One of the UK’s finest twentieth-century book illustrators and graphic designers, Barnett Freedman (1901-1958), is being celebrated at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, England. Barnett Freedman: Designs for Modern Britain in the first major exhibition of his life and work for sixty years.

Earlier this summer, we posted about a virtual exhibition and catalogue celebrating the 250th anniversary of a journey during which Joseph Banks discovered and documented 1,300 previously unknown botanical species, a project that would in time become the famous Florilegium.

In today’s “double feature,” bookseller Dr. Anke Timmermann of Type & Forme provides more context on Banks’ botanical work during the Endeavour voyage and discusses how he and his associates processed, described, and drew the plants in preparation for the engraving.  
 

Part II explores how two sets of craftsmen worked across two centuries to produce the Florilegium:

Our Bright Young Librarians series continues today with Seth James, Special Collections Manager at Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute, Indiana.

What is your role at your institution?

I am the Special Collections Manager at Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute Indiana.

How did you get started in special collections?

I first became seriously interested in Special Collections after college when I started exploring the world of book collecting. I had always collected books to an extreme degree, but my criteria for which books I would collect was purely based on whether I thought a book looked interesting. It wasn’t until I was working as an administrative assistant at a small public library that I really started investigating the world of rare books more closely. Aside from my administrative duties, I was to help sort through books that patrons had donated. One of the Friends of the Library volunteers who also sorted the donated materials was an avid book collector and he began “showing me the ropes” of identifying first edition books. Eventually this friend of mine gave me Bill McBride’s A Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions and from there I began digging deeper into identifying and collecting first edition works on my own. At the time I didn’t think I would be able to use this knowledge in any capacity outside of it being my hobby, but my book collector friend encouraged me to look into MLS programs with specialization tracks for Special Collections.

Where did you earn your MLS/advanced degree?

I received an MLS and an MA in history while enrolled in the dual master program at Indiana University, Bloomington. Upon arriving at IU I immediately began enrolling in all the Special Collections courses that I could. During this time I took many courses with Joel Silver while pursuing my MLS degree. Joel’s courses, as well as his willingness to endure my countless questions both in class and out, helped cultivate my growing love for Special Collections. Joel was also kind enough to be my advisor while I was at IU-Bloomington, and his patience and breadth of knowledge was an inspiration to me. I have especially fond memories of taking Joel’s Rare Book Bibliographies class which, in turn, is the cause of my obsession with bibliographies to this day.

In addition to my coursework at IU, I was also fortunate enough to work at the Lilly Library while pursuing my degrees. I first worked as a reading room attendant at the Lilly Library for several semesters, but then was given the opportunity to work as an assistant to the Head of Public Services, Rebecca Bauman. Under Rebecca’s supervision, I learned valuable skills and working knowledge that did much to prepare me for a career in Special Collections. In this job I helped staff members prepare for visiting classes, corresponded with researchers, and, probably most importantly, weekly helped to turn the page of the volume of Audubon’s The Birds of America that was displayed in the Lilly Library’s main exhibition hall. I attribute much of my success as a manager and a supervisor to Rebecca’s guidance and professional advice. I treasure my memories of working with Joel, Rebecca, and everyone else at the Lilly Library. Their enthusiasm for rare books and manuscripts, and passion for guarding and preserving these treasures inspired me then and continues to inspire me now.

Favorite rare book / ephemera that you've handled?

Although working at the Lilly Library allowed me to handle many incredible books and manuscripts, the Lilly Library’s 1543 edition of Andreas Vesalius’s De humani corporis fabrica is always at the top of my list. It was one of the first books I looked through when I started classes at Indiana University, and it was certainly one of the first that made my mouth drop open with awe. It’s a beautiful volume, with such lush and oftentimes bizarre illustrations, and a gorgeous vellum binding. There is so much to love about this book. Besides, I have a soft spot for woodcuts depicting cherubs engaging in dissections.

What do you personally collect?

For some time now I’ve been slowly collecting the Malay Edition works of Joseph Conrad. Although they are not particularly valuable, they’re beautiful books – particularly if one can find them complete with their dust covers. I’ve had limited success in finding them with their dust covers but it’s a work in progress. I also collect books on heraldry and historiography.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love to hike, read, listen to and play music. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns my spouse and I really threw ourselves into working on my garden. Not to brag, but my tomatoes are looking pretty great this year.

What excites you about special collections librarianship?

