articles

"Four months after my initial training from Heidi, I'm still making my way through the ins and outs of cataloging. What edition is this? Near fine or very good? When I mentioned the rating scale to my mom she answered with, "If I heard something was good I would not think it was trash," but she would be wrong. I've learned to really get behind the treasure hunt; thrilled to find first editions that happen to have their dustwrapper in decent shape, the eternal heartache of the "book club edition." Most of all I've learned to respect the medium through which great writers, such as Wilde, have presented their art to the world. Guess I have found myself back in the family business." Ashley Wildes, cataloguer at Between the Covers Rare Books, says: If you ever have the opportunity to become a rare bookseller, don't miss it!

Online: Richard Braungart, Deutsche Ex Libris und andere Kleingraphik der Gegenwart - Gustav A. Seyler, „Illustriertes Handbuch der Ex-Libris-Kunde" - Book-Plate Collection Baron von Berlepsch - Gerhard Gnade, « Norwegian Ex Libris » - Egerton Castle, English Book-Plates - Augustus Wollaston Frank, "Catalogue of British and American Book-Plates (Ex Libris) - Arthur Vicars, Book-Plates 1893 - Henry W. Fincham and James R. Brown, A Bibliography of Book-Plates (Ex-Libris) - Herbert Gregson, « Ex Libris. A Collection of Book-Plate Designs by Herbert Gregson" - John B. Leicester Warren, "A Guide to the Study of Book-plates (Ex-Libris)" - Walter Hamilton, "Dated Book-Plates. A Treatise on their Origin and Development" - Walter Hamilton, "French Book-Plates. A Handbook for Ex-Libris Collectors"

Karel Čapek's Czech play RUR, (Rossum's Universal Robots) is notable for numerous reasons. Written in 1920, the play's commentary on the politics of its day earned its author a spot on the Nazi most-wanted list. RUR details a robot revolution that would overthrow the dominant class, humans, and lead to their extinction. Above all, the play is most well known for introducing the world to the word, "robot." In fact, before Čapek's play, what we think of as robots were mainly called "androids" or "automatons," with "automaton" meaning a self-operating machine. In Czech, "robota" translates to "forced labor." It's associated with the type of work done by serfs during the feudal ages.

Rare Books: Still So Much to Learn and Discover is a must go to conference for anyone interested in rare books and associated materials on paper. It will particularly appeal to special collections librarians, collectors and antiquarian booksellers but is open to anyone interested. Over two days, subjects such as the building of collections of books and ephemera, research, theft and digitisation will be discussed. Well known author and entertaining speaker Nicholas Basbanes will speak from the USA on the history of paper and the State Libary of NSW will offer special behind the scenes tours of the library. The conference will address both educational and practical needs of the professionals working with special collections and in the trade, and will equip them to do their jobs with greater insight and understanding. Collectors will benefit from the opportunity to hear from the professionals and other collectors giving all three groups an update on what is going on in the world of rare books today.

Young antiquarian booksellers and beginners in the trade will head for Colorado in July and York in September 2015. The Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar and the York Antiquarian Book Seminar, established last year after the example of Colorado, offer excellent possibilities to enter the international rare book trade. AbeBooks will sponsor two courses both in Colorado and in York. For all who are interested, read the following information: