Lux Mentis, Lux Orbis...rare books, random musings

Boston ABAA Book Fair just around the corner...

2009-11-05T12:37:00.003-05:00

Just a quick reminder that the Boston ABAA Book Fair is November 13-15. TheShadow Show will be on the 14th. It is going to be a great biblio-weekend in Boston.

We'll be bringing our usual broad swath of fine press and bindings to unusual esoterica. I've had some amazing new material arrive and look forward to debuting it in a week (e.g. early costume; maritime exploration; woodcut; art bindings).

I'm also pleased to bring the printer's proof of the broadside that led to the charges against [and conviction of] Benedict Arnold, with handwritten corrections in the hand of Timothy Matlack (all changes are reflected in the one known copy, in the collection of the MA Historical Society).

It should be a great weekend. If you know you can attend, please let me know...I've still a few passes left.

Fine Books and Collections Magazine's first Annual announced.

2009-10-23T09:49:00.002-05:00

I'm pleased to announce the debut of the "2010 Fine Books Compedium & Bookseller Directory":

This delightful guide to fine books features writing from Nicholas Basbanes, Scott Brown, Erica Olsen, Derek Hayes, Ian McKay, and many others. Stories include coverage of the Grolier Club conference on the future of the book trade; million dollar books; magazine collecting; collecting in Norway; fine maps; fine presses; and much more.

Also included is the 2010 Gift Guide for the book minded and the 2010 Bookseller Resource Guide, a listing of more than 700 bookstores and book-related institutions worldwide.

As most of you know, FB&C ceased their usual print issues and went digital only about a year ago. They have, quite brilliantly, decided to issue an annual print volume that will put most of the annual digital content into ink on paper in a lovely, shelvable, volume. I encourage you to reward this decision by purchasing a copy.

Two great blogs here in Portland (and a new book shop)...

2009-10-21T20:13:00.003-05:00

I offer for your amusement and enjoyment two great new(ish) blogs. The first is

The Green Hand - Specializing in horror, mystery, and esoterica...best of all, just across the lane from Nancy. We're heading to a nice biblio-density level here on the West End. In Michelle's own words:

Hello everyone! It's official -- The Green Hand bookshop has secured its new shopfront space at 661 Congress Street, across Longfellow Square from our friend Nancy at Cunningham Books, and across the street from our compatriots in cultural intrigue, The Fun Box Monster Emporium and Coast City Comics.

Not only will we strive to provide a pleasant atmosphere and an ever-intriguing book selection, but also we are bringing into the fold the inimitable Loren Coleman's own International Cryptozoology Museum.

The other is the quite excellent foodie blog, "Portland Food Coma". It is not your usual food blog. Irreverent, debauched and...well...sometimes patently offensive (you are warned re the bacon cross tattoo-and/or the horror below it). All this notwithstanding, perhaps because of it, it is one of the great reads on and about food. Enjoy.

Final day of my two week(ish) journey...and more books

2009-10-18T23:40:00.002-05:00

We started the day at the MARIAB Northampton Book. I arrived at just about 10 am and the place was pleasingly busy. There were a good number of dealers present...pretty much the same as past years...with some fresh blood stepping into a handful of empty slots.

I saw a handful of things I'd have liked to secure, but few things that really jumped out at me. this was, most likely, the result of too much buying in the days previous and possibly my lack of sleep. I did manage to see a number of the dealers I really look forward to seeing at this fair.

Lisa found a few interesting things. I caught up with Forest Proper and others and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I had a number of people ask why I was not doing this fair...I told them the truth: that I just can't bring myself to do fairs where I spend more time setting up my booth than the fair is open (my issue, not the fair's). On the other hand, I had a nice compliment in that one dealer told me that someone had asked if I was at the showl. As an added bonus, I had a quick nice chat with Thurston Moore (founder of Sonic Youth and, pleasingly, a collector).

We left the fair in mid-afternoon and ran a few errands and picked up a very quick bite to eat. The errands gave me a chance ot stop in at Raven Used books. Interesting shop...a lot of new material, very aggressively price.

We then headed over to Art Larson's wonderful Horton Tank Graphics. Three of the images are from Art's. The first

is an amazing type case...both for its overall size and condition, but also as it came with complete sets of early woodblock type.

Art showed us his various presses (one included tot he side). It is pretty wonderful to think that some of Leonard Baskin's greatest books came off these press.

We spent a bit of time talking about printing and coloring techniques and Art showed us some raw pigment used to create some of the wonderful colors that come off his presses. Show here are Azure and Malachite in raw form. Very cool. Art also gave us a tour of Wild Carrot Press (downstairs).

After that Lucretia and I went back to the house and regrouped for a few minutes (might have looked at a few

books. We joined Lisa for dinner at the Great

Wall (remember, White Menu for the Good Stuff).

We headed back to the house and settled in for the night. More books. This time, Lisa took me (us) on a whirlwind tour that touched bindings (publishers and fine), girl books, early books and just wonderful things in interesting stories. Lisa is everything I love in a passionate book lover--she can pull any book of the shelf (and there are 10s of thousands) and tell you what the book is, where she bought it and why it is special. It would be impossible to avoid becoming excited looking at books with her...even were they were not exceptional examples (or associations, etc). It is a simply remarkable collection in many different ways.

It is late and we have to be on the road reasonably early to get back to Portland. More to follow as I begin to be able to process this adventure...

How to spend a great day (or two) in the Northampton area (before a book fair)

2009-10-18T00:55:00.003-05:00

Stage Three of my epic fall journey began as soon as I arrived back in Portland. Having survived, barely, the Seattle to Maryland trip, I spent a few days doing things in the MD area and visiting my in-laws. Fun was had by all. We left on Thursday, arriving back in Portland at about 430pm or so.Lucretia picked us up at the airport and brought us to the house where we unloaded, I gazed longingly at my bed while repacking and then we (just LB and I, The Suz had conflicting obligations) were off to the Northampton area for the weekend.

The principle reason for the journey is the annual MARIAB book fair in Northampton. That said, it was the invitation to attend the opening of The Clark exhibit of "Raven and Crow" (Manet/Poe & Baskin/Hughes) and stay with Lisa and Lucretia that forced me to forgo my own bed (and other plans) for another weekend away. Friday saw us spend most of the day at the Clark. It is a small and wonderful exhibit at a gem of a museum in the middle of pretty much no where [N.B. the founders of The Clark sited it (in the early 1950s) where it is found because it was the least likely to be nuked there]. We spend the late afternoon and evening at the house/shop of Second Life Books...great conversation, great books and (later) a nice Indian dinner together.

We woke at a reasonable hour on Saturday and had a nice breakfast (Lucretia brought down some smoked salmon and I sautéed some with onion and eggs...the other highpoint being Lisa's insanely good blueberry jam). I had a tour of the print shop and studio in the morning and then we hit the road. After a quick stop at an antique shop, we visited Michael Kuch (Double Elephant Press) in his newly build print shop. We had a very nice visit, most of which revolved around him pandering to my desire to look at his simply exceptional work (including his newest and his next). Images of his books do not come close to doing them justice. I am really looking forward to seeing more (and seeing what he does over the next few years and decades).

We left Michael and his family (and Hosie and several of his) to explore Troubadour Books. TB is a general stock shop...but with genuine flair, taste, and quality. It is rather well organized, the books are in generally great condition and the subject matter is legion. I picked up interesting things from erotica to drug culture, photographic monographs to fine press missives-the crowning item, discovered after I'd already cashed out once, being a simply wonderful 1930 alphabet block print volume, each plate signed by the artist/printer. There are many great shops in the Northampton area...but do not miss Troubadour if you are out this way.

Lucretia and I came back around 6pm and spent the next two hours (before dinner) looking at several Gehenna Press books. We then joined Lisa, Hosie, John Waite, Jim Arsenault, and a few others for a great dinner at The Great Wall in Florence. We started with two Peking Ducks and went from there. I'm told that they have two menus: one that is for the unadventurous, the other for those who want more authentic fare....ask for the white menu.

We arrived back at the house around 10 or so and stayed up until about 2am looking at more books. There are so many books. So many truly great books. I want to write about the books...but I can't. I need to think about them more first. Maybe later...if I can find the context.

One thing, as an example: I absolutely love Leonard's exceptional Moko Maki. Tonight I explored a unique set of the images, each printed on vellum. Remarkable.

Book fair tomorrow. More books. A wonderful weekend emerging.

Day Three in Seattle-Pack up and Pearl Sake...

2009-10-12T00:26:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post as I am in no condition to...well...be conscious. The final day of the fair was great. Seattle is really a pretty wonderful book town. Lots of people genuinely interested and engaged in a broad range of material. It is really a treat to be out here. The fair was well attended pretty much all day. Best of all, an ok fair (marginal/fair sales, great buying) ended strong with a very nice sale in the last half hour. The next few weeks will let us know just how good it was as those with interest percolate on things and...with luck...will call.

Packed up quickly and got everything to FedEx before they closed at 6pm. We then headed to Dragonfish again for Sushi and Sake Sunday...food and drink specials early...and even better deals later. We spent about 4 hours there. It is probably a sign to leave when your very wonderful waitress tells you that they are out of the pearl sake you've been drinking all evening. Luckily, they have 23 other types. It was a wonderful evening...book[wo]men are just great fun.

Back in the room now...redeye tomorrow evening. Bookshopping (and Utilikilts) during the day.

Day Two in Seattle [or: The Lament of the Oversexed Emu]

2009-10-11T01:38:00.004-05:00

Day two in Seattle was great. This is a great book fair town. The crowd, slow at the very start, ramped up rapidly and stayed strong and steady nearly all day. A lot of people, engage, interested, inquisitive and, on occasion, buying. If 20% of those who left saying they wanted to see if x, y or z was already on their shelves return and buy tomorrow (as I expect), this tomorrow should be interesting.

It is great to have done this fair long enough that people stop in that you remember (admittedly, this is a slow process for me) and, more importantly, remember you and seem genuinely pleased to see you again.

There is some genuinely great material in the Hall. I have decided to try to control myself...and be amused. The first book I purchased was "Photography for Perverts" (signed by the author). I think I am going to book-end the fair by buying a remarkable collection of William Black images. For some reason, this amuses me to no end. I also found a wonder fine press work titled "Notorious Ex Libris"...bookplates that should have been for the likes of Al Capone, Vlad the Impaler, John Waters and Martha Stewart. A student press project, brilliantly designed and executed.

After the show, I joined the fine folks of Wessel and Lieberman for their annual Saturday night dinner and shop tour. Dinner was at the Collins Pub. The margarita's were very good, dinner was very good...the entertainment was epic. The Kent had just finished regaling us with a tale of SLC man who "loved an emu to death". As we were coming to grips with the implications of this rather horrifying tale, the evening's entertainment began...a quartet of "experimental saxophone" players. They played, 5 feet from us, a long and loud, atonal work that...I am CERTAIN...was title, "The Lament of the Oversexed Emu". One, clearly bleating out its tortured tale while its three family keened in support. It was brilliant. Brian, I am so, so sorry you were not here...

We retired to W&L's shop where there was nibbles and drink waiting for us and their wonderful stock (including a great section of unpriced material that beckoned nearly all). There is no commerce to be done, by strict rule...it would be wrong to get one's friends liquored up and then set them loose in one's shop...but you can make piles to be dealt with at a later time . I found a handful of things that pleased me...my favorite being a little toad woodcut with a brilliantly hand-colored eye.

Tomorrow runs from 11 to 4. I'll then pack up and get the cases off to the shipper. Fingers crossed for a great day.

Seattle Set-uo and the Great North-West Kibitz

2009-10-09T22:34:00.002-05:00

The trip was about as good as a day's air travel could be. Virgin America was a genuine treat. I will, whenever possible, fly them cross country. Not only are the planes nice (seats have adjustable headrests, soft, strangely purple lighting, etc)...and have WiFi and good food options (that you order from you seat on the slick little touch screen)...but EVERY SEAT has a POWER OUTLET. When you are traveling across the country, a power outlet is quite possibly the best thing I've seen on an airplane...frankly, better than WiFi.

Arrived in Seattle and made my way to the B[a]P Cave. The Cave is great. I have my own little suite, complete with fridge, micro and COFFEE MAKER. Only miss is that The Suz is on the East Coast, heading to see her family on Saturday (I'll be meeting them on the Easter Shore on Tuesday).

We dropped off our cases at the Hall and headed off to dinner. We had a great dinner at The Dragonfish. They do a nightly special (after 9pm) with small plate sushi rolls for $1.95 to $2.95...great price, great rolls. Also had specials on various saki's...had a really nice unfiltered.

Set-up today (all previous was yesterday) went smoothly given I did not have my extra brain (and hands)...on the other hand, I only had to tend to half a booth. There is some outstanding material at the fair. I'll try to take row images tomorrow and, perhaps, capture some of the gems.

Jeanne's assistant is a lovely 19 yr old (old family friend). She has been great help on all fronts. She is "not a collector". Today, however, she bought a lovely copy of Snow White from me. She is, officially, a book collector...having spent pretty much all her money for the weekend on a single book. I'm giving her a good discount...probably for the rest of her life .

Dinner tonight at an Irish pub with many good friends. Truly, selling books at a fair is good thing...but seeing and spending time with other sellers is really what it is all about. Great people...great fun. Images of the fair and dinner party (all tagged as all every single dealer there is on FaceBook...from Josh and Sunday to Michael Thompson) can be found on my Facebook Page. Set-up/pre-show exploring starts at 8am...open to the public at 10. Come if you can.

The Seattle Book Fair Adventure Begins

2009-10-08T02:21:00.001-05:00

315an. I'm on a nice Trailways bus direct to Ligan Airport. Pillow
under my head, movie (Witch Mountain remake) playing, next stop Virgin
America (still think there should be a sister company, Debauched
America). Cases arrived yesterday and are waiting for me at Book
Prowler's secret hideout. Now to see if I can catch a bit more sleep.

Portland Fair Report

2009-09-23T21:39:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday was the Portland Antiquarian Book Book and Paper Fair sponsored by the Maine Antiquarian Booksellers Association. In many ways, it was a hard year. We had fewer vendors than we have had in recent years (very annoying, given that this fair is the *only* fair in Maine *and* is so inexpensive relative to other shows (a full booth costing less than a display case rental at most shows). The number of attendees was also off...for reasons that many have various opinions about and clearly an issue that we need to think hard about how to turn around.

That said, there were also some bright spots. Though the gate was not huge, we did have collectors (and dealers) coming to the show from Vermont, Massachusetts and the Bar Harbor area. More importantly, those who came, spent money. We had the best show (here in Portland) that we have had since we started doing the show 5 years ago. I heard from several others that they had a very good

show...especially given the soft turn-out and small vendor pool.

That said, I know several dealers had little or now sales, though one of those apparently bought well enough to feel good about the show in the short term. These shows, of course, should really be thought of as part of a "long game". For most of us, the "value" of any given show has a great deal more to do with advertising and becoming known among local bibliophiles. A conversation at a show may just be a pleasant diversion during the fair...but becomes something "real" 6 months (or years) later when you get a call from that same person about placing their books and/or their desire to track down new material.

It was unfortunate that so many Maine dealers choose not to do the show. One of the best elements of the show, historically, is the number of Maine dealers who do this

show and don't do others. It is one of the things that draws dealers/collectors "from away" and that makes the show so much fun (that is, seeing folks that you might not see often otherwise).

One of the shining exceptions to this miss by others was the arrival of The Maine Bookhouse at the fair for the first time. Harry and Joanna Reese allowed themselves to be cajoled into attending after only a couple of years of pestering at the very last minute. They took a single table and made the very most of it (see the last image, with Joanna hiding at the left side). They came with solid material and benefitted

greatly from Joanna's wonderful personality and passion for her books. I've been told that it was a good show for them... I'm very pleased that their first show went well.

Also doing his first book fair was Craig Olson of Artisan Books & Bindery. Craig has recently radically increased the volume of his stock by acquiring the sadly now gone ABCD Books in Camden. He is following up the Maine book fair with the shadow show of the Boston ABAA book fair in November. This was, of course, exactly what we did and clearly bodes of great things to come from Craig...

I, of course, spent more time setting up my booth (admittedly, a big double booth as I had a lot of history of Maine/Americana that displays best if not shelved together...the bane of the "ugly brown book"). I spent about 7 hours setting up for a 6 hour fair. Another 2 hours breaking down...it would have been 2 hours more had I not had SIX helpers (thanks to Suzanne, Eli, Kaitlyn, mom, dad, and Lucretia).

That said, the booth looked really nice (better than I, Utilikilt not withstanding). Eli was great fun in his skull and crossed bones bow-tie and belt. I met several new clients/potential clients and spent the day (and a half) with people I really enjoy seeing. A good time.

The economy is not great, the gate was off, the number of dealers was down...but overall, it was a surprisingly good show. Here's to next year being even better.

Sorry for the slight delay in posting, but after packing up the van (and unpacking it at the house), I left early Monday for NYC and a great conference at the Grolier Club. Back home now and reality is settling down...for a few weeks, when I leave for the Seattle Book Fair.

Quick Grolier Club Conference follow-up and Pictures in the Portland Press Herald from the Portland Fair

2009-09-23T11:51:00.003-05:00

The Press Herald posted a few pictures from the fair. It would have been nice if the image of Moby Dick had been properly cited, but it is close enough... Full report on the fair with added pictures to follow...a two day trip to NY immediately following the fair has thrown all things askew.

The mini-conference on "Books in Hard Times" at the Grolier Club was outstanding. It was the best one day event I've ever attended. The sessions were interesting, the crowd engaged and inquisitive...just as good as can be. My only...minor...complaint is that the panel of booksellers might have benefitted from a "younger/hungrier/less-well-capitalized" voice. The three dealers (Bill Reese, Priscilla Juvelis, and Tom Congalton), while representing radically different genres of the trade, all all "elite" dealers and, one might reasonably surmise, somewhat insulated from current "hard times." That said, their session was just great and very informative...so who knows...

Session Three: Collectors -- and Concluding Remarks

2009-09-22T14:30:00.003-05:00

William Helfand (Pres. Grolier Club)

Mark Samuels Lasner (Collector; etc.)

David Alan Richards (Collector), etc.)

William T. Buice, III (Collector, etc.)

Concluding Remarks: Terry Belanger (Founder and [recently retired] Director of the Rare Book School).

All sessions have been outstanding, thus far. Great panels, great audience and great fun.

Second Session- Libraries (and a note on llunch)

2009-09-22T09:41:00.003-05:00

Mark Dimunation (Chief of Special Collections at the Library of Congress)

Breon Mitchell (Director, Lilly Library)

Katherine Reagan (Curator of Rare Books at Cornell Library)

Nadina Gardner (Director of Preservation and Access, National Endowment of the Humanities).

Lunch was at Serafina...very nice. Street was closed off and we had to be "cleared" to go to the restaurant by heavily armed NYPD as, we were told, the Pres. of Israel was staying on the block re the UN. Fun at every turn.

First Panel: The Antiquarian Book Trade:

2009-09-22T09:35:00.002-05:00

David Redden: (Sotheby's) - Moderator

William Reese (William Reese Company)

Tom Congalton (Between the Covers)

Priscilla Juvelis (Priscilla Juvelis Rare Books)

State of the trade. Off to a lively start thanks to David.

Books in Hard Times [at the Grolier Club]

2009-09-22T08:27:00.002-05:00

Attending a wonderful one day event at the Grolier Club, "Books in Hard Times." Three panels, book sellers, libraries, and collectors. It sold out. The attendees are a remarkable cross-section of bibliophiles and I'm looking forward to a great day. Summary to follow.

Come join us on Sunday for Maine's only Antiquarian Book and Paper Show

2009-09-15T12:45:00.001-05:00

The annual Maine Antiquarian Book and Paper show will be held this Sunday (September 20th) at the Wyndham Hotel out near the Maine Mall. The fair runs from 9am through 3pm and features dozens of dealers from throughout Maine and beyond. Antiquarian and used books, paper, pamphlets and ephemera will be present in abundance. Come join us at Maine's *only* antiquarian book event.

Exhibitors include: Kit Barry Ephemera of Brattleboro, VT offering ephemera supplies and general ephemera; James Arsenault & Co. of Arrowsic, ME offering historical documents and Americana; Austin’s Antiquarian Books of Wilmington, VT offering Americana & Civil War; T. Brennan Bookseller of Marietta, GA offering a general line; Harland H. Eastman of Springvale, ME offering rare ephemera; Eighty One Main of Monmouth, ME offering botanical and natural sciences; Lake Androscoggin Books & Prints of Wayne, ME offering fine prints and rare first editions; Bickerstaff’s Books & Maps of Scarborough, ME offering rare old maps & prints; Lux Mentis of Portland, ME offering fine bindings, first editions, and book art; Conservation Gallery of Yarmouth, ME offering vintage newsprint and maps; Rabelais Books of Portland, ME offering books on food, wine and the arts; Mainely Paper of Owls, ME offering unique ephemera and paper antiques; Tenney River Books of Mansfield, MA offering non-fiction and general ephemera; and Mori Books of Milford, NH offering rare children’s books. These and many other select Exhibitors will be found only at this exceptional show.

Details and directions can be found at Flaming Eventz and/or at MABA website.

We hope to see you at the fair.

Day Four, Pack Up, and a good night's sleep (I hope)

2009-09-07T00:54:00.002-05:00

Sunday was busy. A lot of interested people. Bought some more material...sold a bit. Met some great people. This is a long show. It finished at 6pm. We were packed and ready to go at about 840pm or so....but the van was not able to get in until about 1015 or so. Logistics of getting 500 dealers in and out are really remarkably daunting....

Hi point of the day was at the very end. Met up with Sunday and Josh in the pub in our hotel after we finally got out (they had been there for some time ). It was great fun to have a drink and a bite to eat and just hang out for a while (that the food and drink ended up being free was a bonus (and worth the long wait...).

More to follow when I have regained sentience.

Day Three in Baltimore - More fun and Salt II

2009-09-05T23:21:00.002-05:00

Day three started with a long, hot bath in hopes that I might not have to amputate my feet. The jury remains out but I was at least able to walk over to the hall. The show was, again, solidly busy all day. Lots of looking. Lots of good questions. A few sales and a number that we will just have to wait and see if they close.... