"The Matchbox Diary," by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline; Candlewick Press, $16.99, 40 pages, ages 5-9. 

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MATCHBOX DIARY. Text copyright © 2013 by Paul Fleischman. Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Bagram Ibatoulline. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Newbery Medal winner Paul Fleischman (Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices) and acclaimed illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline (Thumbelina; The Nightengale) have crafted a tale about an Italian immigrant's journey to America that also incorporates a love of collecting.

The book begins with an elderly gentleman meeting his great-grand daughter. As a way to get to know each other, the man tells the girl to choose a book, antique, or other collectible, and he will share the story behind that item's existence. Tucked away in the midst of these beloved curios, the child chooses a weathered cigar-box.  Much like  a Russian matryoshka, the box opens to reveal dozens of matchboxes.  They, in turn, hold a small souvenir - an olive pit, a fishbone, pieces of lead type - that recall pivotal moments in the man's life.  This diary is full of tangible objects that recall memories from long ago, while also encouraging the two characters to get to know each other. 

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MATCHBOX DIARY. Text copyright © 2013 by Paul Fleischman. Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Bagram Ibatoulline. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Using acrylic gouache, Ibatoulline creates an impeccable portrait of a collector's controlled chaos, with old books, artwork, antique clocks and other bric-a-brac filling every shelf, corner and wall. The images of the past are skillfully  rendered in black and white.


Told entirely through dialogue, The Matchbox Diary is an ode to collectors and diarists of all ages, and certainly stokes the flame of bibliomania. As the story concludes, the worldly grandfather offers this reflection, one that will no doubt resonate with the readers of this blog: "Books are like newspapers. They show you where you've been." 

Our series profiling the next generation of antiquarian booksellers continues today with Zoltan Földvári, proprietor of Földvári Antikvárium in Budapest.

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NP: How did you get started in rare books?

ZF: I was always interested in avant-garde art and I started to collect Hungarian avant-garde books when I was 14.

NP: When did you open Földvári Antikarium and what do you specialize in?

ZF: Beside collecting I was also trading and for that reason I founded Földvári Books in 2007. First I was specialized in avant-garde, literature and philosophy, later the fields has been broadened so now I also trade with books and manuscripts from the 16th to the 20th century in various fields.

NP: Could you tell us about the rare book trade in Hungary? What's it like?

ZF: In Hungary most of the antiquarian book stores are not specialized in any field and they are both trading with rare and used books.

NP: Do you source most of your books within Hungary or do you travel abroad to find books?

ZF: I buy books in Hungary from collectors, and I also travel in Europe, America, and Asia to find books.

NP: What's your favorite rare book that you've handled?

ZF: Always the recent acquisition is my favorite.

NP: What do you personally collect?

ZF: It is not easy to create the harmony between collecting and trading, but I'm working on this and continued to collect rare avant-garde editions.

NP: Thoughts on the future of the book trade?

ZF: There will only be market for scarce and important books.

NP: Any catalogues / fairs coming up?

ZF: I have participated at the California Antiquarian Book Fair in February. The next fairs in 2013 are Paris and London.

Next week Les Enluminures gallery in New York City will open a new exhibit. Owner Sandra Hindman wrote in to tell us more about it: 


In April there will be a month-long major exhibition at Les Enluminures called "Paths to Reform," illustrating the importance of reform in the history of the medieval and early modern church. It includes manuscripts that illustrate important texts from the twelfth through the sixteenth centuries. About forty manuscripts and a few printed books begin with texts and manuscripts associated with the religious orders of the Middle Ages -- Bernard of Clairvaux and the Cistercians, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bridget of Sweden, and St. Francis de Paola -- and then explores in greater detail texts associated with the Devotio Moderna, and parallel movements in France and Italy, leading up to manuscripts associated with the Protestant Reformation.


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Previously unknown Book of Hours in the Dutch translation by Geert Grote with the earliest recorded copy of the mystic Henry Suso's 100 Meditations and 7 miniatures by the Master of Otto van Mordrecht.Courtesy of Les Enluminures. 

 

The exhibit opens on April 4, 6-9 pm (RSVP necessary) at the New York gallery, 23 East 73rd Street, 7th floor, New York, NY (and will be open from 10-6, Monday-Saturday until May 4). The exhibition will be accompanied by a full-color published catalogue by Sandra Hindman and Laura Light, with an introduction by David Lyle Jeffrey, Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities, Honors College, and Distinguished Senior Fellow and Director of Manuscript Research in Scripture and Tradition, Institute for Studies in Religion, Baylor University. This catalogue will be the third in our Text Manuscripts series (the first, Binding and the Archeology of the Medieval and Renaissance Book, by Sandra and Ariane Bergeron-Foote, and the second, Before the King James Bible, by Sandra Hindman and Laura Light are still available. Information on the show and catalogues is available at http://lesenluminures.com and http://textmanuscripts.com.


For more information, read the full press release here.



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The rare book trade lost one of its elder statesman when Norman Kane passed away quietly in his sleep on the night of March 23.  He was 88 years old.

Norman was a true gentleman of the old school, well-versed in literature, history, politics, religion, music, and the arts. He was a rare book dealer for over 50 years, beginning his career in the thriving mid-century bookselling scene in Philadelphia.  He started his own business, The Americanist, in the late 1950s and soon moved to a farm outside of Pottstown, Pennsylvania where the bookshop would be located for several decades.  The hospitality and generosity exhibited by Norman and his wife Michal at their farm is fondly remembered by booksellers, librarians, and collectors across the country to this day.  After Michal passed away, Norman relocated to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to live close to his two daughters and their families. He continued the business until the day he died, actively contributing to a variety of rare book listservs and regularly buying and selling books.

We profiled Mr. Kane in September of 2011 in a lengthy and far-ranging interview that was continued in two installments (the first here and the second here) on the blog.  I asked Norman at the time what were some of his favorite memories of the rare book trade and he said, "Looking back, at eighty-six, I would say book fairs in cities big and small, here and abroad, my son's auctions, which were always great fun, finding rarities in attics, garages, chicken houses, bottom shelves and top shelves, sharing a life and livelihood for over fifty years with my smart, beautiful wife, and pursuing a profession, with time off for fishing, of course, which enabled me to raise two lovely girls who now have children of their own."

A fitting tribute to a well-lived life.

Funeral services for Norman will be held on Friday, March 29th at 2:00 p.m. at Schumacher & Benner Funeral Home, 359 King Street, Pottstown, PA. All are welcome to come by the funeral home from 1:00 to 2:00 to share your best stories about Norman. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in Norman's name to the North Carolina Botanical Garden.

[Photo of Norman Kane by the bookseller Lorne Bair]


Guest Blog by Catherine Batac Walder

On Friday, March 22, Julian Barnes received the Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence at the University of Oxford Sheldonian Theatre from the newspaper's literary editor, Andrew Holgate. Barnes sat with acclaimed biographer and literary scholar Hermione Lee for an hour-long discussion of his life and work.

Lee noted that the word "novel" has become a hugely elastic and unrestricted category partly because of Barnes, who is one of those authors who stretched, squeezed, and manipulated the form. Barnes said that it wasn't what he set out to do when he first started writing. His only thought was that he was going to write a novel, experimenting on points of view whenever he started a new work. He believes that the novel is informal and is fascinated with the daring form, as when the hero and his sidekick hear themselves being discussed by minor characters through thin walls (e.g., that scene from Don Quixote). There are similarities in the structures of his works, as Lee pointed out; he doesn't proceed chronologically and sometimes holds three stages or versions of a story alongside one another. She asked if this is a structure that appeals to him. He agreed, deep in thought, as though realizing it only at that moment, "I guess it must, as you've noticed it." He added that one of the things you learn as a novelist over the years is how to move through time, citing Alice Munro as one who deals with whole lives in 20 or 30 pages.

In reply to Lee's comment that he creates a pattern of images that recur and moments that come back within the book, such as the river running upstream in The Sense of an Ending, Barnes said that it comes with writing and rewriting. 

Lee also observed that "rewriting history" or "lying to ourselves" is a subject that he returns to in different ways in his books. Asking why this is interesting to him, Barnes replied that it might have come out while researching his book Nothing to Be Frightened of, which is partly about death and partly a family memoir. The process of writing and researching involved an exchange of e-mails with his philosopher brother. They discovered that they have a case of incompatibility in memory on things from their childhood, such as the method their grandfather used to kill chickens (this topic reminds me of Speak, Memory by Oliver Sacks). On the whole, he said, "we like improving stories."

Lee asked about one common theme in two of Barnes' books--being a boy at school--and wondered if there was something in his memory of what it felt like at school that has stayed with him. He attributed this recurrence to the fact that it was around this age when he started to read serious books. Another recurring theme, as Lee observed, is a narrator or central figure who is somehow inhibited, self-protective, hasn't lived life to the full--a very English character, such as Chris in Metroland, and Tony Webster in The Sense of an Ending, among others. Personally I find that most authors have more fun creating these characters, as Barnes himself said something like he could explore a character more when they have these qualities.  

Barnes didn't stay to sign books at the end but signed copies of his latest book, Levels of Life, to be released in April 2013, were available for purchase. Its themes of life, love, death, and grief made me weep. Barnes' wife of 30 years, Pat Kavanagh, died in 2008. This book is like his love letter to her in the most informal form he could muster. There were thoughts of suicide (not unlike how one of his fictional characters had gone) after her death. There were words and actions he loathed from acquaintances and friends alike, his feelings all written here, in words I suspect he wouldn't tell them face to face.

Barnes is the author of 20 books including novels, essays, and stories that have been translated into more than 30 languages. His most recent novel, The Sense of an Ending, won the Booker Prize in 2011.

Interview at the Waldorf Astoria NYC

Introduction to "Pinocchio" by Umberto Eco, "...it's not even a fairy tale, since it lacks the fairy tale's indifference to everyday reality and doesn't limit itself to one simple basic moral, but rather deals with many." 

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Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, Reproduced by permission of the publisher, the New York Review of Books, New York. 

       On Veteran's Day, the internationally acclaimed children's book illustrator Fulvio Testa sat down with me over tea in the Peacock Bar at the Waldorf Astoria to talk about his ground-breaking work for Geoffrey Bock's new translation of Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio.  The wide-ranging conversation inevitably led to a discussion of his artistic philosophy regarding children's book illustration in general, and how he can't get New York out of his mind.  

Focus and Rhythm

         For this project, Testa told me how he created a special storyboard that allowed him to keep constant track of the visual and literary levels he was trying to maintain. During the process, he constantly asked himself, "How can I get readers to understand the story simply by creating an image? There are two ways that I might create an image, either one image with two stories, or one large edited image." To choose the right scenes for Pinocchio, Testa outlined places where he felt the images would best compliment the text, and read the book repeatedly in order to completely grasp the flow of action.  Perhaps equally important to the actual artwork itself, he added, is the pacing and the precise location of where an image is placed in a printed book. "There are fifty-two images in this book, and they are relatively close together. I try to create a rhythm to the illustrations," meaning that each picture represents a pivotal moment in the story, and in Pinocchio most chapters either end or begin with an illustration. The flowing imagery allows the reader to maintain a steady pace, while creating pauses in the storyline and breaking the text into manageable parts. 

Action and movement

         At first glance the art for Pinocchio appears lighthearted and buoyant, however Testa's work is in reality quite dynamic.  To show where the action lies in what appears to be a passive image, Testa pointed to an illustration in the book. In it, Pinocchio stands at Geppetto's worktable and argues with the Cricket. "Some images are deceptive. They look approachable and friendly, but an older reader will see some of the darker aspects at work here. Look at the table. Pinocchio's hand is very close to the mallet, which he will pick up shortly and throw at the Cricket, killing him. This is a triangle of violence here."  This  is not simply a picture of a quarrel, but a violent avant scène, and yet is still an image that is appropriate for children.  "Children need action to convey a story of experience through repetition," which may be why, in Pinocchio,Testa has filled the pages with the scurrilous puppet in all manner of situations, from skipping school to facing a fearsome serpent. Testa also believes that in order to be successful at his craft, a part of him must retain a childlike understanding and appreciation for the world.  "To illustrate, an illustrator needs to have a part of himself that hasn't grown up yet," Testa explained. "I have to be willing to re-experience pain, rejection, joy, and other emotions, as if for the first time."

Fables

         Just as parents once used Pinocchio as a way to teach social and moral values, fables are equally important today in constructing a moral compass for children. Testa illustrated an edition of Aesop's Fables, and finds their universal qualities a captivating way to educate young minds. "Through these stories there is a possibility to acquire a social sensibility." He views his illustrations as an educational tool because they show how to deal with society from a children's point of view, which is often more effective than an adult telling a child what is right and what is wrong. There is historical precedent to this approach going back to the nineteenth century, when Pinocchio was first published.  Before there was mandatory schooling, children's books were crucial teaching tools. Carlo Collodi originally published Pinocchio in installments and he initially intended to end the book with the death of the unfortunate puppet.  Indeed, the illustration that closes chapter fifteen shows Pinocchio strung up and hanging from a large oak tree.  The puppet survives the hanging, and continues on his adventures. 

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Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, Reproduced by permission of the publisher, The New York Review of Books, New York. 

Read the rest at LiteraryKids.tumblr.com 

Random House of Canada has recently published special editions of The Life of Pi by Yann Martel and Dear Life by Alice Munro printed entirely on straw paper.  The books were produced in conjunction with Canopy, a Canadian environmental non-profit seeking to raise awareness of alternative paper sources.  The Life of Pi, produced in a run of 300 copies, is signed by Yann Martel and offered for sale on Canopy's website for $250.  The 50 copies of Dear Life are signed by Alice Munro and retail for $500.

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So, why straw?  According to the figures offered on Canopy's website, millions of tons of straw are leftover each year after the grain harvest in Canada.  Meanwhile, more than half of the logged forests around the world are transformed into paper products. Straw paper provides a way to preserve forests while transforming agricultural residue.  The idea has recently gained considerable traction in Canada, where the office supply chain Staples has agreed to carry straw copy paper in all of their Canadian stores.

Of course, the idea of turning waste into paper is nothing new.  Until the middle of the 19th century, most of the paper produced in America was made out of recycled linen and rags.  During the paper shortage of WWII, some paper mills also experimented with the production of straw paper, a practice that continued for some years after the War.

Canopy would like to export their model to the United States and are currently seeking an author and publisher to produce a special straw edition similar to the Martel and Munro titles.

I've never handled straw paper but am intrigued by the idea and support the philosophy behind the project.  Judging from their covers, the straw editions of The Life of Pi and Dear Life look like lovely objects.

There seem to be fewer articles about the death of the printed book, bookshop, bookseller, book lover, book collector, etc. and more about their resurrection lately. If not truly a pessimist, I consider myself dreadfully realistic. But a few weeks ago, I gave a talk at Drew University Library that turned into a discussion about why I'm optimistic about the future of the physical book. Here are some of the things I came up with:


10. The Nook is dead. To paraphrase Twain, the "the reports of [its] death are greatly exaggerated." Still, in late February, Barnes & Noble reported a big loss in its e-reader division. B&N claims it will not discontinue the Nook, but I see it as a chink in the e-book armor.


9. Because indies aren't dead. A report from the Christian Science Monitor this week says the "buy local" movement has caused sales at independent bookstores to rise about 8 percent in the past year.


8. Young booksellers are also alive and well. We started a series on our website profiling what we call "Bright Young Things"--i.e., booksellers under 40 who are making a living in the rare book trade. We've done about 35 of these profiles over the past year, and we're still going strong.


7. Craftsmanship has made a comeback. Whether learning (Center for Book Arts, American Academy of Bookbinding, North Bennet St. School) or buying (Etsy, Artfire, Renegade Craft Fairs), people have become more interested in handmade wares over the past few years.


6. College kids prefer print. You read that right! And not only do they prefer reading printed books for class, some of them are competition-level book collectors.


5. Vinyl returns. Some dislike the comparison, but vinyl--seen by many as an outmoded medium for the past twenty-five years--is hip again. Vinyl sales rose 36% last year. The lesson: a great product is impossible to beat.


4. Rare Book School flourishes. Last fall, the Rare Book School at The University of Virginia received a Mellon Grant of nearly $1 million to "reinvigorate bibliographical studies within the humanities."


3. Books are worth millions. Not the majority, of course, but institutions and collectors invest in book culture and want to pass the torch, to the tune of $11.5 million, if necessary.


2. The Codex Book Fair succeeds. This year the Codex Book Fair in California had 175 exhibitors for its book fair and a sold-out symposium on book arts and papermaking. The New York Art Book Fair and the new LA Art Book Fair also rocked.


1. The Monkey's Paw survives, thrives, and gets profiled in the New York Times. The Toronto antiquarian bookstore that received so much attention a couple of weeks ago is known for its quirky curation and its old-book vending machine. It is the bookshop of the future--a future full of super cool readers.

Yesterday, Rebecca wrote about the world's tiniest book, recently published by a Japanese firm, which measures 0.75 x 0.75 mm.

On the other side of the equation, is the Earth Platinum Atlas - the largest atlas ever produced - which clocks in at an impressive 6 ft x 9 ft.  The Earth Platinum Atlas was in the news recently as the the publishing company behind it is seeking new investors to keep the project afloat.

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The Atlas is being published by Millenium Publishing, a company established by the Australian publisher Gordon Cheers in 2005 with the primary goal of producing this book.  The idea had been rejected by a variety of mainstream publishers due to its extraordinary high price tag.

At a reputed cost of $1m+ to produce the 31 copies of the Earth Platinum Atlas, it's not hard to see why.

Millenium has thus far sold seven copies of the book, which retail for $100,000.

A copy of the Earth Platinum Atlas resides in the British Library, along with the freshly de-throned Klencke Atlas, which has held the title of World's Largest Atlas since King Charles II ascended to the throne of England.  

In 1660.

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The Klencke Atlas - produced with 17th century technology - measures a puny 5 ft 9 by 6 ft 3.  

It was only publicly displayed for the first time three years ago in 2010.

[Promotional images gleaned from Millennium House and the British Library respectively]


"Draw Your Own Alphabets: Thirty Fonts to Scribble, Sketch, & Make your Own," by Tony Seddon; Princeton Architectural Press, $19.95, 160 pages, ages 12-up.

(Available April 9, 2013)

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Draw Your Own Alphabets: Thirty Fonts to Scribble, Sketch, & Make your Own Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Princeton Architectural Press, NY. 


This book takes the art of custom-drawn fonts, - lively, hand-drawn letters often perfected by middle school adepts - to an extraordinary level of sophistication. British graphic designer Tony Seddon opens the manual with a primer on the history of hand-lettering, including tips for perfecting one's craft, the pros and cons of tracing, and understanding the basic structure of letterforms. Seddon teaches the proper techniques to create funky, personalized fonts in this very hands-on workbook.


The thirty alphabet fonts all are custom drawn by a team of young designers and illustrators who each reveal a little about themselves and the inspiration for their fonts. For example, artist Michelle Tilly discovered the origins for her "Spotty Fairground" font by observing antique signs on a Bristol pier.

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Draw Your Own Alphabets: Thirty Fonts to Scribble, Sketch, & Make your Own  Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Princeton Architectural Press, NY. 


There is a style here to suit any mood and personality, ranging from the Pacman-inspired "Butterman," to "Topiary" where the letters resemble leafy bushes. My favorite font is the "Octobet." This intricately detailed font is influenced by the Norse legend of the fearsome sea-monster, the Kraken.  


Seddon concludes with a useful section on how to use one's fonts by digitizing them.  A glossary of terms as well as an anatomy of principal font features rounds out the book. This isn't necessarily a book geared towards children, but placed in the right hands it would no doubt be lovingly received and perhaps nurture grains of artistic creativity.  A perceptive child might also enjoy reading the included designers' biographies.

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Draw Your Own Alphabets: Thirty Fonts to Scribble, Sketch, & Make your Own  Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Princeton Architectural Press, NY. 



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