In another pandemic-era example that makes a compelling case for broadband to one day be reclassified as a utility, the Boston Athenæum has reformatted its spring and early summer in-person events for a stay-at-home audience. A full slate of talks originally intended to be held at the Athenæum's Edward Clarke Cabot-designed enclave at 10 1/2 Beacon Street have migrated online, where they're open to the public and free of charge.

Pre-pandemic, Athenæum staff were already considering ways to expand its reach. According to John Buchtel, curator of rare books and head of special collections, the forced physical closures allowed the library to wholeheartedly embrace the digital transition. "We were delighted to be able to pivot from in-person to online presentations," he said.

And pivot they have: from now until mid-June, the Athenæum is offering a range of online programs, from a conversation with the chief conservator about caring for the library's bibliographic treasures to a live reading by Caldecott winner Christopher Bing of Henry Longfellow's "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Most tantalizing, perhaps, is the series of talks dubbed "Curator's Choice," which highlight the library's various holdings. Buchtel said that these talks are a natural segue for the Athenæum's curators to share their knowledge with the public. "Having finished putting a new curatorial team in place shortly before cultural institutions had to shut down, we were already thinking about ways to expand our offerings that focus on our fascination with various aspects of material and visual culture," he explained.

So far, four virtual lectures are on tap: assistant curator Christina Michelon's examination of Little Nell, a sculpture by Robert Ball Hughes depicting a character in Dickens's Old Curiosity Shop on May 19; a discussion of artist Florine Stettheimer's still life, The White Curtains, led by assistant curator Ginny Badgett on May 26; John Buchtel's leafy survey of the Athenæum's rare dendrological holdings on June 2; and Theo Tyson curates (Anti)SUFFRAGE, presenting thirteen rare books, broadsides, paintings, photographs, and other items in celebration and commemoration of PRIDE month on June 9. The full list of events and how to register may be found on the Athenæum website.

The Athenæum's shift to online programming has been met with strong public response, and Buchtel envisions a post-Covid future for the institution that will incorporate the best of the digital and physical realms. "While we all believe strongly that images on a screen never fully substitute for experiencing physical books and artwork in person, we have been very pleased with the response to our new series," said Buchtel. "We plan to continue to explore innovative ways to provide virtual points of entry to our collections even after we are able to welcome visitors back into the Athenæum."

For internauts interested in seeing a sample of these presentations, the Athenæum kindly provided Fine Books with the complete video of Buchtel's April 27 talk on artist Leslie Gerry's Venice Reflections. 

The antiquarian book trade has been adapting to the Internet since Amazon launched its business in 1995, but the COVID-19 crisis has pushed everyone to reconsider their business model and get (even more) creative in their approach to bookselling. This has become apparent with booksellers, fair organizers, and auction houses.

The latest catalogue from Jonkers Rare Books is a perfect example of using one’s time wisely, as schoolteachers used to say. The topic is poetry in English from Chaucer to Plath, including an incredible collection of Philip Larkin’s correspondence with fellow poet Norman Iles (pictured above). However, instead of the downloadable PDF we’ve all come to expect via email these days, Jonkers has delivered something extra-special. They’ve built in interactive browsing tools: you can scroll through multiples images of each book without leaving the page, and each item description displays two buttons—one for ordering, another for asking a question. They’ve also managed to embed into the catalogue recordings of poets reading their work, so you can, for example, listen to T.S. Eliot reading from “The Waste Land" while perusing a limited edition of said title printed at the Officina Bodoni for Faber & Faber in 1961. And all this clicking around is seamless. Bravo!

Book fair organizers are also scrambling with this kind of challenge, i.e., how to host a virtual book fair with some panache, as they plan the next few months’ worth of events. So far, May and early June dates have been announced for the IOBA Virtual Rare Book Fair, Firsts-London’s Rare Book Fair (Online), the ABAA Virtual Book Fair, and the Rose City Virtual Book & Paper Fair, which is planning “virtual booths.” Marvin Getman is also in the planning stages for virtual fairs, having surveyed booksellers to solicit ideas for how best to accomplish this; to that end, he has hired a web developer and a designer to try to make the experience “as close as possible to visiting a physical fair.” It will be interesting to see what all of the organizers come up with!

Auction houses, for their part, have long been holding their auctions with complementary online bidding. Still, the days between mid-March and early May were eerily quiet as small, mid-size, and large houses had to re-envision their events. But things are beginning to rebound a bit, and we’re seeing houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s arrange major book sales to be held entirely online instead of being pushed off to later in the year. The idea of week-long curated sales with several hundred lots, while not new, seems like a good tactic for the time, namely Hindman Auctions’ week of Fine Art & Design auctions beginning May 19 and Christie’s “Classic Week,” which will run June 2-19.    

For more on how COVID-19 is affecting the trade, read about/watch last month’s ILAB webinar.

