FB&C 's Top Ten Stories of 2022

Courtesy of V.M. Braganza

The coded monogram of English author Lady Mary Wroth. 

As the year comes to a close, we like to look back on the stories that particularly appealed to our readers, a list that includes Bob Dylan, bookish cookies, and sea monsters — go figure!

#1 How to Catalogue Your Personal Library, aka an updated list of software and apps recommended by our staff and readers.

#2 Bob Dylan in 7 Songs: A new biography examines the Nobel Prize winner through seven iconic songs.

#3 17th-Century Monogrammed Binding Reveals Secrets (pictured above). This is the super cool tale of a Harvard PhD student who uncovered and decoded a binding belonging to Lady Mary Wroth.

#4 Bright Young Booksellers: Oliver Darkshire: An interview with the man behind the beloved Sotheran’s Twitter feed and author of the recent memoir, Once Upon a Tome.   

#5 Book Cookies! Shakespeare scholar Ella Hawkins makes amazing cookies inspired by medieval manuscripts and Jane Austen.

#6 Thoughts on Ethics and Online Book Buying with the Independent Online Booksellers’ Association (IOBA).

#7 Newton Hiding in Plain Sight: A second edition of Sir Isaac Newton’s Opticks had been in a private collection for two decades before anyone realized it had once belonged to the author.

#8 Sea Monster Maps! Check out the enchanting maps of Swedish cartographer Olaus Magnus.

#9 Hello, Bookstore: A sweet documentary about a bookshop in Lenox, Massachusetts, was just what we needed post-pandemic.

#10 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair Highlights, including a first edition of Women and Their Bodies and a fancy set of Dickens.    

What was popular last year? See 2021’s top posts.