Dr. Samuel J. Hessel died last September of pancreatic cancer. A radiologist by training, he gradually turned an interest in rare books into a second career as an antiquarian book dealer after his retirement from the medical profession in the mid-1990s. He later served on the ABAA board of directors as treasurer. Several ABAA members offered remembrances of Samuel Hessel: Michael Thompson writes: Dear fellow booksellers and all friends of Sam Hessel, I feel that I must write a letter, but it is too hard. I still hurt too much. I am envious of the ability of the writers of so many letters; They describe Sam so perfectly and give him so much praise and tribute that I can't imagine doing better. I too knew Sam for many years, practically from the beginning of his partnership with Jim Manwarren. Not traveling to Phoenix all that much, most of my experiences were at book fairs and over the phone. He was truly a very warm, giving man who seemed to have unlimited interest and compassion for other people. I never called him where he didn't inquire very genuinely, very seriously about my wife Kathleen and our partner, Carol. He truly cared. I am jealous of those who knew him more and had the pleasure of traveling with him. Our experiences were always shorter. I first nominated Sam for membership on the Board and encouraged him when he doubted his right to be there. Of course he was perfect for any such position, and I know he served the ABAA very well, although I understand that he wa... [more In Memoriam: Dr. Samuel J. Hessel, 1945-2015]

Longtime ABAA member Elizabeth Phillips passed away on December 14, 2015, after a short illness. She was born on November 5, 1958 in Philadelphia and grew up in Paris, France; Dutchess County, New York; and Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. Ms. Phillips studied book arts at Mills College, received a BA in English Literature and Art History from Oberlin College in 1980 and was subsequently awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship in 1980-81 to study the livre de peintre in Europe. Her business, Elizabeth Phillips Rare Books, was created shortly after her return to the United States in 1982. She has been a member of the ABAA since 1983. With a tremendous passion for fine art and literature and her ability to share her expertise with clients, business associates and institutions, Ms. Phillips has been a highly respected private dealer in rare livres d'artistes, specializing in Russian and European avant-garde for the past thirty years. She built museum-quality collections for individuals and institutions, including, the Museum of Modern Art, The Beinecke Library, The New York Public Library, The Library of Congress, The Getty Center, and the Bibliothèque Nationale. In 1993, she co-curated the exhibition "The American Livre de Peintre" at the Grolier Club in New York with colleague Tony Zwicker, co-authoring an illustrated exhibition catalogue of the same title. In 1996, Ms. Phillips was featured in New York Magazine's, “The Best of New York", as one of the premier dealers in ... [more Elizabeth Phillips, 1958-2015]

Two ABAA members have received presigious awards recently. At the 73rd World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention during the Hugo Awards Ceremony, David Aronovitz of The Fine Books Company was awarded the very prestigious "San Moskowitz Archive Award.” It is a Lifetime Achievement Award given to excellence in amassing a world class collection and publishing books which emanate from the collection. Arongvitz has published 19 books to date and is the 14th person to be given this award. For an example of his collection, see this hand-corrected manuscript of Robert Heinlein's novel Friday, which he recently listed. Bob Fleck of Oak Knoll Books was awarded the ILAB Medal during the 2015 October Seville Presidents' Meeting “in recognition of services rendered to the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers” over several decades of service. For full details, read this appreciation... [more Members Receiving Awards]

Since 1975 the William Reese Company has served a large international clientele of collectors and private and public institutions in the acquisition of rare books and manuscripts and in collection development. With a catalogue inventory of over forty thousand items and a general inventory of over sixty-five thousand items, we are among the leading specialists in the fields of Americana and world travel, and maintain a large and eclectic inventory of literary first editions and antiquarian books of the 18th through 21st centuries. Our offices are located in downtown New Haven, Connecticut and are open by appointment only. The William Reese Company is seeking to add a new team member to its Americana Department. This person needs to be detail oriented, personable and outgoing, and willing and able to lift reasonably large boxes of books. A foundational knowledge of American history is a must, as is a basic grounding in bibliographical knowledge. Previous experience in antiquarian book selling or library work is preferred but not essential. Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, are necessary, as is proficiency in the use of databases. The job description includes a range of the many tasks required in running a large rare book business, but primary duties are cataloguing and researching new inventory; working with customers and selling books in person, on the phone, and by catalogue or internet listing; maintaining inventory control; and possible travel to attend... [more Job Posting: William Reese Co. Seeks Rare Book Cataloguer in Americana Department]

Meet the latest members of the ABAA. Full Membership Robin Beck, Primary Sources, Uncharted Americana Born and raised in the foothills of western North Carolina, Rob Beck came to bookselling after twenty years of deep and focused collecting in a very narrow slice of the Americana pie. In 2017, he and his wife, Laoma, launched Primary Sources, Uncharted Americana, specializing in rare, unique, or unusual American paper, whether printed, manuscript, or visual. Primary Sources is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and operates primarily through catalogues, having issued seven to date. Rob received his BA in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, his MA in Anthropology from the University of Alabama, and his PhD in Anthropology from Northwestern. He has been a professional archaeologist for more than thirty years and has worked in Bolivia, Peru, China, and much of the eastern United States. He continues in that career as a university professor, but he's always on the hunt for exciting new material for Primary Sources. Scott Givens, Crooked House Books & Paper Scott Givens founded his first bookstore in 2001 and opened a second in 2006. After twenty years in the retail trade, he sold his bookstores and started to specialize in more rare, collectible, and vintage books at Crooked House, although he still keeps a decent inventory of books priced under ten dollars just for fun. Scott exhibits at book fairs along the West Coast, and is delving into printing single-subject “creative cata... [more The Latest Members of the ABAA]

Join ABAA Member Stuart Bennett on Tuesday February 7th at 5:00pm ET, for an illustrated talk on the history and development of book production in England, especially bookbinding on novels, including how Jane Austen's novels were originally bound. The talk will start with the hand-press era and take us all the way to classic editions of Austen's novels in the nineteenth century to show the art and science of bookbinding. Presented under the auspices of Jane Austen & Co. Sign up for the Zoom webinar here. Donations are invited, but sign-up is free: simply enter "0" in the "Add a donation" box to attend for free. Image from Jane Austen & Co. [more WEBINAR Feb 7th: Bookbinding and the English Novel from Aphra Behn to Jane Austen]

Seeking Full Time Administrative Assistant for Online Rare Map Gallery ** No Application without a Cover Letter will be considered ** Geographicus is offering an exciting position in the antique business. We are one of the world's most active dealers in rare and antique maps. Geographicus has been in business since 2001 and is today one of the top dealers in authentic antique maps. We also exhibit at rare map and book fairs in Miami, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Paris, and Korea. The business currently operates out of the ground floor of my Brooklyn townhouse. We do not have a physical gallery/storefront, as most of our business is online or through shows. We currently have 4 employees, including the owner. All three are focused on cataloging/sales. The position we are hiring for is not sales/cataloging, rather it combines support, management, and logistics. Duties 1. Pack and ship all outgoing parcels. Deal with outgoing customs. Track shipped parcels to ensure delivery. Liaise with clients, resolve shipping issues with FedEx / DHL / USPS support. 2. Track, receive, unpack all incoming parcels. Deal with incoming customs documentation. Build positive relationships with carriers. 3. Encapsulate new inventory in mylar, put into storage, and note appropriate locations after the cataloging process. 4. Collect and scan invoices, making sure all are paid in a timely fashion. 5. Liaise with auction houses around the world, deal with payment and arrange shipment... [more Rare Map Gallery Seeks Administrative Assistant]

The ABAA admitted a number of full and associate members at the end of 2019. Please welcome these new members below: Full Members Alexander Akin, Bolerium Books (San Francisco, CA) Alexander Akin, the son of two labor activists, made his first international trip at the age of 15 to North Korea – an eye-opening visit that sparked an enduring interest in Asian history. He began part-time at Bolerium Books doing various tasks for store credit while finishing a Ph.D. in Chinese history. After a teaching stint, during which he discovered that academia pays even worse than the book trade, he returned to Bolerium full-time in 2011 and became a co-owner in 2013. Melding his academic interests with his activist background, he has expanded the bookstore's purview to include Asian language books and ephemera, while also cataloging materials related to labor and radical history. He has published a number of articles in the fields of East Asian cultural exchange and numismatics, and is finishing a book for Amsterdam University Press on the place of cartography in China's late 16th-century publishing boom. Karen Austin, Austin's Antiquarian Books (Wilmington, VT) Karen Austin left her career in retail buying and management in 1983 when her husband Garry convinced her that the antiquarian book business was a much more pleasant way to make a living. After opening their first store, Snug Harbor Books, in Wells, Maine in 1980, they went on to open two more in the area, and also ran auctions ... [more The Latest ABAA Members]

ABAA-member John Crichton of San Francisco's Brick Row Book Shop has loaned the oldest-known Christmas card to the Charles Dickens Museum in London for inclusion in their current exhibition “Beautiful Books: Dickens and the Business of Christmas.” The card, illustrated by John Calcott Horsley and designed and commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, was printed and mailed in 1843, making it the oldest known Christmas card. Crichton acquired the card in 2017, and interested parties should contact Brick Row Book Shop if they wish to own this piece of history. Charles Dickens, of course, was pivotal to the Christmas industry as we now know it! His celebrated story A Christmas Carol appeared the same year as this card, and was an instant success — so much so that another publisher was offering bootleg editions within the year! 1000 copies of the card were originally printed, but only five are known to have survived to the present day. Crichton told the San Francisco Chronicle that the "survival of these ephemeral items is a rarity, as evidenced by the fact that this museum wanted to display it” and noted that “having a Christmas card that you can sell is the beginning of the commercialization of Christmas.” The Chronicle article provides more details more details about this event: “The press run was 1,000, sold in shops at a shilling apiece, about $4 in today's U.S. currency. Each card had a line at the top for writing in the name of the recipient, and a line at the bottom f... [more The World’s Oldest Christmas Card on Display]

ABAA-member Vic Zoschak, owner of Tavistock Books, sponsors an educational scholarship to support antiquarian booksellers in the early stages of their career. The scholarship provides full tuition for a bookseller to attend Joel Silver's course, Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books (L-25), at the Rare Book School (RBS). The 2018 recipient of the Tavistock Books Educational Scholarship is bookseller Ellen Saito, whose talked about her experience at the Rare Book School with Margueritte Peterson of Tavistock Books. The 2018 Tavistock Books Educational Scholarship Award Winner Ellen Saito and Bibliography instructor Joel Silver this month at RBS. Margueritte Peterson: Welcome, Ellen! As the latest recipient of the Tavistock Books Educational Scholarship to Joel Silver's course at RBS, what were you most excited about, in terms of RBS? The class? Meeting more like-minded people? Ellen Saito: Thrilled to secure the Tavistock scholarship, I was elated to attend this course as my first choice by far. For months, I was in a tizzy of anticipation of this course, ESSENTIAL to everyone in the rare book world. It was most exhilarating to meet Joel Silver, prominent librarian, kind and generous teacher and master storyteller, who shared his discerning knowledge of 350+ top rare book research sources, including their free websites and affordable reprints. Develop your inner librarian; you, too, can be privy to any topic related to rare books. Your lost invitation to a secret societ... [more 2018 Tavistock Books Educational Scholarship Winner]