Rare Book Monthly « February

Sales at Auction Had a Very Big Year in 2024

The number of books and paper collectibles sold at auction was up significantly in 2024. The number of dollars generated was up even more, the result of a combination of more lots being sold and the average sale price going up. This represents a change from last year. In 2023, the number of lots sold also increased, but the average price dropped so much that the total dollars generated took a dive. In 2024, the rebound made up for last year's decline and more. Here are the numbers. For 2024, 712,773 lots were offered at the auctions we are able to trace. That represents an 8.15% increas...

Lessons at Swann - Not all lots are equal

I purchased three lots at Swann Galleries this past November. Their common denominators were (1) they related to the mid-Hudson Valley (of New York State), and (2) they were archival in their app...

LA Wildfires Destroy Important Archives, Libraries, Historic Sites & Cultural Resources

The catastrophic LA wildfires began on January 7th with the "Palisades Fire" igniting near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and have continued to spread loss and destruction in their path. Accord...

E. Allen Ahearn has Slipped Away

E. Allen Ahearn of Quill Brush passed away January 5th. The price you pay to live is to accept your life will end. Americana Exchange and more recently Rare Book Hub were projects that interested...

The California Historical Society Bows to Reality

The California Historical Society has agreed to transfer their 600,000 item collection to Stanford University. The issue was lack of permanent funding. They had a deep, complex and fascinating co...

Deborah Parker’s “Becoming Belle da Costa Greene” Gives Us a Look at Pierpont Morgan's Amazing Librarian

“Behind the curtain of my mind!”: on Deborah Parker’s “Becoming Belle da Costa Greene: A Visionary Librarian through her Letters”, Florence: I Tatti, 2024The Library World knows Belle da Costa Gre...

An Amazing Collection of Letters from Famous Persons of the Nineteenth Century and Earlier Discovered in English Manor House

An amazing collection of personal letters from the rich and famous was recently discovered in a manor house now owned by the British National Trust. In a story reported by The Guardian, it was reve...

Tropic Bound, the International Biennial Artists' Book Fair, Will Take Place in Miami February 6-9

There are the books arts, books as art, art books, artist's books... Those two words have long had a love affair. Their intersection will be found in Miami from February 6-9. That's when Tropic Bou...

Babel in Périgueux, France—a New Rare Book Oasis!

A new antiquarian bookshop in town is always good news! Let’s visit Babel, the new oasis in the arid heart of the ancient city of Périgueux, France. Périgueux, in the South of France, is a histori...

Dr. Jason Silverman Named New Executive Director of Manuscript Society

Jason H. Silverman, PhD, has been named the new Executive Director of the Manuscript Society according to a Jan. 15th announcement by the Board of Trustees. Dr. Silverman, an award-winning teacher ...

Your Chatbot May Be Using Illegally Pirated Books to Answer Your Questions

A battle is brewing between an ancient source of information, the book and its authors, versus a new invention, the chatbot and its developers. The chatbot is a program that can answer whatever que...

Collecting Insights by Spencer W. Stuart

Here is one of the best ways to learn how to build a collection. The old norm was to blunder in the dark and overpay for several years. Spencer Stuart takes the pain out of becoming educated. ...

Two More Arrests Made in European Library Thefts

Two more arrests have been made in the European country of Georgia in the massive library theft ring that stole books from libraries in nine countries. At least 170 books were stolen. At the time, ...

Rare Books San Francisco is Back Home: February 1-2. Join Us!

Extra Extra, Read All About It! Rare Books San Francisco returns on February 1-2, 2025 and brings with it a Regency era flare in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of revered Eng...

Join us today or tomorrow at the SF Book Fair: February 1-2

Join us today or Tomorrow at the SF Book Fair: February 1-2 Book Fairs are the life blood for many dealers. Because the ABAA Fair at the Pasadena was cancelled because of fire risk, many deale...

Two New Catalogues Reviewed

This month we review two new bookseller catalogues. The William Reese Company has issued its first catalogue published exclusively by its new owners, James Cummins Bookseller and Peter Harrington. ...