E-P.jpgOn Jan. 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect, formally ending slavery in the United States. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of this important national document, the National Archives is holding traditional "watch nights" at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. The official document, signed by Lincoln and bearing the U.S. seal, is briefly on exhibit, culminating tonight with late hours (closes at 1 a.m.) and tomorrow with a dramatic reading. What a way to ring in the New Year!

On January 3, the Library of Congress will put on display a draft of the document as part of its "The Civil War in America" exhibit.

Image courtesy of the National Archives.
malton.jpgMalton is a sleepy market town of about 4,000 people in north Yorkshire.  The closest special collection is at the University of York, about 20 miles to the southeast.  And yet the town banded together recently to purchase a signed copy of The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  The purchase price: $35,000.

Charles_Dickens-A_Christmas_Carol-Title_page-First_edition_1843.jpgWhat makes this signed copy of The Christmas Carol particularly unique -- and particularly attractive to Malton's inhabitants -- is that Dickens signed the book to the wife of his old friend, Charles Smithson, a solicitor and famous resident of the town.  Dickens and Smithson were great friends and Dickens visited Malton regularly in north Yorkshire.  Local legend states has it that Dickens based Scrooge's office on Smithson's office on Chancery Lane in Malton.  Other characters from the classic story were inspired by local residents.

Smithson unexpectedly died before The Christmas Carol was published, which is why the book is inscribed to his wife.

Selina Scott, a local writer and media presenter, heard about the book coming up for auction in New York City and initiated a publicity campaign in Malton to purchase it.  After raising $32,000, Scott and the town residents nervously watched the live auction.  The book failed to make its reserve price of $40,000.  Selina then began a series of negotiations with the seller -- conducted via Doyle's -- trying to persuade the seller to let the book for less than the reserve.  The seller agreed on a purchase price of $35,000, saying the book deserved to be in Malton.  Selina raised the additional funds and the town purchased its unique copy of The Christmas Carol.

The book is currently on display at the Talbot Hotel in Malton.  After New Year's Day, the book will move into the care of York University's Special Collections Library, but will continue to make regular visits to Malton.

[Images from Wikimedia]

Ah, the week between Christmas and New Year's Day--for much of the publishing world, it means a full week off. Which means a week of leisurely reading and browsing new books. If you read my last post, you'll know some of the books now on my nightstand. (I finished Eat the Document; now I'm fifty pages into A Light That Never Goes Out, a biography of the British band, The Smiths.) The other book that I've been perusing is The Art of the Map: An Illustrated History of Map Elements and Embellishments (Sterling, $40) by Dennis Reinhartz.

ArtoftheMap.jpgA handsomely illustrated book for map lovers, this book is not a history of cartography per se, but a look at the graphic elements and beautiful imagery of maps from the sixteenth through the nineteenth century. As John Noble Wilford notes in the foreword, "When it came to orienting the  map, the inner artist felt free to embellish the necessary with symbolic blossoms--compass roses--spreading in the cardinal directions. In other flights of whimsy, cherubs with chubby cheeks blow in the directions of the prevailing winds. These features drive up old-map prices at auction."

In this volume, one sees the evolution of the compass rose and watches how images of humans were used by mapmakers through the centuries. Flora and fauna are common ornamental elements too. One of my favorites is Islandia, a map of Iceland, from the 1587 edition of Theatrum. It shows all manner of fantastic beasts off the coast, including man-eating monster fish.

Animal-shaped maps form their own section, and I was glad to see the "Peaceful Lion," of Leo Belgicus, coincidentally featured in our soon-to-be-mailed winter issue. The Pegasus-shaped map of Asia, 1581, is also pretty neat.

For anyone who studies or collects maps, The Art of the Map will be a welcome addition to your library.


CLS_1914_medium.jpgThe South's oldest library, the Charleston Library Society, has created an in-house book bindery to begin repairs on its extensive collection and to bind by hand new editions of classic works.

The Charleston Library Society was founded in 1748, making it the third oldest circulating library in the country.  (It was preceded by the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Redwood Library and Athenaeum of Newport, Rhode Island).  Nineteen residents of 18th century Charleston pooled their resources and began the library by purchasing books and journals from England.  Over time, approximately 100,000 books were accumulated.  The library is currently in the process of tallying its collection to find a more specific figure.  The Charleston Library Society continues today under the same subscription model, one of only a handful remaining subscription libraries in the country.

