Announcing a New Annual Prize for Young Female Book Collectors

A message and wonderful initiative from Honey & Wax Booksellers, Brooklyn, NY:

Here at Honey & Wax, we take a particular interest in the evolving role of women in the rare book trade, on both the buying and selling sides. The great American book collector Mary Hyde Eccles, the first woman elected to the Grolier Club, noted that a collector must have three things: resources, education, and freedom. Historically, she observed, “only a few women have had all three, but times are changing!”

We embrace that change. In the interest of encouraging the next generation, we are delighted to announce the Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize, an annual prize of $1000 to be awarded to an outstanding book collection conceived and built by a young woman. The contest is open to women book collectors in the United States, aged 30 or younger as of January 1, 2018. Contestants do not need to be enrolled in a degree program, nor do they require a sponsor.

The winning collection must have been started by the contestant, and all items in the collection must be owned by her. A collection may include books, manuscripts, and ephemera; it may be organized by theme, author, illustrator, printing technique, binding style, or another clearly articulated principle. Collections will not be judged on their size or their market value, but on their originality and their success in illuminating their chosen subjects. The prize rewards creativity, coherence, and bibliographic rigor. Contestants should submit the following by the deadline of July 15, 2017:

• Personal information: your name, date of birth, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.

• An essay of no more than 1500 words describing the purpose, history, and ultimate ambition of the collection. What inspired you to begin collecting? How has your focus developed over time? What are the most interesting or surprising books in the collection to date? Which were you most excited to find?

• A bibliography of at least 20, but no more than 50, items in the collection arranged by author, date, or another principle of your choice. Each entry should include, at minimum, the following information: author, title, place of publication, publisher, date, and a brief description.

• A wish list of the three books you would most like to add to the collection, explaining your reasoning.

Photographs of your collection are welcome, but not required, and will not serve as a substitute for careful bibliographic description. The Honey & Wax Prize is not affiliated with the National Collegiate Book Collecting Prize, and qualified contestants are encouraged to apply to both.

Entries should be submitted by email, with “Honey & Wax Prize” in the subject field, to info@honeyandwaxbooks.com. The winner will be announced in September.

Honey & Wax Booksellers, ABAA and ILAB - Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and International League of Antiquarian Booksellers

540 President Street, Third Floor
Brooklyn NY 11215
917-974-2420
heather@honeyandwaxbooks.com
www.honeyandwaxbooks.com