The following item has been reported stolen from the collections of the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African, Studies, Northwestern University: Balthazar Telles The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia; containing I the geographical description of all the kingdoms and provinces of that empire...II travels in Arabia Faelix...III An account of the kingdoms of Cambate, Gingiro, Alaba and Dancali beyond Ethiopia in Afrik never travelled into by any but the Jesuits London: Printed for J. Knapton, A. Bell and J. Baker 1710 Binders title: Jesuits in Ethiopia Possible Northwestern University Library stamp or seal on p.99 [more Missing: The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia]
An unpublished manuscript written by a fourteen-year-old Charlotte Brontë will go up for auction at Sotheby's London next month. The manuscript is of a mini-magazine entitled The Young Man's Magazine, Number 2, and tells a story of murder and madness. Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby's specialist on Books and Manuscripts, said that the piece "provides a rare and intimate insight into one of history's great literary minds", and adds that a scene from the manuscript foreshadows a famous scene from Jane Eyre. The manuscript will go to auction on December 15. Sotheby's estimates that it could sell for 300,000 ($482,000). Manuscript By Teenage Charlotte Brontë To Be Sold [more Unpublished Charlotte Brontë Manuscript Up for Auction]
In commemoration of what would be William Golding's centennial birthday, the Bodleian Library at Oxford will be displaying the original manuscript of The Lord of the Flies. The exhibit was curated by the author's daughter, Judy Carver, and will also include several first editions of the author's works, family photographs, and the Nobel Prize he received in 1983 for The Lord of the Flies. According to the Fine Books & Collections' blog: First impressions of the first edition (with the dust jacket) from Faber start at about $3,000 online. The first American edition, published in 1955 by Coward-McCann, commands about half that price. Ironically, the first American edition is scarcer than the British edition. 2,383 copies of the first American edition were sold before the book initially went out of print. The first British edition, meanwhile, went through a print run of 3,040 copies. The exhibit will be on display at the Bodleian Library through December 23, 2011. Lord of the Flies Manuscript on Display Bodleian Library Exhibits [more 'Lord of the Flies' Manuscript on Display for the First Time]
ABAA members across the country are gearing up for next weekend's 35th Annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair and we hope to see you there! Over 120 dealers from the US and around the world will be exhibiting rare, antiquarian books, modern first editions, manuscripts, autographs, maps, atlases, and an abundance of ephemera. The Fair will be held in the Hynes Convention Center, and will run from Friday, November 11 through Sunday, November 13. Highlighted Items at the Fair Fair Activities Fair Hours Friday: 5pm to 9pm Saturday: 12noon to 7pm Sunday: 12noon to 5pm It's going to be a wonderful fair, so mark your calendars if you will be in the Boston area! Please click here to visit the Fair's website. [more 35th Annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair]
The following item has been reported stolen: Title : Les Plaisirs et les Jours Authors : Proust (Marcel) Date of publication : 1896 Publisher : Calmann Levy, Paris Description : Calmann Lévy, Paris, 1896. Un volume grand in-8 demi maroquin brun, dos à nerfs, titre doré, plats décorés de papier marbré, tête dorée, reliure signée Devauchelle, X + 271 pages, 14 pl. hors-texte de Madeleine Lemaire. Edition originale. If you have any information regarding this item, please contact Librairie Frérot at librairie.frerot@wanadoo.fr [more Stolen: Les Plaisirs et les Jours]
Below is a video by ABAA member Phil Pirages (Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books & Manuscripts) about book collectinghow and why people collect books, and the collaboration between the collector and the bookseller. Enjoy! [more "An Introduction to Antique Books"]
Today, a collection of over 600 rare bookswhat some are calling "the last great private library "will be auctioned off in New Zealand. The books were collected by Arthur Pycroft, a prominent Auckland naturalist and scholar. Pycroft earned his living as a senior manager of NZ Railways, but his passions were ornithology and natural history, which he delved into with dedicated research and during personal explorations of Hen Island, Little Barrier, the Kermadecs, and Melanesia. At the age of 50, Pycroft received a hefty inheritance and was able to retire and devote himself to his passions full time. He became a member of the "Moa Searching Committee", a group that searched for skeletons at specific sites. He even had a newly discovered species of petrel named after him. Now let's get down to businesswhat are some of the treasures in this collection? A complete set of Cook's Voyages, published in the 1770s A first edition of the first novel published in New Zealand, Taranaki: A Tale of the War by Henry Stoney (1861) A 2-volume set of Captain Scott's journals from his last expedition, published in 1914 Early Maori language publications, including an 1838 New Testament and an 1852 translated version of Robinson Crusoe Te Tohunga, a 1907 German translation of ancient Maori legends and traditions by Wilhelm Dittmer, which features a leather cover adorned with a color illustration Also included are numerous titles about exploration, shipping and maritime history, natural history an... [more Notable Private Library to be Auctioned Today in New Zealand]
These books were still reported missing as of June 4, 2019. The following books have been reported stolen: Title : Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians. Authors : CATLIN, George. Date of publication : 1841 Publisher : London Description : First edition, 2 volumes, large 8vo. Uncut in the original green cloth boards, recently rebacked to match with new paper labels. Title : Cow-boys and Colonels. Authors : CONN, William. Date of publication : 1887 Publisher : Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, London Description : First English edition. Original gilt titled cloth with illustrations in black and brown to upper cover and spine, slight fading to spine, one small crease to lower cover, overall a very good copy. Title : On the Frontier. Authors : CAMPION, J.S. Date of publication : 1878 Publisher : Chapman & Hall, London Description : First edition. Original gilt titled cloth, spine somewhat browned. Title : The Oregon Trail. Authors : PARKMAN, Francis. Date of publication : 1892 Publisher : Macmillan, London Description : First English edition. Original gilt titled buckram, decoration in blue and red with a large gilt sun to the upper cover, t.e.g., some rubbing to extremities otherwise a very good copy. If you have any information on these items, please contact Bow Windows Bookshop at rarebooks@bowwindows.com or at 01273 480780 [more Four Books Stolen from Bow Windows Bookshop]
This item was still missing as of June 3, 2019. The following item was reported stolen: Title : The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe Authors : Lewis. C. S. Date of publication : 1950 Publisher : Bles, London Description : First edition in dustwrapper. If you have any information on this book, please contact Paul Foster at paulfosterbooks@btinternet.com or 020 8876 7424 [more Stolen: First Edition of 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe']
The Boston Globe has published an online slideshow of independently owned bookstores in Boston, and ABAA members were certainly the 'stars' of the show, making up half of the total bookstores listed. Congrats to our Bostonian sellers! Please click here to view the slideshow. Almost all of these dealers will be exhibiting at the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair next week. Despite economy, local bookstores endure [more ABAA Bostonian Members in the News]