten neuen Koch Buch, in welchen allerhand rare und denen Patienten zu verschidenen Kranckheiten erspriessliche Speisen) nun zum sechstenmahl in offentlichen Druck verfertiget... Two volumes in one. , 499; , 120, . First title leaf stained; some additional staining elsewhere. One signature bound upside down. 4to. 200 mm. Early nineteenth century leather backed marbled boards binding; worn. On the endpapers is a 1820's four page manuscript family record of John Friedrich Furst. Text mostly in German gothic letter. First published in 1697, Duchess Eleonora Maria Rosalia (1647-1704) created this remarkable collection of recipes, advice, and formulas for: cooking; food; drink; medicine; veterinary; household and farm science; etc. Weiss 2300; Ferguson. Bibliotheca Chemica,; I, pp. 235-236 (1697... [more German Book by Duchess Eleonora Maria Rosalia Gone Missing During Transport]