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Bookfinder.com just released its list of the 100 most sought-after out-of-print books in 2011.  Madonna's explicit coffee-table book Sex, from 1992, topped the list, a fact that was not missed by the major news agencies.  The 129 copies of Sex on abebooks, by the way, start at $57.00 (or $100 if you want the accompanying CD), so it's not quite as rare as it would seem.


Nora Roberts came in second with Promise Me Tomorrow, which starts at $47 on abebooks for an acceptable mass-market copy.  There are only ten copies listed on the site, so it's quite a bit more uncommon, actually, than Sex.  Roberts has actively tried dissuading her readers from tracking down copies of her early novel.

Stephen King fills in spots 3 and 4 on the list with his novels Rage and My Pretty Pony respectively.  Rage is readily available as part of a compendium of King's early Bachman novels, but to acquire a stand alone copy, be prepared to dish out $200.  My Pretty Pony, meanwhile, runs about $70.

Two other familiar names in the Top 10 are Johnny Cash with his autobiography Man in Black and Norman Mailer with his biography of Marilyn Monroe.  The Cash autobiography may be out of print, but it's as cheap as books get on the Internet.  The same goes for the Mailer biography of Monroe.  Both books are rather surprisingly out-of-print, in my opinion.  Interest in Cash and Monroe remains as high as ever; I'd think publishers could still pull in a fair bit of cash from annual sales of both titles.

For regular FB&C readers, there is a particularly interesting inclusion in the Top 100.  Paul Collins, who has written for FB&C in the past, wrote profiles for Lapham's Quarterly and NPR on the child prodigy novelist Barbara Newhall Follett.  Follett's compelling life story, wherein she wrote a best-selling novel at thirteen, then, several years later, walked out of her apartment one day never to be seen again, struck a chord with readers.  As a direct result of Collins' pieces, Follett's long out-of-print novel The House Without Windows shot into spot 83 on the list.

And here, by the way, we have a truly rare book, as the handful of copies of House Without Windows start at $500 on abebooks.  I think it's time for a new edition.
I've been a fan of Matthew Pearl's novels from the get-go; while I always have a hard time picking "favorite" books, The Dante Club would certainly make any list of top novels I've read. I'm very happy to say that his newest, The Technologists (due in early 2012 from Random House) is another big win.

Set in 1868 Boston, the novel opens with a series of terrifying attacks on the city's commercial infrastructure: compasses on ships in the harbor suddenly malfunctioning simultaneously, window-glass in the business district spontaneously dissolving ... and the events seem likely to continue unless someone can figure out who's behind them.

And just who does Pearl assign to figure out how to save Boston from further attacks? Departing from his earlier trio of novels, it's not a major literary figure, but rather three young men, seniors at the nascent Massachusetts Institute of Technology, plus Ellen Swallow, the first female student at MIT. Facing off against a motley crew of MIT's opponents (including some rowdy trade unionists, Harvard's Louis Agassiz, and a mysterious hooded figure calling himself the "avenging angel,"), the unlikely quartet (who dub themselves "The Technologists") must break some rules in order to protect themselves, their school, and their city.

Pearl's captured the tensions of post-Civil War Boston beautifully, and told the story of MIT's genesis and early years very nicely. The conflicts between those who supported MIT's mission of practical scientific education and those who saw this as a dangerous trend were real, and The Technologists brings that to life in a way that I'm not sure a historian could.

I greatly enjoyed the richly-drawn characters, the pace, the plot, the setting - this is the real deal, a thrilling read that I wanted more of. All I can say is, keep up the good work!
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In the Beginning Was the Word: Medieval Gospel Illumination, an exhibit at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, opens today. A look at the "physical manifestation of the word of God," this dazzling array of images will be up through November 27. Shown here is a leaf from a Gospel printed in Constantinople, around 1325-45. So writes the Getty: "The Evangelist Mark is shown here in the act of sharpening his pen as he prepares to write the text of his Gospel. Other instruments of the scribe's trade, including an inkpot, a compass, and a bottle of ink, are seen on the desk in front of Mark."
Lawrence Worms, current President of the ABA in Britain and owner of Ash Rare Books since 1971, has set off on a self-styled book safari.  On his election to the ABA, Worms promised his fellow ABA members that throughout his tenure he would travel around Britain in an attempt to see as many of them as possible.  He set off on his first trip earlier this month, traveling through the south and west of England, and keeping a blog to record his bookish encounters.

From the inaugural post:

"As the current president of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association, a pressing concern is the rapidly diminishing number of genuine antiquarian, rare and simply second-hand bookshops across the country.

We face the loss of the base of the pyramid that supports our trade in rare books. The loss of the habit of browsing in real bookshops. The loss of habitat that can threaten any species.

We travel in search of what remains. We travel in search of ideas
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Worms began his first journey on August 2nd and visited Oxford, Stroud, Hay-on-Wye, Bristol, Honiton, Dorchester, Salisbury, and Chichester, amongst other spots.  He just began his second trip this past Friday, heading to points further north.

Worms' blog about his travels is an interesting read for booksellers and collectors here and abroad as it offers a revealing glimpse into the current state of antiquarian bookselling in Britain.  There are also some amusing moments, such as when Worms is hijacked by wild swimmers, or when his wife and traveling companion, Anne, vents about the trip in her guest post.

Perhaps Sarah Baldwin, current President of the ABAA, will be inspired to follow suit and visit all the ABAA members.  It would be quite the endeavor...
Catalogue Review: Howard S. Mott, #260

It must be said that I have a soft spot for Howard S. Mott Inc. When I met Donald (Rusty) Mott at the 2010 NY Antiquarian Book Fair, I spied a first edition of Walden in his booth, and we got to talking Thoreau, one of my favorite topics. At the 2011 NYABF, my husband secretly visited Rusty's booth and--my birthday being just two weeks later--picked up something truly surprising for me.

So, biased though I may be, it is easy to see from catalogue #260--the company's 75th anniversary catalogue, I might add--that Rusty Mott of Sheffield, Massachusetts, is one of best booksellers out there. This catalogue is text-heavy, showing off Mott's vast knowledge of his books but also his delight in the material. There are several interesting broadsides, particularly having to do with bookselling/printing. One is an unrecorded 1747 advertisement broadside, sold by Peter Griffin, "Map & Printseller at the three Crowns & Dial next the Globe Tavern Fleet Street" ($1,350). Another is an appeal from James Swan, printer, after his "dreadful fire" in 1807 ($350), and still another from Thomas Reeves and Son, suppliers of paper, pencils, crayons, etc., circa 1784-1789 ($500).

One of several major manuscript prizes is a Mexican War diary by West Point graduate Lt. Rankin Dilworth ($9,500). The 94-page original manuscript diary describes his trip down the Mississippi and on to Monterrey, where he encountered intense assault and was mortally wounded. Another interesting manuscript item is an illustrated log of eighteen months on board the Royal Navy Ship, H.M.S. Constance ($9,500).

An anonymous sketchbook "in an accomplished hand" of watercolors, pencil drawings, and photographs from the French Quarter of New Orleans seems destined to find a home quickly ($1,650).

A small section on China seems a smart addition to the catalogue, considering the strength in that market. It also speaks to the breadth of this catalogue. One needs to read through five times to take it all in. To do that, you'll have to email them for a digital or print catalogue. Visit their ABAA page for more information.

Barack Obama announced his summer reading list the other day.  While, of course, the list is likely only half the story (the half that's been vetted and field-tested for maximum public appeal), it's always interesting to hear what our political leaders read in their downtime.  

I thought we could take a look at the collectibility of the titles on Obama's list in this blog post.

First up is The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, the only non-fiction title on the list, which covers the migration of African-Americans from the South to the North. The cheapest copy of a signed first edition, in fine condition, is $75 and the price goes up from there.
Official presidential portrait of Barack Obama...

Image via Wikipedia


Next on the list is Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  Signed, fine copies of Verghese's novel of conjoined twins in Ethiopia begin at $85.00.

Then we've got Robin's Debutante by Ward Just.  The novel follows the political awakening of a protagonist who moves to Chicago's South Side.  (Sound familiar?)  No signed copies are listed for sale on abebooks, but you can pick up a fine first edition for $25.00 or an advanced proof copy for $8.50.

Next is To the End of the Land by David Grossman, which is about a mother hiking the length of Israel while her son is at war.  Signed, fine copies of the first edition start at $55.00

Closing the list is The Bayou Trilogy by David Woodrell, a collection of country noir set in Louisiana.  A single, signed copy of the trilogy is selling on abebooks for $16.00.  The trilogy, of course, was originally published in separate volumes.  The first book (and Woodrell's first ever novel), Under the Bright Lights commands $150 for a signed copy.  A similar, signed copy of Muscle for the Wing will set you back $80, while The Ones You Do runs a scant $25.00.

The most expensive collectable copy of a book on Obama's list, therefore, is Woodrell's Under the Bright Lights (represented by proxy with The Bayou Trilogy) while the cheapest collectable copy is the $8.50 advanced proof copy of Robin's Debutante, by Ward Just.  Now if only Obama's personal copies would come on the market...

And there you have it, Obama's summer reading list, FB&C style.

An exhibit called Sin & the City: William Hogarth's London will open at Princeton University's Firestone Library on Friday. Celebrating the work of this eighteenth-century painter and printmaker, the exhibition will prompt a "midnight modern conversation," a gallery tour, and a musical evening later in the fall, and the exhibit will remain up through January.

hogarth midnight modern conversation3-thumb-440x174-11859.jpgFrom Hogarth's A Midnight Modern Conversation, 1732/33. Etching, 3rd state. Courtesy of Princeton.

One really neat aspect of the exhibit's preparation so far is the creation of a website that mapped the eighteenth-century London sites depicted in Hogarth's prints. Not only is it a remarkable online component to the exhibit, but an example of how an application like Google Maps can inform book history. Brilliant! Here's a snapshot:

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The Edinburgh International Book Festival is in full swing across the pond.  The Festival, one of the largest of its kind in the world, began on the 16th of August and continues until the 29th.  There's still time, therefore, to catch a last minute flight overseas and attend a few events.  (So what are you doing here?)

The overall theme of this year's Festival is revolution.  Many of the authors were invited due to their connection with revolutions past and present.  In attendance are the Egyptian political commentator Ahdaf Soueif, Pakistani writer Kamila Shamsie, exiled Chinese author Gao Xingjian, and Libyan novelist Hisham Matar, amongst many others.

Along with such political-minded writers, a number of other authors made, or will make, appearances at this year's Festival:  Neil Gaiman, AS Byatt, Michael Ondaatje, Alasdair Gray, Ian Rankin, Audrey Niffenegger, Kelly Link, and Dava Sobel are all on the list.

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A variety of other literary events will take place in conjunction with the Festival.  FB&C readers may be interested to visit McNaughtan's Bookshop, an old bookselling firm on Leith Walk (and my former employer), where an exhibit of Angela Lemaire's work for the Old Stile Press will be on display from the 23rd of August to the 30th of September.  Another must-stop is the National Museum of Scotland, which recently re-opened its doors after an extensive, three-year redevelopment.

For those of us who must vicariously live through the Festival, the Guardian is offering continuing coverage, complete with video footage and audio commentaries.

(Photos in this entry by the author)
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Nick Basbanes, our columnist-in-chief, will be talking with Diane Rehm this Wednesday. It's a Reader's Review panel, and they'll be discussing the bestselling (and bookish) novel (about to turn film), The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. A thoroughly enjoyable read, in my opinion. Peter Reid of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and NPR books correspondent Lynn Neary will also join the panel. Should be great fun to listen -- check your local stations and tune in!

Pamela Binnings Ewen has crafted another masterpiece that explores real-life drama spun deep inside historical fiction. The seed of Dancing on Glass was sown from an evening ritual with husband Jimmy sitting on their back deck overlooking a golf course and cypress swamp. During the twilight hour just as the birds began to roost, every evening a white egret would welcome Pam and Jimmy to her home. They named her Iris and soon she introduced her beau and offspring. Infatuated with Iris and the secrets of the cypress forest, a story was born. 


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(Egret photo courtesy of Jacob Thompson of Amite, Louisiana and winner of Louisiana Outdoor Writer's Association 2010 Youth Journalism Photography Contest)