Maxwell Perkins was the most famous editor of the golden age of American letters, working with Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and many others. Rather than attempt to compress his mammoth career into two hours, the new film Genius, starring Colin Firth and Jude Law, focuses on Perkins relationship with Thomas Wolfe, perhaps his most gifted author, but also his greatest challenge. ABAA members offer many interesting items connected to Maxwell Perkins and his stable of famous authors, from glamorous first editions and rare books, to unexpected ephemera like mundane letters between the editor and various literary executors. Carolina Folk Plays: Second Series. Edited with an Introduction on Making a Folk Theatre by Frederick H. Koch New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1924. First edition. Thomas Wolfe's first appearance in a book, following the separate publication of his "Crisis in Industry.". 8 photographic illustrations including one which shows Wolfe portraying Buck Gavin, two woodcuts by J.J. Lankes and another by Mary De B. Graves. xxxiv, 173, pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Original buckram, lettered in green. Fine in pictorial cream dust jacket, with small loss on top of front panel, with price change on front cover from $1.75 to $2.00. In blue cloth box and chemise. Contains Thomas Clayton Wolfe's first play. Written for his dramatic writing course, the "Carolina Playmakers" taught by Frederick H. Koch. When it was produced in March 15 and 1... [more Max Perkins: Genius Editor]

Charles Dickens was only 58 years old when he passed away. He had long pushed himself too hard for the love of his work and his followers, and in the summer of 1870 (June 9th, to be exact) he succumbed to exhaustion and after experiencing a fatal stroke, was laid to rest. His work, however, has gone on to be remembered since, and the author has never been out of print. His final work, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, has long fascinated fans, as the murder mystery was unfinished at his death and Dickens never (formally) named the murderer. On this the 145th anniversary of the author's death, we look at his last years and his final work – a novel that he persisted on writing, even while suspecting his end was near. Dickens' health began to decline when he was involved in the Staplehurst rail accident on June 9th 1865 (five years to the day before his death, coincidentally). On his return from Paris with his young mistress Ellen Ternan and her mother, the train they were traveling on plunged off a cast iron bridge that was under repair. Luckily, the only 1st class carriage to remain on the track was that one in which Dickens was traveling. Until more aid arrived to tend to the victims, Dickens scrambled around the horrific scene offering brandy and a hat with water, looking after the dead, dying and wounded around him. The tragic incident cast a shadow on Dickens' life – the horror and absolute panic he experienced led to sleepless nights and night terrors for the rest of his sh... [more Charles Dickens’ Final Chapter]

Private company in Westport, Connecticut seeks a researcher with exceptional organizational skills for small, friendly, fast-paced office that specializes in historical documents, books, and artifacts. Auction expertise a plus. Must be able to work quickly and accurately in cooperation with other staff members in a variety of roles. Excellent written and verbal communication skills a must. Responsibilities include research of new acquisitions for database and website, coordination of in-house auctions, representation at prestigious shows and exhibitions. Proficiency in computer databases, internet, and social media skills are necessary. Bachelor's degree plus three years' experience. Salary range: $40,000-$60,000 yearly. Please send resume to: Loraine@universityarchives.com. [more Job Posting: Historical Documents Dealer in Westport, CT Seeks Researcher with 3+ Years’ Experience]

The streets of Dublin witnessed the largest parade in Irish history this Easter, as hundreds of thousands gathered to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. That revolt, by historical standards, was brief and seemingly futile in the short term. After the April 24 proclamation of an Irish Republic, perhaps fewer than 2,000 participants actually took up arms, and they were easily crushed within days by the British bombardment of much of central Dublin and the surrender and execution of its leaders. Nevertheless, the Rising boasts an outsize legacy not only in its ultimate political consequence of Irish independence five years later, but in its literary birthright, for a number of those involved in the uprising were authors of poetry and prose that had sculpted perceptions of Irish nationhood. Moreover, the destruction wrought upon Dublin and the execution of the rebel leadership inspired others who had not been involved – even some who had looked upon the armed uprising in dismay – to grapple with its legacy in words that resound to this day. The struggle for Irish independence from the British Crown had surged and ebbed for many years, of course, one of the high points being the months of battles led by the United Irishmen in 1798, inspired by the successful revolutions in the American colonies and in France. By the 1910s, however, many had thought that the flame of discontent had shrunken to a dull gleam. Although the House of Lords had failed to pass a Home Rule B... [more 1916: Collecting Ireland’s Easter Rising]

