Last fall, Johns Hopkins' Sheridan Libraries acquired the Dr. Elliott and Eileen Hinkes Collection of Rare Books in the History of Science. The collection is comprised of more than 300 items, which Dr. Hinkes acquired over the course of two decades, and will be on display for the public in an exhibit entitled Eureka!. Earle Havens, the William Kurrelmeyer Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Sheridan Libraries, said, "The historical sweep and ambition of the Hinkes Collection are staggering, from telescopic visions of the heavens from the ancient world to the most seminal subatomic reflections upon the fundamental nature of matter and energy in the modern era." The collection includes a 1495 edition of the celestial works of Aristotle, early editions of pioneering works from the European Enlightenment, and rare off-prints of groundbreaking essays from the early to mid-twentieth century. Eureka! is on display at the George Peabody Library (17 E. Mount Vernon Place) and will be open to the public from October 24, 2011-February 29, 2012. 'Eureka!' opens at the George Peabody Library EUREKA! The Dr. Elliott and Eileen Hinkes Collection of Books of Scientific Discovery [more 'Eureka!' Exhibit opens at Johns Hopkins' George Peabody Library]

In 1998, a 13th century Greek Orthodox prayer book sold at auction at Christie's New York for $2 million. Why did it sell at such a high price? It's a palimpsest, an erased and overwritten document, and the true value of the book lays beneath the prayers, where one can make out the faint markings of a much older textthe only surviving copy of the essential works of Archimedes. The palimpsest had been identified in 1906 by Johan Ludvig Heiberg, a famous Danish historian who was able to decipher and transcribe portions of the text. The scope of his research was limited, however, by the limited technology at the time and because he was working with the bound text. As soon as the palimpsest was sold in 1998, William Noel of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore contacted the buyer to request permission to loan the palimpsest and put it on temporary display at the Walters. To Noel's surprise and delight, the buyer arrived in Baltimore with the palimpsest in hand and offered to fund an extensive scholarly project to conserve and study it. Noel was appointed director of the Archimedes Palimpsest Project, and he embarked on a twelve year journey 'into' the text. Conservators, historians, manuscript experts, and scientists from around the world assisted the project, and Noel pointed out that "dedicated scholarship has brought these erased texts back to light." X-rays were particularly helpful in revealing text beneath saints' portraits, but regular x-ray beams were not focused nor powe... [more Lost Texts and Diagrams by Archimedes Found In a Medieval Manuscript]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America is delighted to announce the winners of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest! First Prize: Mitch Fraas, Duke University, Anglo-American Legal Printing 1702 to the Present Second Prize: Maggie Murray, Johns Hopkins, Literature of the Little Review: In Which Margaret Anderson Enters an Antiquarian Bookstore Third Prize: Sarah McCormick, University of California-Riverside, Desert Dreams: The History of California's Coachella Valley Essay Prize: Emily Brodman, Stanford University, Sourcing the Sanctuary Movement After a two year hiatus, the contest was reinstated last year under the joint leadership of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, the Center for the Book, and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress, with major support from the Jay I. Kislak Foundation. Students who entered the contest were top prize winners of book collecting contests at their respective institutions. Judges were once again impressed by the scope and genres represented among the collections. Jean Kislak, a trustee of the Jay I. Kislak Foundation and lifelong collector, served as a member of the competition judging panel. "It was very exciting to see such a diverse array of book collections. These young collectors have shown such skill and creativity in assembling their outstanding collections." Mr. Fraas' collection began when he was studying ... [more 2011 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Winners Announced!]

The ABAA is launching an Exhibitions page on our website, which can be found at the following link: http://hq.abaa.org/books/antiquarian/exhibitions. This page will provide listings of book-related exhibitions throughout the country. (You can also access this page by visiting abaa.org, clicking on 'Events' in the top right corner, and then clicking on 'Book Related Exhibitions'). We are actively researching and compiling listings, but our page also allows users to submit events. If you are aware of a current or upcoming bookish exhibition, please visit our page to submit information about it. Our goal is to compile a comprehensive database so that a person can find a book related exhibition wherever they may be. Thanks in advance for your help! [more ABAA Book Related Exhibitions Page]

The Rare Book School had some wonderful course offerings this year (as they do every summer!). ABAA member and past President Tom Congalton of Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. was there as instructor for his fourth year, co-teaching Printed Books since 1800: Element of Description and Analysis. He wrote a great blog post reviewing his course and experience. Click here for a very enjoyable read! [more Read Past ABAA President Tom Congalton's Report on the Rare Book School]

The New-England chapter of the ABAA is pleased to invite members of the ABAA, the trade in general, and all interested observers to a special one-day "unseminar" entitled "New Tools: Marketing Approaches, Platforms, & Technologies for Antiquarian Booksellers," to be held Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. We plan a full day of presentations, speakers, and open discussion. Since all of our distinguished panelists are either active book dealers or people serving the larger community of antiquarian booksellers, we are calling "New Tools" an "unseminar" to emphasize the participatory and "bottom-up" character of the event. Participants include Dan Gregory of Between the Covers, who will deliver two full presentations during the morning session. First up is "Rare Book Photography for the Busy Professional Bookseller" which is very similar to the same talk Dan gives every August at the famed Colorado Antiquarian Rare Book Seminar in Colorado Springs. Following a short break Dan's second presentation will be "The Printed Rare Book Catalog in the Digital Age - New Tech Tools for an Old Sales Channel," a highly-praised talk that he delivered last year at the ILAB Congress in Bologna, Italy. Following lunch on your own at any of our local restaurants, our afternoon session will feature three highly successful and innovative booksellers, and a web designer known to many in the ABAA: 1. Greg Gibson of Ten Pound Island (and "Bookman's Log") on b... [more New England Chapter “Unseminar” on New Tools: Marketing Approaches, Platforms, & Technology]

Flavorwire has a great post entitled 10 Unconventional Bookstores For Your Browsing Pleasure. Browse away, the photos are great! (And my new mission is to find the 'speakeasy-style' bookstore in NYC!) 10 Unconventional Bookstores For Your Browsing Pleasure [more 10 Unconventional Bookstores]

Over the past three years, the Center for Book Arts in New York City undertook a collections initiative spearheaded by executive director Alexander Campos. The goal of this initiative was to "organize, rehouse, catalogue and digitize" the work of books artists who have trained, exhibited or worked at the CBA over the past four decades. The results of this project will be displayed at the CBA in an exhibition entitled Multiple, Limited, Unique: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Center for Book Arts, and will run through September 10. The exhibition will then travel to the Savannah College of Arts and Design (Fall 2011), Minnesota Center for Book Arts (Winter 2012), Museum of Printing History (Spring/Summer 2012), Lafayette College (Fall 2012), and the Book Club of California (Winter 2013). To view the CBA's online collections database, please click here. Collecting at the Center for Book Arts [more "Multiple, Limited, Unique: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Center for Book Art]

Sadly, Bartleby's Books closed its brick and mortar shop in Georgetown last weekend. Click here to view a brief video on the story. No matter where they are selling from, I'm sure John and Karen will have much continued success, and we wish them all the best. Video: The Next Chapter for Bartleby's Books [more Bartleby's Books Brick & Mortar Shop Closes (Video)]

Today is Bloomsday, the day of celebration for James Joyce's tome, Ulysses. (The novel follows protagonist Leopold Bloom through Dublin over the course of one day, June 16, 1904.) Below I have included some links to Bloomsday articles, posts and activities to commemorate Joyce's iconic work. Most of them are brief and include additional links, so they are definitely worth a glance. At the very least, I recommend listening to a rare recording of James Joyce reading from Ulysses or Irish actress Marcella Riordan reading of the last 50 lines of the book, often referred to as Molly's soliloquy, and taking a glance at Ulysses Unseen, an electronic comic book version of the novel. Happy Bloomsday! It's Bloomsday! Listen to Molly's Soliloquy! 8 ways to celebrate James Joyce and Ulysses Bloomsday: How to Celebrate James Joyce's Ulysses Tweeting Ulysses: Fans Put A Twist On Bloomsday What Would Joyce Do?: Ulysses RevisitedIn Comic Form Computer helps solve Bloom's riddle 'Ulysses' Leopold Bloom's Journey Through Dublin Photo Gallery [more Happy Bloomsday!]