One of my favorite aspects of my job now is showing materials from our collection to visitors. I am always happy when our visitors get excited when they see, for instance, a first edition of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. But I really love it when they open up the book and see Hurston’s signature and it begins to dawn on them that this isn’t just a book – it’s a piece of living, breathing history. This moment wouldn’t happen, of course, if special collections librarians weren’t advocating for the relevance of their collections and institutions in the 21st century. I am encouraged to see special collections professionals advocating for their collections all the more, and showing that special collections has a significant place in the world of academic research and in education. It is also encouraging to see more and more professors, teachers, and members of the wider public start seeing the value in special collections. In addition, I am inspired by seeing special collection institutions embrace digital exhibitions and the digitization of materials for remote access. This shows that our profession can also reach those who, for whatever reason, might not be able to visit our institutions in person. In short, I am excited by how much special collections librarians are adapting to new challenges and showing, without a doubt, that they have much more to offer the people we serve.

Thoughts on the future of special collections librarianship?

Many other people have a better grasp on what might be in store for us as special collections professionals, but, as I mentioned before, I am only seeing more enthusiasm and interest from the public in what we do. I think that in our digitally saturated age, people often do yearn for the comfort of the physical object. That isn’t to say that the digital age hasn’t helped us in significant ways; social media has been an excellent tool for promoting our collections, and our digitized collections have been essential for researchers (especially during COVID-19).

I also believe that public libraries have a significant part to play in the future of special collections. I think it’s essential that special collections institutions show that their collections are relevant outside of the academic context, and public libraries are well-suited to do that. Our institutions preserve these materials for the education, enjoyment, and benefit of all, and I am proud of the unique role that public libraries can play in doing this.

All of which is to say, I think the future for special collections is bright, and I’m honored to be a part of that future.

Any unusual or interesting collection at your library you'd like to draw our attention to?

I am particularly proud of our collection of inscribed Zora Neale Hurston first editions, which are in beautiful condition. We also have a two volume set of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, in Latin and English, from 1724. We also have a 1669 edition of Ogilby’s Homer, which has been a big hit with our visiting classes from Indiana State University. We have many more rare books and manuscript collections worth of note, and I’m very glad that our library can be their home.

Any upcoming exhibitions at your library?

We are currently preparing an exhibition in honor of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. We will be drawing from our collections to highlight several important figures and organizations that were involved in the Women’s Suffrage movement in Indiana, including activist, author, and Terre Haute resident Ida Husted Harper.

Before we get to the upcoming sales, some notes from last week:

At the Sotheby's Books and Manuscripts: A Summer Miscellany sale, the revised final working typescript of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's, used as the setting copy, sold for £378,000, over estimates of £120,000–180,000. But it was an 1829 letter from Mary Anning to William Buckland which vastly exceeded expectations, selling for £100,800 over estimates just just £8,000–12,000! This is believed to be the first Mary Anning letter ever offered at auction.

A quiet week coming up in the salerooms, but with a trio of sales to keep an eye on, all happening Thursday, July 13:

Forum Auctions will sell Books and Works on Paper, in 258 lots. An 1854 Teesdale New General Atlas of the World rates the top estimate, at £1,000–1,500. A three-volume set of William Dampier's Voyages, mounted and heavily marked up in preparation for a new edition in the early nineteenth century, is estimated at £600-800. An album from around 1927 containing fifty pochoir-colored woodcut Sensu fan designs could also fetch £600–800. Papers and various materials from the children's book author Patricia Rubinstein (1915–2003) are estimated at £300–400.

At Swann Galleries, LGTBQ+ Art, Material Culture & History. The 293 lots include a set of photographer Duane Michals' sequence Narcissus (1985), one of 25 copies, estimated at $20,000–30,000. A sketchbook of early works by David Wojnarowicz (1954–1992), could sell for 10,000–15,000. Mark de Solla Price's collection of ephemeral material related to the gay nightlife of New York City in the 1980s is estimated at $5,000–7,5000. An Oscar Wilde note inviting "Ted" (perhaps Theodore Tilton) to dinner during his November 1882 visit to New York City could sell for $3,000–4,000.

Finally, at PBA Galleries, a sale of Publications of the Limited Editions Club, in 368 lots, most being sold without reserve. A huge range of LEC titles, so do have a browse if you're keen on them!

What was Oscar Wilde’s favorite amusement? “Writing sonnets and reading.” Favorite occupation? “Reading my own sonnets.” Aim in life? “Success: fame or even notoriety.”

In 1877, while still a student at Oxford, Wilde penned these revealing responses within the pages of a Mental Photographs album, a bound journal that one would hand around to friends to elicit their “confessions of tastes, habits and convictions.” Alongside his pasted-in carte-de-visite, Wilde answered thirty-nine of the forty questions (apparently he did not wish to share his motto) and signed his full name, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde. At auction in London earlier this week, the volume sold for £47,880 (about $62,000).

His favorite poetess? Sappho—and his mother, Lady Wilde. His idea of happiness? “Absolute power over men’s minds, even if accompanied by chronic toothache.”

“Wilde’s responses sparkle with the author’s characteristic ebullience and many are perfect Wildean epigrams. Knowing what we do about Wilde’s sharp wit and lofty world-view, his replies are exactly what one would expect to see from this bold intellectual young writer, still in his early twenties but already experiencing his first taste of fame. This questionnaire — likely filled in for an admiring fan — freezes the young Oscar in a moment in time, but also provides a chilling prophecy of what was to come,” said Sotheby’s director and senior specialist in the department of printed books and manuscripts, Dr. Philip Errington.   

Back in our summer 2016 issue, we took a look at the mid-nineteenth-century Mental Photographs fad and how it evinced the tastes of the day. Even Frederick Engels played the bourgeoisie parlor game, and Mark Twain provided flippant replies when asked to fill one out. "These questions are so arranged as to ferret out the most secret points of a man's nature without his ever noticing what the idea is until it is all done and his 'character' gone for ever,” noted Twain. (Sounds like those ubiquitous questionnaires that circulate on Facebook.)

The album was offered amongst a collection of Wilde first editions from the collection of actor and director Steven Berkoff, a.k.a. General Orlov in 1983’s Bond classic, Octopussy.

In March 1994, Neutrogena CEO Lloyd Cotsen's massive trove of children's literature arrived at its new residence at Princeton University's Cotsen Children's Library. Part of the donation agreement included the publication of a printed catalogue. After three 18-wheelers deposited more than 120,000 items at the campus, that massive task began taking shape.

Volumes 1 and 2 appeared in 2000 and 2003, respectively, describing the 12,000+ books hailing from the twentieth century, and just last year work was completed on the two-volume set covering the nineteenth century.

Now, with the recent publication of the two-volume set exploring the pre-1801 imprints, Cotsen's promise is fulfilled. 

Just as with the previous catalogues, these offer book historians ample opportunity to understand how children were taught to read as well as offer a sense of the world of children in the eighteenth century. Over 1,300 detailed entries are found herein, meticulously demonstrating the gradual progression towards the notion that a children's book can be both instructive and engaging. 

Once again, Mark Argetsinger designed the books to perfection, here bound in blue Japanese cloth and graced on the front covers by gold stamp decoration. This two-volume set may be purchased for $125 from Oak Knoll Press.

An index covering all 20,082 entries is slated for publication in 2021. Bibliography is a marathon, not a sprint, but the results are very much worth the patience and effort.

Ken Sanders has been buying and selling rare books for more than fifty years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has put his Salt Lake City book shop in jeopardy and so he is reaching out to his supporters for financial help. A GoFundMe page that launched last week has already surpassed $100,000 of its $250,000 goal. It’s heartening to see that the list of donors is filled with fellow booksellers, a sure sign of the esteem in which Ken is held in the trade. (Says one bookseller: “Ken needs help—that’s all I need to know.”)

For those who don’t know, Ken Sanders Rare Books carries new, used, and rare books and specializes in Utah, Mormon, Native American, and Western history. Ken has always been passionate about alternative voices, and his store has hosted thousands of literary events. Plus, speaking from personal experience, he is just a really nice human.   

In the short video posted below, Ken’s friends explain why it’s important to donate now. Author Terry Tempest Williams says, “Ken needs our help in the ways that Ken has always helped us. Whether it’s placing a beloved book in our hands, [or] whether it’s listening to him as a raconteur talking about stories of our literary history.”

While curators are scrambling to get shows back into exhibition spaces, a new project encouraging readers to get to know some of the book treasures in England’s libraries in East Anglia has launched online.

Discover Historic Books was put together during UK lockdown this year by the team behind the Unlocking The Archive project, a collaboration between the University of East Anglia (UEA), the National Trust's Blickling Estate property, and Norfolk Library and Information Service.

Visitors to the website can explore ancient books such as Daniel Heinsius’ 1629 In Praise of the Ass (Laus asini) and A History of Lapland by John Scheffer (1674) using interactive hotpoints to explain the text and all the nuts and bolts of the physical books, from Renaissance typefaces to yapp edges and printers’ marks.