To support the new bindery, the library recently published a limited edition of The Carolinian Florist by John Drayton, originally published in 1798. Only sixteen copies were produced, each hand-bound at the library's bindery.  The book contains several watercolors by Drayton.

The bindery is currently in the process of producing a limited edition of The Fundamental Constitution for Carolina by John Locke from 1669.

In addition to creating limited editions of classic work, the bindery has its hands full with the "infinite" number of its own books in need of restoration.  The oldest book in the collection is a Bible from 1492.

But the best part of the news is that the library's bookbinder, Brien Biedler, is a scant 22 years old -- and already has four years of binding experience under his belt.  It's always encouraging to see young people entering into the old book trades.



I read all year long--books, newspapers, magazines, online articles. The books are sometimes work-related--those I'm reviewing for FB&C--but, more often than not, I read books for pleasure, and I average one per week. (Right now I'm reading Dana Spiotta's Eat the Document. It's fantastic.) I'm lucky in that publishers often send me copies of books to review that are books I might have purchased anyway. But that's not always the case, and so I keep a running list every year of new books that catch my eye but for which I didn't have the time or the expendable cash.
 
Then, a few years back, my mother-in-law began this wonderful tradition: I cull my list down to ten or twelve and hand it over. It makes holiday shopping easy on her, and it's a dream come true for me: a bag full of reading to last a few months. This year, five of those titles strike me as titles you might like as well, all with bookish/historical tones.

New York Diaries 1609-2009 -- this one was published in December 2011, so it just missed last year's list. It uses a diary format to travel through Manhattan's past, using all kinds of historical documents and collections.

stockholmoctavo-u162.pngThe Stockholm Octavo -- this novel isn't as bookish as its name implies (the octavo is a fortune-telling card) but I was drawn to its vivid jacket and decided that a quirky novel about eighteenth-century Stockholm could be excellent.

Astray -- more fiction, but I've been a fan of Emma Donoghue for at least a decade, and I'll read anything she writes. The fact that these stories are based on historical circumstances--like her Slammerkin or The Sealed Letter--makes it all the better.

Clover Adams: A Gilded and Heartbreaking Life -- the life of the wife of Henry Adams. Clover was also a photographer who later committed suicide.

Waiting for the Barbarians: Essays from the Classics to Pop Culture by Dan Mendelsohn -- pulled from The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and The New York Times Book Review, these critical essays on literature and pop culture won't disappoint.    
Birds_Book_Drawing-0x300.jpgTime may be getting short to see Billy Sullivan's Bird Drawings exhibit at Glenn Horowitz's East Hampton Gallery, but for bird-loving bibliophiles, Glenn Horowitz has issued an elegant limited edition book featuring Sullivan's ink-on-paper drawings accompanied by an essay by Margaret Atwood. Her thoughts on birds and conservation nicely complement Sullivan's sharp sketches of his backyard birds. The edition consists of 450 copies, 350 in wrappers, and 100 deluxe cloth-bound copies signed by both the writer and artist. The exhibition is on through January 1.
Grimm's_Kinder-_und_Hausmärchen,_Erster_Theil_(1812).cover.jpgToday marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Die Kinder und Hausmärchen, better known to the world as Grimm's Fairy Tales. The original book, whose English title translates to "Children's and Household Tales," was first published by in 1812.  The future bestseller sold poorly at first, with readers confused by the shifting narratives and abundance of violent and sexual content.

The 86 stories in the first edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales included such classics as Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, and Rapunzel.  A second volume of 70 storieswas published two years later in 1814. Both were illustrated by Philipp Grot Johann, one of the premier illustrators in 19th century Germany.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were both librarians at the Ducal Library in Kassell for much of their adult lives.  Fascinated by the folklore and language of their native country, and fueled by a passion to reclaim German heritage in an era when Germany was occupied by the French, the brothers set off into the Black Forest seeking pure German folk tales.  Beginning in 1806, the brothers recorded numerous stories from the rich oral tradition in rural Hassia and Westphalia. By 1812, the Grimm brothers had collected enough tales to create their first publication.

The first edition is only rarely offered at auction.  Sotheby's sold a second issue of the first edition last year, which was the first time the book had come up for auction since 1982.  The fairy tale collection blew through its $20,000 - $30,000 estimate, climbing all the way up to a final hammer price of $206,500.