There are many novels about bookshops, rather fewer about collectors of rare books, and almost none about book design. This final category has now been bulked out a little with Death of a Typographer by Nick Gadd (published by Arden), a playful crime thriller about the world of typography.  

Set largely in Melbourne, Australia, but with sidesteps to Nepal, Peru, London, Naples, and Amsterdam, the plot revolves around the murder of a printer and the murky search for the perfect typeface.

All detectives have their quirks and the man of the moment here has a particularly unusual one. Martin Kern is a graphic designer with a specially heightened awareness of the typography around him – he avoids certain cafés because of their menu typesetting and takes the long way round rather than come face to face with shop signs of dubious typographic quality which make him queasy.

As a sideline, Kern helps the police solve crimes by deciphering typographical clues. Here, the key character is a fabled Dutch designer, Pieter van Floogstraten, who suddenly disappeared decades ago but appears to be emerging again as do examples of his perfect font…

If you enjoy the humorous adventures of Jasper Fforde’s literary detective Thursday Next, then this is certainly one for you – a friend of Kern’s has a young daughter called Pica, we meet a racehorse called Running Cursive, and Helvetica comes in for a hammering. Kern enlists the help of ‘typeshoe’ private investigator, and is obliged to make contact with the Dark Type underground, a collection of font anarchists, urban type guerrillas, swash junkies, glphy hackers, psychotyprographers, punk calligraphers, cryptosymbolists, and anarcho-punctuationists.

As you might expect, there’s an excellent note on type at the end of the book.

We haven’t done a proper catalogue review for some time, but the relevancy and winking good cheer of “Discombobulation: or Musings on Life in Lockdown,” a collaborative catalogue presented by UK book dealers Deborah Coltham, Amanda Hall, and Susanne Schulz-Falster, is hard to pass up. As Coltham wrote by email, this catalogue "tries to capture some of the principal preoccupations facing us all at the moment. In these confusing and unsettling times as we are slowly getting used to social distancing, and new routines, the various social media memes, gifs, and videos circulating globally are inevitably focusing upon certain themes. First and foremost the great skill, fortitude, and selflessness of those in public health treating and caring for the sick and vulnerable; secondly how we are all taking time for reflection & self improvement (i.e. finally taking up that hobby we have long talked about, or reaching for a favourite book); home entertainment (be it gardening, playing games, or just letting it all hang loose); well-being & fitness (i.e. trying not to over-indulge); and finally the big question of the day - quite what does the future hold?”

I thought it might be fun to highlight one item from each of the catalogue’s five sections.

Part I covers 'Public Health,' where we find items related to the nursing profession, confined housing, and maritime quarantine regulations, but my personal favorite is an 1872 manuscript court summons for Elizabeth Ainsworth of Leek, England, whose bedroom was “so foul filthy as to be a nuisance and injurious to health.” Surely anyone with teenagers or roommates during the current lockdown can sympathize. 

Our Bright Young Collectors series continues today with Tristan Galloway, of Nampa, Idaho, who focuses in particular on military manuals from 1804 to WWII.

Where are you from / where do you live?

I was born in Nampa, Idaho, and currently live in Nampa, Idaho. Fortunately, I was able to escape for a few years in my 20s. That experience made me appreciate home even more.

What did you study at University?

Growing up I wanted to be a history professor but decided to keep history as a hobby. I ultimately got a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry (Pre-Med) at Northwest Nazarene University and got my DDS from the University of Southern California.

What do you do now for an occupation?

I currently practice general dentistry and have two smaller side businesses for fun.

Please introduce us to your book collection.  What areas do you collect in? 

Man, where do I start? It pains me to say I have many books in boxes, waiting for the day they can be properly shelved. My interests are eclectic and range from contemporary mysteries and thrillers to military records. The highlight is my collection of military manuals. They span from 1804 to WWII. It is fascinating to see the evolution of tactics and protocols throughout the decades.

How many books are in your collection?

I probably have several thousand books in my collection. These range from novels to reference books to historical texts. Unfortunately, some of them live in storage containers at the moment. Probably 50 or so that are strictly military manuals...almost all of them are pre-1898.

What was the first book you bought for your collection?

My first book that falls in line with collecting interests was an unabridged copy of Robinson Crusoe. It was undated, but just inside the cover someone wrote, "To Johnny, Christmas 1900." Prior to reading this edition, I didn't realize there was so much more to the story of Robinson Crusoe and his companion, Friday.

For my military manual collection, not the first, but close to it was an 1804 British manual. These British and French manuals were the precursors to our American manuals...some of our first were French translations into English.

How about the most recent book?

I recently purchased a near mint 1868 edition of Upton's Infantry Tactics manual. Upton's was the primary infantry manual used just post-Civil War through the 1890s. Emory Upton developed these tactics at the tail-end of the Civil War that became the precursor to WWI and WWII infantry maneuvers.

And your favorite book in your collection?