Hailed as "the sports equivalent of the Emancipation Proclamation," one of the original contracts Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers has been authenticated by ABAA member John Reznikoff (University Archives) and appraised at $36 million by ABAA member Seth Kaller (Seth Kaller, Inc.). Owned by businessman Mykalai Kontilai, the contracts will go on display at the Collectors Café in New York City next week. ESPN reported on the contact this week, quoting Reznikoff: "It passed all the tests with flying colors, everything that I looked at," Reznikoff said this week. "There's a lot of components to a document. There's ink, paper, printing, and everything was consistent." "I'm 110 percent sure" it's real, Reznikoff said. and Kaller: "Their effect on American history, and even the world, transcends the bounds of sports," Kaller wrote in his appraisal. "Jackie Robinson's contracts are documents of freedom in the same vein as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation." You can read the ESPN story in its entirety here... Some items signed by Jackie Robinson from abaa.org: Fine signed and inscribed 3.5" X 5.5" postcard portrait by Jackie Robinson in the dugout. He signed in blue ball point pen, "To...with best wishes, Jackie Robinson." The last two letters are light. His printed signature shows below the portrait. (Offered by Schulson Autographs) WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR. THE LIFE STORY OF JACKIE ROBINSON (Signed, First Edition) New Yor... [more Jackie Robinson’s Original Contracts Authenticated]

The ABAA, in partnership with The Library of Congress, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, and the Grolier Club, is currently accepting entries for the 2017 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. The contest aims to encourage young collectors to become accomplished bibliophiles. We are honored to once again have support from the Jay I. Kislak Foundation, the generous underwriter of prizes for this contest. Collegiate Book Collecting Contest winners, and interested students whose institutions do not offer contests, can submit entries at apply.abaa.org. All entries for the 2017 competition must be submitted by May 31, 2017. For more information on the contest, please visit contest.abaa.org. If you have any further questions, please contact hq@abaa.org. Need some inspiration or ideas? Meet Previous National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Winners Last year's winners built fascinating collections on topics as diverse as formalist Russian composers, women in the Spanish Civil War, and 20th Century Southern Literature. We asked the four winners to tell us more about their collections... [more 2017 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest]

Editor's note: Jim Harrison (1937-2016) was a poet, novelist, essayist, screen-writer, sporting writer, editor, and translator. Much of his work is set in sparsely populated regions of the West and Midwest. As Charlie Brice wrote in a review in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of The English Major, “Harrison's... appreciation for life's pleasures, his hallowing of the every day, his celebration of food and smells and nature and color, combine to produce a feast of what makes us human and of what makes it so hard to leave our troubled planet.” Jim Harrison was best known for his novella Legends of the Fall which was adapted into a Edward Zwick-directed movie with Brad Pitt, Julia Ormond, and Anthony Quinn, but he was a master of his craft who wrote equally well about nature, food, hunting, fishing, and travel. He was that rare talent who could compose beautiful poetry, write deft and powerful fiction, evocative non-fiction, and deeply personal memoirs. One of the mantras of being a bookseller, at least a successful one, is to not have a valuable personal collection, but I've never been able to sell some of the best Jim Harrison items that I have simply because of my affection for his writing. I was first introduced to him in my early teens when I read his collection of poems, Locations, which I had found at a small library sale that my parents had taken me to (I still have that copy). I quickly devoured many of his books after that and have been a devotee ever since. I've given... [more In Memoriam: Jim Harrison (1937-2016)]

During the twentieth century, Los Angeles produced a number of fine printers, Saul Marks and Ward Ritchie being familiar names. Perhaps not as well-known was Richard John Hoffman (1912-1989), a native of the city, with a massive output of printed work. Hoffman himself estimated his production at 15 to 20 items of printed material per week over a career spanning 66 years - that comes close to 50,000 items. Not all of it could be described as “fine printing.” Hoffman worked at Los Angeles City College as a teacher and an academic printer from 1933 to 1959, and was an instructor in Graphic Design and Director of the Printing Management Program at California State University, Los Angeles from 1959 to 1978. Upon his retirement he continued to produce printed work of a very high caliber. Hoffman was not a flamboyant character. In 1924, when he was 12, Richard Hoffman helped Francis C. Lofthouse install a printing press in the belfry tower of Trinity Baptist Church in East Los Angeles so that church bulletins could be printed. He married Lofthouse's daughter Ruth in 1934; they were married for 55 years. Hoffman's first employment was from 1925-1928, at the printing office of George Hillenbrand in Monterey Park, distributing type. He enrolled in Los Angeles Junior College in 1930, and began to work at the College Press as typographic editor for student publications, and edited the 1932 yearbook. Upon graduation in 1933 he became assistant manager of the College Press. At this tim... [more Richard Hoffman: Prolific & Pioneering Printer]

Who killed the book? I did. I killed it when I bought a computer. My relationship with the computer has taken over – certainly it's a major distraction. And, I cannot go back. My addiction to the computer was very clear to me when the electricity went out last month during a terrific wind storm, toppling a majestic tree in our neighborhood, being close to downtown Carlsbad. Computer – dead – no electricity – all was dark, so we lit a candle and opened a book – to read from the printed page. I selected a copy of Robert B.M. Binning's, A Journal of Two Years' Travel in Persia, Ceylon, London, 1857. I turned to this book as it is anecdotal and I read it aloud to my wife. I wanted to share something of what Binning had to say when he traveled to Persia in the mid-nineteenth century, especially as he describes Shiraz, the poet Hafiz and describes Persian culture. There are many things learned from reading: the language of the past was much more colorful than now. Writers have taken on a new form of writing, just as movies seem to take fully advantage of bigger explosions, longer fight scenes, more blood and perceived gore. Many movies today are extensions of video games: “Mad Max Fury Road” was exactly like that – not a video game, but it could have been. The details in books are truer than what is depicted as history on the big screen. It's just like our mail box – so long a form of communication and now seemingly dead. When was the last time you hand-wrote a le... [more Who Killed the Book?]

Happy Leap Day! We thought you might want something to read on this bonus day, so here's a roundup of the latest news from the rare books world. New Penguins Collectors of Penguin Classics -- and we're nearly all de facto collectors of Penguin Classics by the time we've graduated college -- will be excited to see the launch of a new series of "Pocket Penguins," new editions of the most-widely read Penguin Classics. Color-coded by original language, the new series adapts the iconic Penguin Classics color-scheme and design, and will appeal to book-design afficionados. Unpublished Beatrix Potter Story Found Fear not fans of children's books featuring anthropomorphized animals, a lost story by Beatrix Potter, "The Tale Of Kitty-in-Boots" has been found in the Potter archives, and will be published in the fall. New Tolkien Poems Found Tolkien Scholar Wayne Hammond has succeeded in tracking down two poems by Professor Tolkien published in a school magazine in 1936. Lost Mozart-Salieri Composition Resurfaces Fine Books Magazine details a lost musical work composed by Mozart and Salieri together. Perhaps the depiction of their rivalry in the film Amadeus was less accurate than we thought? Van Filled with Rare Books Stolen After California Book Fair Spare a thought for ABAA-member Lawrence Van de Carr (Bookleggers Used Books) whose van full of $350,000-worth of rare books was stolen in Oakland, following the California Book Fair. One of the thieves has been caught as he tried to sell ... [more Rare Book News]