On April 29, 2010, the family and close friends of Barney Rosenthal met at the renowned Family Club in San Francisco to celebrate Barney's 90th birthday. In addition to Barney, his wife Ruth, and his son David, about 40 librarians, collectors, dealers, printers, and binders, gathered to honor the great man.
This is a report from what has been a little bit like Ice Station Zebra since 23rd December. Today is 13th January and we have had our first postal delivery at home for ten days. I was impressed by our postman, Rob, who said he felt the mail was starting to pile up (snow-like) at the sorting office, so went well out of his way, slithering on ice, to bring us the backlog.
The antiquarian book trade in Hungary is emerging. The young generation opens up to the international market and shows more and more that Budapest – like Vienna – is a European city full of cultural highlights, covering not only the history of arts, but the history of printing from its invention in the 15th century up to 20th century Avantgarde books. An interview with Zoltán Földvári (Budapest) and Norbert Donhofer (Vienna) about rare books in Hungary and the future of the antiquarian book trade.
Who wins the FIFA World Cup 2010? Spain? Argentina? Brazil? Italy? Or Ghana? Will England loose the penalty shootout? Does Germany reach the semi-finals without Michael Ballack? In three weeks the football world looks to South Africa. We have talked with a South African dealer about the most important thing besides football: rare books.
Three booksellers from the edges of Britain introduce themselves and describe how the ABA assists their businesses: Charles Cox (River House, Treglasta, Launceston, Cornwall), Alex Alec-Smith (The Old Rectory, Winestead, Hull, Yorkshire), Piers & Stephen Besley (Besley's Books, 4, Blyburgate, Beccles, Suffolk) ...
"Raymond Scott, who lived with his elderly mother in a County Durham cul-de-sac, created an "absurd" fake world involving an imaginary playboy lifestyle and a lost book hoard in Cuba, a jury at Newcastle crown court was told."
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association has just published its 2017 - 2018 Directory with a warm welcome message by President Angus O'Neill. "The printed book is not in decline"
A special law on books older than 50 years affects the rare book trade in Italy. Any books - despite their worth - which are older than 50 years must not be brought out of the country without permission. This law, says ALAI President Fabrizio Govi, affects the whole rare book trade.
"One of the most unusual bindings one is likely to encounter among books purchased at yard sales, garage sales, friends-of-the-library book sales and the like is papier mâché." L.D. Mitchell on Papier Mâché and The Private Library.
The annual fall gathering for booklovers, the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, will return to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston's beautiful Back Bay, November 16-18, 2012. The offerings are wide and diverse from over 120 dealers located in the United States, England, Canada, France, Hungary, The Netherlands, and Argentina who will exhibit and sell rare, collectible and antiquarian books, illuminated manuscripts, autographs, maps, atlases, photographs, modern first editions, and a plethora of other literary ephemera. Fine and decorative prints will also be featured.