My most poignant book is an 1862 copy of The Field Manual of Evolutions of the Line (military manual) owned by Major Andrew Barney. Maj. Barney was carrying this book when he was killed during the 2nd Battle of Bull Run (Manassas). This is evidenced by the blood-stained cover. It's a very poignant piece that reminds me of the many personal sacrifices made by our forefathers.

Best bargain you’ve found?

I was gifted an 1858 copy of Hutchings' Illustrated California Magazine. This magazine was printed for 5 years in San Francisco and was influential in inducing mass migration to California. Interestingly enough, the inside cover is named to Studebaker -- one of the famed Studebaker brothers.

How about The One that Got Away?

I had a friend offer me the complete military records of the Civil War (both Union and Confederate). He shipped the books in two boxes. One box literally "Got Away." I only received the shipping label shoved in my mailbox. It was cleanly cut with a box knife. Someone along the box's journey removed the label and kept the box and contents.

What would be the Holy Grail for your collection?

I'm on the hunt for more Civil War-era Confederate-printed military manuals. I currently own two and rarely see any others for sale.

Who is your favorite bookseller / bookstore?

As a kid, I spent countless hours in a local bookstore called Twice Sold Tales. I'd spend hours of my youth hunting through the shelves and stacks of books. Unfortunately, the bookstore closed its doors a few years ago.

What would you collect if you didn’t collect books?

As stated prior, I am a pretty eclectic individual. I have a literal museum in my house. I focus on US military history and material culture. The majority of my collection spans from 1861-1918, but I have a fair number of WWII-current items as well. I really have an affinity for uniform pieces and other cloth items. It amazes me how some things have lasted through the ages. The oddest cloth item I own is an identified pair of soldier-identified linen drawers (underwear). I'm a firm believer is displaying, sharing, and educating others with tangible history. Being able to hold and care for artifacts brings the past to life.

An exhibition at Yale’s Lillian Goldman Law Library, now online for virtual viewing, exposes readers who took the law into their own hands, literally. The exhibition, titled "Precedents So Scrawl'd and Blurr'd: Readers' Marks in Law Books," opened briefly in early March but like just about everything else, had to close due to the Covid-19 lockdown. It presents thirty-nine volume spanning seven centuries and three continents, offering a look at the role law books played in readers' lives as evidenced by the copious marginalia and manicules they left behind.

“The marks left by readers document the lived experience of the law, and remind us that law is above all a human endeavor. The exhibition is the latest in a series that examine law books as physical artifacts, and the relationships between their form and content,” said Mike Widener, rare book librarian and lecturer in legal research at Yale Law School. The exhibition's title comes from John Anstey's verse satire of the legal profession, "The Pleader's Guide" (1796): "Precedents so scrawl’d and blurr’d / I scarce could read one single word…”

A few auctions to keep an eye on:

University Archives holds a 261-lot sale of Rare Books, Manuscripts & Relics, Forbes Collection Part II, Kerouac Estate Part III on Wednesday, May 6. A manuscript copy of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" is estimated at $75,000–85,000. A signed Abraham Lincoln CDV, taken by Alexander Gardner on August 9, 1863, could sell for $55,000–60,000. A Vladimir Lenin postcard written during his exile in Berlin is estimated at $50,000–60,000, while a 1929 Einstein letter about unified field theory is expected to fetch $40,000–45,000. Also up for grabs, Jack Kerouac's last mailbox ($1,000–1,200) or his panama hat ($300–400).

On Thursday, May 7, Books and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions, in 301 lots. A thirteen-volume set of the Bibliotheca Heberiana, mostly in the original boards, is estimated at £600–800, as is a pencil drawing of a fisherman sitting on a log, in the manner of John Constable. A 1759 Cambridge Book of Common Prayer with the cipher of George II on the binding could sell for £400-600.

Also on Thursday, Printed & Manuscript African-Americana at Swann Galleries. The 400 lots include a small collection of papers and photographs relating to the family of Dora Stephens, born enslaved to Alexander Hamilton Stephens, who served as VP of the Confederate states ($25,000–35,000). A 1794 German-American antislavery broadside is estimated at $12,000–18,000. An early printing of the Emancipation Proclamation could sell for $10,000–15,000.

At Freeman's on Thursday, The P.G. Wodehouse Collection of William Toplis, in 191 lots. See Rebecca's preview of this sale from last week. The corrected typescript of Do Butlers Burgle Banks? rates the top estimate, at $5,000–8,000. Four volumes of Wodehouse's personal scrapbooks could sell for $3,000–5,000, as could the first English edition of Big Money in the rare first-state jacket.

Last but not least on Thursday, PBA Galleries will sell Americana – Travel & Exploration – World History – Cartography, in 412 lots. A couple 35-volume set of the Encyclopédie (1751–1780), shares the top estimate of $20,000–30,000 with an album of 1880s photographic views of San Francisco and Yosemite. A 1587 Ortelius world map could sell for $8,000–12,000. Lots 367–412 are being sold without reserve.