Before the opening of the 56th Stuttgart Antiquarian Book Fair, we spoke to Götz Kocher-Benzing of Stuttgarter Antiquariat and asked why Stuttgart is still such an attractive place to buy and browse and trade in antiquarian books.
By the book: Bringing antiquarian bookselling into the 21st century
Pom Harrington on the thrill of selling first editions of Shakespeare, Shackleton and Churchill
Does anyone know of any antiquarian booksellers in Iran? Follow Hugh Myers, cataloguer and researcher at Hordern House (Sydney, Australia), on his amazing trip through the country.
Away to Scotland for a rather special rare book trade occasion last week. A retirement party for our old friend Elizabeth Strong (McNaughtan's Bookshop) – not just a retirement party but also a welcome party for Derek and Anna Walker, who are taking over this much-loved bookshop on Haddington Place from Elizabeth. A big day for her, but perhaps an ever bigger one for them. The closing of one era, the opening of another – a passing on of the baton from one generation to the next. A time for celebration. A time for reflection. A goodish crowd of bookish folk. Edinburgh stalwart Ian Watson (John Updike Rare Books) was there. Cooper Hay had come over from Glasgow. Andrew Hunter (Blackwell's Rare Books) was up from Oxford. Family, friends, customers. A few choice words from our president, Oscar Graves-Johnston. A few words of farewell, welcome and introduction from Elizabeth. A few words of appreciation and anticipation from the Walkers.
ILAB is like the United Nations for antiquarian booksellers. As a truly global umbrella organization it shows that the rare book business is fascinating in its diversity: from Europe to South Africa and the United States, to Australia and Asia. When in 1989 the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Korea (ABAK) was founded, the antiquarian booksellers in the Republic of Korea immediately became affiliated to ILAB. And now, for the first time, the South Korean colleagues exhibited at this year's London International Antiquarian Book Fair. T.J. Kim, owner of Tmecca Korea, Inc. in Seoul, was one of them. He tells us about rare bookselling in his home country, his own career and future perspectives of the trade.
We found ourselves in the Sussex market town of Midhurst the other day – very pleasant, even in the rain – partly as an episode in the ongoing quest for perfect seasoned logs to keep the home fires burning (the ones available locally are apparently just lumps of wood – but that's another story). So obviously also an opportunity not to be missed to call on Philip Remington (of Reg & Philip Remington), who is nowadays quartered in these parts. Now, while the name Remington might merely suggest rifles or razors to some people, to those of us in the real world it means only one thing: the finest of fine books in the spheres of exploration, voyages and travel. The firm can trace its origins back to that day in 1951 when Reg Remington was taken on by the Francis Edwards firm as a trainee, rising through the ranks to become in turn assistant to Herbert Edwards, then Edwards' successor as head of the voyages and travel department, and then a director of the firm. Meanwhile, his son Philip was undergoing his own vigorous training at the so fondly remembered Hodgson's Auction Rooms on Chancery Lane. In 1979 they joined forces to begin trading independently, taking on a shop in London's Cecil Court in 1980, where they remained as one of its great adornments until 2002.
An example of bare bones mimeo, Head First struck me as presenting Wantling in his natural habitat; for Wantling, like Blazek and Bukowski, is the epitome of a Mimeo Revolution poet. Yet strangely, none of Kiviat's mags are featured in Secret Location. Neither is Blazek's Ole nor Bukowski's Laugh Literary. See a pattern here? It is high time to build on and tear down the foundations of Clay and Phillips' classic text. Documenting Midwest and blue collar mimeo would be a good start. A couple of posts down the line will complicate Wantling's image as a mimeo outlaw a little bit, but the Mimeo Revolution is all about myth and perception, so I think it is safe to say here that Wantling is most commonly viewed as an outlaw poet, who made his home in the land of the Gestetner.
Travel lies are as old as literature itself, or perhaps even older. Sailors, the quintessential travellers, are well known for their sailor's yarns. And how better to impress the stay-at-homes than with stories of sea serpents, dwarfs, giants, headless or dog-faced people in faraway places? This was much more satisfying than telling of hard work, bad food and low pay.
Blues seemed to be the most qualified subject: In the last decade or so, this musical form has started to enter the mainstream and more people are aware of it than ever before (by one count, blues has appeared in 60 different television commercials). Yet few realize that a decent size literature has accrued over the last century and that many of the books are quite collectible and intensely sought after ...
United by the love of books: The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB) and the National Library of Australia will hold a joint conference on 19th and 20th May, 2014, in Canberra. This conference, the first of its kind held in Australia, brings together an impressive group of speakers to explore a variety of topics of particular interest both to rare booksellers and special collections librarians. It aims to enable these professionals to approach their work with greater acumen and understanding, and will afford a valuable opportunity for delegates to meet others with similar problems and interests. While the conference is aimed primarily at those working with rare books, manuscripts and photographs, it also contains much of value to anyone with a passion for our paper-based heritage. The lectures and panel discussions, held by antiquarian booksellers, scholars and librarians and among them Shef Rogers, Michael Treloar, ANZAAB President Jörn Harbeck, Sally Burdon and ILAB President Tom Congalton, focus on a variety of themes such as "The Magic of Books as Objects", "The Printed Image – Aspects of Photography and the Book", "Libraries and the Rare Book Trade", "Behind the Scenes in the Book Trade", and "Library Collections Revealed".
Whether you already have your own personal library or would like to dive into the world of collecting, this is your opportunity to explore the world of books with the leading experts in their fields. Whether you are an experienced or novice book collector, a librarian or an archivist, a scholar or an academic, or are simply interested in books and the book arts in general, this is your chance to find something to your taste. And be sure: If you have once experienced the fascinating feeling of finding a book, you have never thought you were looking for, you will never be able to stop again. Save the dates in your calendar!
