Paul Saenger, George A. Poole III Curator of Rare Books and Collection Development Librarian of the Newberry wrote “Ken is an iconic figure among book dealers. At once, he embodies the highest of ethical standards, bibliographical integrity, and great scholarly acumen, all combined with exemplary human decency. Over the decades, his concern for nurturing the careers of young curators (Bob Karrow and Jim Akerman among them) has made him a remarkably effective Newberry trustee.”
In his professional career he founded some and joined other organizations and boards, the Phillip Society of the Library of Congress he founded with Eric Wolf, the Imago Mundi Society in London he served as president, the University of Chicago as board member, and Adler Planetarium and Science Museum as board member and its chairman, his eye and discernment setting him apart, his views and opinions important. What he thought mattered. Even today, four years beyond where Fulton J. Sheen said life begins he continues on the Board of the Newberry Library, one of the premier repositories of the history of the printed word.
He has also been a prolific writer and the 356 copies bearing his name – works currently on Abe - testify to this. Many are his book and map catalogues from the 1960s and 70s. Others are copies of the eight books he has authored and co-authored, many of them translated into German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.
They include:
Bibliography of Printed Battle Plans of the American Revolution, 1775-95
A Stone Thrown at the Map Maker
Atlas of the American Revolution / Map Selection and Commentary with Don Higginbotham
Maps of the Bible Lands: Images of Terra Sancta Through Two Millennia
Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond: 2,000 Years of Exploring the East
Maps from the Age of Discovery: Columbus to Mercator
Atlas of Columbus and the Great Discoveries: Celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Discovery of America
Maps of the Holy Land
