National newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic were abuzz over the weekend with the news that a first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit had sold for a record price at auction. The book sold fo... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]
Entries from June 2015
Another controversy over Shakespeare erupted recently. By itself, this fact would not be worth reporting, as controversy swirls around the legacy of William Shakespeare like that of no other writer. H... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]
Items of interest for the week beginning June 1, 2015. Beatles' Autographs The Beatles are on people's minds -- and radios -- this week because on June 1, 1967, they released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hear... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]
June 18 2015 marks the the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Bestselling historical novelist Bernard Cornwell has spent years researching the antagonists and walking the battlefield; the fr... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]
A roundup of the latest news from the rare book world. Rare Proof Copy of The Bell Jar Found A rare 1962 pre-publication proof copy of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar -- then attributed to Plath's pseudon... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]
Entries from May 2015
Back of Beyond Books in Moab, UT, have awarded their second annual literary scholarship to support a local high school graduate starting college. Owner Andrew Nettell explained that he started the sch... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]
Over eight years ago, Vagabond Books, located in Pasadena, CA, got a call from a woman named Ellen. She explained that she was the Propmaster for a new show, Mad Men, on AMC and asked if we could find... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]
The ABAA has recently approved several new members, all of whom have successfully proven themselves to be, in the words of the ABAA Guarantee, "established, knowledgeable, and of excellent reputation.... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]
Throughout history, writers have been known to cause a stir. The Marquis de Sade was incarcerated in an insane asylum for his erotic tales. Oscar Wilde self-exiled himself to Paris for the unimaginabl... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]
Miegan Gordon of Asheville, NC's Captain's Bookshelf got a surprise last month when she opened the store. A copy of Billy Collins' poetry collection Nine Horses (a signed first edition, no less) was l... [more {visitor:mbr_blog_screenname}]