A celebratory conference kicks off this week in Kassel, where academics from around the world are gathering to discuss the myriad of subjects and themes which intersect in the study of the fairy tales.  The stories have been heralded and maligned throughout the years, especially in Germany where they are sometimes blamed for contributing to the rise of German nationalism.

Be sure to check out the interactive Doodle on Google today, which commemorates the publication anniversary.



KC Book Tree 2012.jpgAlden Kamaunu and Larry Smith from the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries take a break after building the 2012 holiday book tree in the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center. Photo by Nick Crowl.

The librarians at the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center at the University of Nevada, Reno, have constructed what they believe is the biggest 'book tree' ever built. The 14-foot tree is made entirely of old, green reference books -- specifically, the National Union Catalog, Pre-1956 Imprints. This is the second year they have erected the tree, but this year's tree is twice the size of last year's.

Alden Kamaunu, manager of the center's building operations, was in favor of doubling the size of the tree and said there was "a lot of trial and error" involved in the construction. "Last year, we used 347 books. This year, we used 600," he said. "When it was determined that we were going to make this an annual event, we felt a need to top ourselves while maintaining the original style of making it look like a real tree. We realized that we created an art piece last year and we needed to maintain that sense of class and holiday feel for our students during this busy time on campus."

The tree is popular with students and has turned out to be the photo-op on campus. It will remain up in the Knowledge Center atrium through early January. A time-lapse video of the tree's construction is on Flickr.
800px-Indian_President_House.jpgThe library at the presidential palace of India, "Rashtrapati Bhavan," is undergoing a major facelift. India's president, Pranab Mukherjee, a confirmed bibliophile, wants the library restored to its mid-20th century glory.

The library had fallen into disuse.  The primary source of a natural light for the room, a large sunlight in the ceiling, was hidden behind a cloth.  Temporary bookshelves, crammed with books, were filling up most of the available space.

Mukherjee wants the library to restored to its original condition, when it first opened in the 1950s.  There will be a huge wooden desk in the center of the room with classical paintings adorning the walls. The marble floors will shine once again.  Only historically relevant books will kept and they will be properly catalogued and shelved.

A number of books from the early 19th century are present, including books owned by former Viceroys of India.  Highlights include Beaston's A View of the Origin and Conduct of the War with Tippoo Sultan (1800); Viceroy Lord Curzon's copy of Forster's British Gallery of Engravings: from pictures of the Italian, Flemish, Dutch, and English schools (1807), and a significant run of Punch.

After the restoration, the library will again feature in tours of Rashtrapati Bhavan.  Researchers will also be able to apply for a special permit to study there.  The library is also exploring the possibility of digitizing the collection.

[Image from Wikipedia]

This is 'volume three' in a series of posts following the progress of the upcoming Grolier Club exhibition on children's literature. In previous posts, we have discussed how the project got started and how the Club's list compared to the Library of Congress' Books That Shaped America list. Today, I'm posting a Q&A between the curator, Chris Loker, and I, in which we focus on the genre of picture books and how they fit into the overall exhibition. She also shares some neat news about a never-before-seen manuscript from the author of the classic Goodnight Moon that will be printed next year by Ken Shure of Two Ponds Press.
 
RRB: I suspect that when most people hear the phrase "children's books," they think of the picture book. Tell us about how your exhibition will deal with the picture book genre.
 
CL: The picture book genre is one of the most exciting and colorful parts of One Hundred Books Famous in Children's Literature, the Grolier Club's 2014 children's book exhibition. Of the 100 famous books in the show, nearly 20 are considered picture books. The traditional children's picture book generally has an emphasis on illustration over text, and typically is presented in the "few words, more pictures" format of 24 to 32 pages.

As you know, Rebecca, I'm trying to keep the list of books in the Grolier exhibition close to the vest. But I'll select one wonderful picture book from the list to talk about with you today ~ the famous Goodnight Moon, written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd.
 
Goodnightmoon.jpgRRB: I'm so glad to hear that Goodnight Moon made the list! If I were to pick one  "peerless" book for younger children, that would be it. Why is it important historically?
 
CL: Historically, the seeds of the picture book were sown in England in the late 19th century by exceptional illustrators such as Walter Crane and Randolph Caldecott (after whom the Caldecott Medal for most distinguished picture book is named.) But the picture book as we know it today began to flourish in the United States in the 1920's ~ some say with the publication of Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag in 1928. The following 30 years are often considered "the Golden Age of the American picture book," and Goodnight Moon, published in 1947, is firmly of this era.

Wanda_Gag_Millions_of_Cats-book_cover.jpgGoodnight Moon is important because, at the time of its publication, it offered something new ~ a child-centered "here and now" story based on the realistic world of a child, rather than a fairy tale about a make-believe world of fantasy characters. Specifically, Goodnight Moon provided toddlers and young children with an every-day ritual for a pivotal, and sometimes challenging, part of childhood ~ going to sleep. The bunny in the story simply says goodnight to many of the physical objects in his bedroom, and in so doing he (as well as the child) slowly becomes ready and willing to go to sleep.

Well known literary critic (and FB&C contributor) Leonard Marcus, who is also the biographer of Margaret Wise Brown (Awakened by the Moon), writes in his entertaining 2010 article, "Over the Moon ~ An Imaginary Interview with Margaret Wise Brown," that when working with very young children, Brown believed in the importance of "drawing them into the story by....rhythms and repetitions." We know today that rhythm and repetition, coupled with enjoyment, are key elements for young children when starting to learn and retain information.

Goodnight Moon's illustrations are filled with quiet but complex details for the observant (and not yet sleepy!) child, while its text offers gentle "rhythms and repetitions" that move the child toward calmness, and finally drowsiness. As the light in the bunny's bedroom slowly grows dimmer from page to page, the child's energy wanes, bringing him slowly to the edge of slumber. Besides being continuously in print since its publication, and published in six different languages in both traditional oblong folio and board book formats, Goodnight Moon is a landmark commercial and cultural success, having sold over eight million copies and inspired many film, television, musical and theatrical adaptations. It also has inspired a number of parodies, including the humorous Goodnight iPad, published in 2011 by Ann Droyd (the entertaining pseudonym of writer and illustrator David Milgrim.)
 
RRB: Tell me about Margaret Wise Brown's other work.
 
CL: Margaret Wise Brown was a prolific author who wrote dozens of children's books besides Goodnight Moon, including the famous The Runaway Bunny, published in 1942 (and slyly pictured on several pages of the later published Goodnight Moon). As well as a successful author, Brown also was a children's book editor, a progressive proponent of children's education as part of the Bank Street School of Education, and a social denizen of upper East Side New York and Vinalhaven, Maine. Often called "Brownie" by children and friends, she had a creative drive that brought so many books and poems into the world that she used a variety of literary aliases to publish her work; aliases like Golden MacDonald, Juniper Sage, Kaintuck Brown, and Timothy Hay. In addition to writing under her own and adopted names, Brown wrote a number of uncredited stories that were published in the then-emerging Little Golden Books series, at that time loosely connected with the Bank Street School of Education and now a publishing legend in American children's literature.

Happily, Brown's long list of published titles will be expanded in 2013, when a never-before-seen manuscript will be published as a fine artist's book. The story, called The Little River, will be printed by Ken Shure, founder of Two Ponds Press, located in Camden, Maine, and dedicated to fine art press printing. Artist Michael Kuch has illustrated this unseen Brown manuscript in 22 soft ground color etchings that incorporate botanical and found materials. The book has the same simple yet lyrical wording as Goodnight Moon, and tells the story of how a small spring of fresh water, flowing up from the ground in the mountains, ultimately becomes a powerful river that surges its way to the sea.
 
RRB: What other genres will the Grolier exhibition cover?
 
CL: One Hundred Books Famous in Children's Literature will present many other wonderful literary genres. Besides the iconic children's picture book genre that we've been talking about, the exhibition will showcase books that are categorized thematically as fairy tales, nursery rhymes, poetry, books of education and piety, fantasy books, adventure books, illustrated books, controversial books, and books of legendary cultural influence, to name just a few. It's such an exciting line up of books ~ we believe the genres presented will have visual and scholarly appeal for just about every viewer. We are exceptionally enthusiastic about how the exhibition is shaping up.

Rebecca, you and I started our conversation today focusing on the picture book. One of the things that excites me most about the Grolier Club's children's book exhibition is the number of iconic picture books that it will present. As you may know, there was an article in the New York Times in 2010 called "Picture Books No Longer A Staple for Children," which more or less suggested the death of the picture book. I'm happy to say that this exhibition will remind viewers about the enduring magic of the picture book, and will show that children still respond in heartfelt measure to picture books of great literary and artistic merit.
 
The exhibit is scheduled to open in December of 2014. We'll be following along till then, checking back in with Chris every now and again to watch this major exhibition and catalogue take shape.