Smiling, Lots of Smiling, at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair

Jonathan Shipley

Jonathan Shipley is a freelance writer living in Seattle. He’s written for the Los Angeles Times, Gather Journal, Uppercase, and many other publications.

There is was. A first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. It was in its original dust jacket. Pristine, it was. I read the description, looked at the book, back to the description, back to the book. I couldn't help but smile when I saw this book - the first state of this famous novel, arguably the greatest ever written. With a price tag a little out of my price range I continued on to the next booth at the annual Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair, going on throughout the weekend, ending today, and soon my face hurt from all the smiling.

Taking place at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, the fair is held every year, headed up by Louis Collins of Louis Collins Books and David Gregor, of Gregor Rare Books. The fair is a bibliophile wonderland with booth upon booth of treasured book upon treasured book, sprinkled liberally with wondrous ephemera, maps, posters, and more.

At the far end of the hall there was a booth that had on display autographed letters by Langston Hughes and U.S. Grant. A fine edition of Captain James Cook's voyages was selling for a sharp $75,000. Nearby that tome, was another booth with a coop of poultry books. The cover of The Cock Crows read, "If you are interested in poultry, you will like this book." I'm not, but I'm interested in this book anyway.

Other highlights, big and small, in random order to show you the random wonders one can stumble upon at this year's festival (if they haven't sold already)...

The program for Ian Fleming's memorial service.
Florence Nightingale's Notes in Nursing.
A collection of a morgue's post-mortem photographs
The Dwindling Party, an Edward Gorey pop-up book
Stephen Crane's A Red Badge of Courage
Oodles of Steinbeck firsts
Oodles of Hemingway firsts
Oodles of Dickens firsts
A museum poster from the 19th century touting a GREAT AMERICAN MASTODON
James Earl Ray's wanted poster
A book entitled Toilet of Flora
Treatise of Algebra
Leaves of Grass, autographed
Moby-Dick, autographed by artist Rockwell Kent
A beautifully designed bibliography of Lieutenant Nobu Shirase and the Japanese Antarctic Expedition of 1910-1912
Naked Lunch
15th century atlases
Little Black Sambo
Blueberries for Sal
A Handmaid's Tale, autographed

I could go on. And on. I won't. If you're in the Seattle area today, stop by and go on and on yourself. It's more than worth it. Bring your wallet. You'll, at the very least, be tempted to buy something. You might have to mortgage your house for that Gatsby book, though.
Seattle, antiquarian book fair
Best Books on Bibliomania
gentlemadness.jpg
Yesterday the Wall Street Journal posted an article on the five best books about book collecting. I think FB&C readers can easily guess who's at the top? Nick Basbanes, for A Gentle Madness! The article was written by Allison Hoover Bartlett, author of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much. She also chose titles by Larry McMurtry and Rick Gekoski. Check it out!

Nick has written several amazing books since then -- see them here, and here.
allison hoover bartlett, bibliomania, book collecting, gentle madness, larry mcmurtry, nicholas basbanes, rick gekoski, wall street journal
NYPL Selects New President
Anthony Marx, the president of Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, has confirmed to Bloomberg News that he will become the new president of the New York Public Library next year, succeeding Paul LeClerc, who has been at the helm since 1993. LeClerc announced his retirement last November, prompting a nationwide search to find a replacement. The appointment of Marx follows a long-standing precedent at the NYPL of turning to academe for its top leadership. LeClerc, a noted scholar of 18th-century French literature--and an enthusiastic collector of Voltaire in his own right--came to the job from the presidency of Hunter College, the largest institution of public learning in New York City. He succeeded the Reverend Timothy S. Healy, a native New Yorker who had previously been president of Georgetown University in Washington; Healy, in turn, had succeeded the historian Vartan Gregorian, former provost of the University of Pennsylvania, and later the president of Brown University. Given the increasing reliance on electronic resources, along with the evolving role of libraries as institutions in American cultural life, the selection of Marx to this premier position is particularly interesting, especially for the NYPL, which has assumed such an important role in public education in New York, not only through its 87 neighborhood branches, but at the extraordinary research centers it maintains in Manhattan. In an email to Bloomberg News confirming his appointment--which must still be approved by the library's board--Marx wrote that the NYPL is "New York City's preeminent education institution that is free and open to all." Also a New York native, Marx, 51, initiated a no-loan financial aid policy at Amherst that allows graduates to pursue careers without worrying about debt. Before assuming the presidency of the college eight years ago, he was a professor of political science at Columbia University, where he helped found Khanya College, a prep school in South Africa, and started the Columbia Urban Educators Program, which recruits and trains teachers. The New York Public Library budget exceeds $500 million a year, and last year had more than 18 million visitors. We wish Marx success in his new position, and LeClerc well in his retirement.
Anthony Marx, NYPL, New York Public Library, Paul LeClerc
October Auction Preview
October's book auction schedule is packed with interesting sales:
Ghoulish Gorey

October has arrived and with it, Edward Gorey. As an artist and illustrator, Gorey (1925-2000) is best known for his dark subjects, as seen in his many New Yorker cartoons and on PBS's series Mystery! (Some FB&C readers may also recall that he had a unique relationship with the famous Manhattan bookshop, Gotham Book Mart.) Whether you want to see some of his stunning work on exhibit or purchase something at auction, now is the time. Here are the gory details ….

On October 7, PBA Galleries in San Francisco will auction off the Henry Toledano Collection of Edward Gorey as part of its Fine Literature sale. In fact, what caught my eye when I saw this auction announcement was not Gorey, but Toledano, previously known to me as a fanatical collector of the Modern Library series (I have his ML price guide on my reference shelf.) There are approximately 110 lots in this section, one of which is seen here at left: a signed, hand-pulled collograph titled "Cat in Window, Observing a Night Moon," courtesy of PBA Galleries. This is one of only 40 prints, and its estimate is $1,200-1,800.

On October 14, Swann Galleries in New York has a section with about 50 lots devoted to Gorey in its 19th & 20th Century Literature, Art, Press & Illustrated sale. Lot #241 is perfect as Halloween nears. Edward Gorey's Dracula Poster Puzzle was created during a theater production of Dracula. A fun piece of Gorey ephemera, estimated at $200-300 (seen here at right, courtesy of Swann's.) 

I, for one, am in love with Gorey's tyrannical infant. The Beastly Baby by Ogdred Weary (seen here at left, courtesy of Swann Galleries) is the first book by Gorey's Fantod Press, 1962. One of 500 unnumbered copies, it is also signed by Gorey. The estimate is $400-600.

But even if you're not on the market, two current exhibits are highlighting Gorey's art. The Musings of Mystery and Alphabets of Agony: The Work of Edward Gorey runs through December 10 at the University of Hawaii's art gallery. The exhibit showcases selections from the collection of John A. Carollo, a dedicated Goreyphile for more than 35 years.

Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey at the Orlando Museum of Art runs, appropriately, through Halloween. It features 170 objects, including ink illustrations, preparatory sketches, unpublished drawings, and ephemera drawn from the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust.

art gallery, beastly baby, book auction, collograph, dracula poster, edward gorey, ephemera, fantod press, gorey charitable trust, gotham book mart, henry toledano, illustrator, john a. carollo, modern library, new yorker, orlando museum of art, pba galleries, pbs mystery, swann galleries, university of hawaii