Richard C. Ramer: He'll be missed

Richard C. Ramer passed away on January 31st, 2026. He was a long-time member of the Americana Exchange and Rare Book Hub. Working in a field that was very tradition-bound, he was unusually open to new ways to find fresh information.

I first encountered him during the 1990’s, as I was building a collection focusing on the earliest material relating to the New World. His knowledge was uniquely accessible, helping me to understand how to build the De Orbe Novo Collection (1492-1625) of books and manuscripts that I sold with Bloomsbury in 2009. His focus on Portuguese material was very helpful.

He was admitted to membership in the ABAA in 1975. In 1978 he joined the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association (ABA) in the United Kingdom. He joined the Grolier Club in 1988.

I published an article in February 2019 in Rare Book Monthly about his 50th Anniversary catalogue. His catalogue was marvelous. Aside that, it became clear he was enormously proud of his family. His business was their business too. The images in that story captured his spirit. Here’s a link to it. It's a nice way to remember his life in books. https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2553

Over the ensuing years I would look for him at the New York book fairs. He reflected sincere interest in the future of the field.

He will be missed.