<i>In The News:</i> The Political Leanings of Rare Book Users, Borders Enters E-Book Market
- by Michael Stillman
Borders is selling Sony's e-reader.
By Michael Stillman
An organization known as the Primary Research Group recently took a look at the political leanings of university faculty who use rare book rooms or historic document collections. The results were surprising, or at least counterintuitive. One might expect more conservative faculty to be using these more traditional resources, while the liberal members would be focused on modern, higher technology sources. Instead, when faculty of various political leanings were asked whether they had used rare book and document collections in the past three years, the following percentages of each group responded affirmatively:
Left of liberal: 18%
Liberal: 12%
Middle of the Road: 10.5%
Conservative: 5.15%
Right of Conservative: 0%
Why does usage of historic collections break out this way and what does it mean? I'd be glad to hear any explanations, as I have no idea. It might be a bit troubling to rare book librarians that the group one might expect to form a base of support for traditional resources seems to make so little use of their services. Perhaps the overall numbers may be even more telling. Apparently, only around 10% of faculty has made use of these facilities at all during the past 3 years. I would assume the percentages are much higher for using computer resources, or the campus coffee shop for that matter. In days of limited budgets, facilities with a small amount of use are likely to be most at risk.
That risk was recently displayed at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library in Ohio. A total of 17 library staff members have opted for early retirement as the system pares its budget. The workers had been at the library between 19 and 43 years, most 30+. Included was Mike Lora, curator of the rare books collection.
America' second leading bookstore chain, Borders Group, announced that it was jumping into the e-book business through a newly formed supplier, Kobo. Kobo was recently spun off by Canada's largest book retailer, Indigo Books and Music. Indigo retains a 58% stake in the new company. Readers will be able to access 2 million titles available from Kobo through the Borders website. In a news release, Borders CEO Ron Marshall was quoted as saying, "As retailers who welcome thousands to our bookstores each day, Indigo and Borders share a belief that the future of bookselling will include both bricks and mortar and digital options." He also commented, "Borders is pleased to join with other investors who share Kobo's vision for any book on any device." "Any device" is an interesting comment, as both bookselling leader Amazon and top retail chain Barnes and Noble have introduced their own electronic readers. Borders is not designing such a device but rather is selling Sony readers in their stores.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
