Every so often an ABAA member lists an item that gets people in the business talking, regardless of whether it fits with their own particular interests or specialities. One of those items is this exceptional letter from Jack Kerouac to a young boy tasked with writing to a published author for a school project. The response is generous, eloquent, and expansive, offering more of a window into the author than the typical high-school project might reasonably be expected to produce! Jack Kerouac Autographed Manuscript by Jack Kerouac Description: 1964. Jack Kerouac's candid handwritten reply to a young man's questions about being a "Beatnik," his life philosophy, his thoughts on Montana, and more. Students in Robert Dodd's ninth-grade class were given an assignment to contact their favorite writer with their own unique series of questions relating specifically to that writer. The young Dodd chose Jack Kerouac, and the author replied at length to his questionnaire, which includes queries about his classification as a "Beatnik" (his answer: "I never was a Beatnik - it was the newspapers and critics who tagged that label on me...."), life philosophy ("My philosophy is 'No Philosophy,' just 'Things-As-They-Are'"), career goals ("Be a great writer making everybody believe in Heaven"), the ideal way of life ("Hermit in the woods..."), his thoughts on fame ("My name is like Crackerjacks, famous, but very few people buy my books..."), and segregation ("he Irish and Italians of Massachuset... [more Jack Kerouac in His Own Hand]

Welcome the latest members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America! Full Membership Charles Bolick, AIGLATSON Charles Bolick has lived and worked in New England for over 50 years, but grew up in North Carolina and attended public schools there, graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1962. He served as an officer in the United States Navy for three years, then began an insurance career that lasted for 30 years. During that time, Bolick developed an interest in paper Americana and began dealing privately and at shows. Since retiring from the insurance business in 1997, he has worked full time as an ephemera dealer. Bolick's interest is in 18th and 19th (and occasionally 20th) century ephemera in all areas, but especially historic, political, social, and mercantile material. He sells privately and exhibits at about a dozen shows a year. Bolick is a member of the American Antiquarian Society, the Ephemera Society of America, and the Ephemera Society of Great Britain. Pavel Chepyzhov, Globus Books Pavel Chepyzhov started his career in the antiquarian book trade at 18 years of age, as a student of the Moscow State University of Printing Arts -- with a major in history of books and antiquarian bookselling. After working for three years in the antiquarian book department of Moscow-based auction house Gelos, he enrolled in the ILAB internship program. After spending several months working in Australia — during which time he participated in ... [more New ABAA Members]

Note: We're reposting this article on collecting film scripts in light of the growing difficulty in acquiring copies of classic mid-century films and movie studio's reluctance to make classics available for exhibition. It was originally published in August 2019. According to a great many people, the film (or movie, if you prefer) was the great art form of the 20th century, so it shouldn't be any great surprise that there is a large number of collectors — individual and institutional — focused on the movie business; but it might surprise many to learn that there's great interest in collecting the seemingly least-glamorous part of the entire filmmaking process — the scripts themselves. Collecting scripts is different from collecting many other forms of printed matter, as scripts were not mass-produced (excepting the relatively recent trade-paperback editions of hit films) or made available for sale to the general public. Scripts were typed out and mimeographed; changes were printed on different colored pages and the earlier pages thrown away; scripts went through innumerable drafts, and sometimes several sets of writers; and all that before the production technicians and artists got hold of the "finished" script and began annotating it for their own purposes. There are therefore multiple different types of script and an entire language of shorthand to decipher when evaluating a script manuscript. Different eras and areas of production had their own conventions and practic... [more Collecting Film Scripts]

Like many, we at the ABAA have spent the recent weeks watching, listening, reading, learning and reflecting on the prevalence of racism in our society. As we think about the events that have brought us to this point, and the long history behind them, we consider difficult questions about what we can do to contribute to positive change. As purveyors and custodians of rare books, manuscripts, and other cultural artifacts, we pride ourselves on the encyclopedic scope of our field. But do we truly embody the core values of fairness and inclusion that we claim to embrace? Are we really doing all that we can to combat systems and structures that have kept the rare and antiquarian book trade exclusive and even exclusionary? What steps can we take to be more proactive and responsible agents of the rich, complex, and beautifully varied cultures whose physical materials we preserve, protect, and sell? How do we increase representation of people of color not only in the items we offer and the collections we help to build, but also among our customers and our own membership? These are tough questions to face. Indeed, as an organization that is all but entirely white, it is hard to know where to start because we want to support change in a meaningful and productive way. We have felt the need to listen more than to speak. At the same time, however, we know that we must not remain silent in the face of injustice. The recent necessary upheavals and the outpouring of valuable, thoughtful comm... [more Where We Stand]

For those of you unfamiliar with Shirley Jackson's work, consider yourself warned of potential SPOILERS right now and exit out of this page. Preferably to pick up one of her books and see for yourself. I still remember the first Shirley Jackson piece I ever read. Like most American high-school teenagers, it was one of her short stories. A terrifying and eye-opening piece entitled The Lottery. To this day, I think it is one of the most horrifying works I've ever read (and this coming from an avid Agatha Christie fan). A work that reveals a callous and mindless side of human nature – just following the herd mentality, even if it involves killing your own mother – what wouldn't be creepy about that? The Lottery has always stuck with me, and also have the other stories by Jackson that I have read since. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a fan favorite for a reason! So here's to the real question… what had this seemingly average American housewife done to become the architect of such frightening tales? Well… let's take a look! The Lottery New York: Farrar, Straus and Company, 1949. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Good+. First edition. (First state with the "fs" logo on the copyright page. Jacket has correct first issue price of $2.75 and correct back panel and flap info: "Farrar, Straus Company/ 53 East 34th Street, New York 16, N. Y.") 306 p. Very Good in Good+ dust jacket. Offsetting to end papers, cloth is bit grubby, worn at tips. Jacket has some chips missing... [more Mistress of Terror: Shirley Jackson]

Update: this item has been located and is no longer missing. The following book was apparently “delivered to” and “signed for” by Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Manuscripts, but the firm never received it. Please contact Jill Mann if you know the whereabouts of this item: Jill Mann, Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Manuscripts (503) 472-0476 or jill@pirages.com Lot #87 at the Christie's Paris sale on 5/27 REDOUTÉ, Pierre-Joseph (1759-1840). Les Roses peintes par P. J. Redouté… décrites par C. A. Thorry. Paris : C. L. F. Panckoucke, 1824 . Bel exemplaire en demi-maroquin rouge de l'époque, bien complet de toutes ses planches et des feuillets de texte. On a relié in fine les quatre pages de prospectus pour cette édition : « L'éclat, la vérité, l'élégance, le plus grand luxe typographique, ont procuré aux Roses de M. Redouté une vogue européenne. On a reconnu, dans les portraits qu'il a donnés de toutes les variétés de la rose, la nature même… ». Cette édition in-8, la première de ce format, fut publiée en 40 livraisons de 4 planches chacune. Nissen BBI, 1599. Fort volume in-8 (246 x 162 mm). Faux-titre, titre et 160 planches hors-texte, toutes coloriées à la main. Demi-maroquin rouge à coins de l'époque, dos à nerfs orné (petits frottements d'usage aux coiffes et aux coins ; rares rousseurs). [more Located: REDOUTÉ, Pierre-Joseph (1759-1840). Les Roses peintes par P. J. Redouté… décrites par C. A.]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) condemns the actions of the two individuals sentenced today in the Carnegie Library thefts. John Schulman ceased to be a member of the ABAA within days of his indictment. As antiquarian booksellers, we are the custodians and caretakers of cultural materials. This incident is not only a violation of that responsibility and our rigorous Code of Ethics, it is also a tremendous loss to scholarship in the Pittsburgh community and beyond. When we were alerted to the thefts, the ABAA published lists of the stolen and missing material. Our members continue to assist the authorities and collectors around the globe in identification and recovery activities. We co-sponsored an international seminar on provenance at the Grolier Club in 2019 and as a result, bolstered our communications efforts and stolen and missing books blog. We are continuing to work with our colleagues and law enforcement agencies throughout the world and our counterparts in special collections libraries to develop a more robust international stolen books database and increase awareness on the importance of security and provenance. [more ABAA Statement re Carnegie Library Thefts and Sentencing]

Here's the description of a book that was stolen from a local FedEx in NYC last week on or after 6/1/20. If anyone is offered the below, please contact Josh Mann of B&B at 646-652-6766. Hemingway, Ernest. Green Hills of Africa. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1935. Decorated by Edward Shenton. First edition, first printing. Publisher's green cloth, stamped to front board in gilt with author's facsimile signature, stamped in black and gilt to spine; in the original green, black, and white dust jacket with a photograph of the author to rear panel. A near fine copy with some fading to extremities, particularly the spine, toning to page edges, small bookseller's sticker to rear pastedown; in a very good dust jacket with toning to spine and wear to extremities, some shallow chipping to spine head, rubbing to folds, a few scattered scratches. Overall, a nice copy that presents well. Hanneman A13a. [more Hemingway’s Green Hills of Africa]

These items were reported stolen May 14, 2020 from Columbus OH. West Point Atlas of American War. 2nd addition signed by President Esinhower with the addition of personal words from him to me it reads, " to Rex Brown with best wishes D. W. Esenhower. 1965." "The History of the Scottish Clans and Family's" one printing 1905. Sent to a listed names of 500 odd persons. Please contact Rex.w.brown47@gmail.com with any information. [more Stolen Columbus OH: West Point Atlas of American War and History of the Scottish Clans and Families]

ABAA Member Peter Kraus remembers bibliophile, collector, and seller Colin Franklin. I was lucky enough to have not one, but two, truly great booksellers as mentors. The first, and most important, was my cousin, Hans Kraus. From my mid teens on, he initiated me into the world of rare books, Teaching me how to use a bibliography and exposing me to everything from Egyptian Books of the Dead to a first edition of Ulysses. However, In 1967 I was lucky enough to meet Colin when he was still working at his family publishing house of Routledge and Kegan Paul, which had been the publisher of a book by my great grandfather, and I was working for the Kraus companies. We hit it off immediately, and he invited me to pay a visit to Culham, which was then his country house. There he proudly showed me his latest purchase, a complete set of Kelmscott Press Books, all on vellum, except the Chaucer, which was on paper and Inscribed by Morris and Burne-Jones to Swinburne. At that point I had never heard of the Kelmscott Press, nor did I know what a private press book was. Colin was the perfect teacher, there being no one better able to transmit their passion for books, and to explain them in a readily comprehensible manner. Many years later he did the same thing with Japanese books, giving me the courage to deal in them, although neither of us could speak or read a word of Japanese. Anyway, I was now hooked, purchasing my first press book the following week in the form of the Kelmscott edition ... [more Remembering Colin Franklin]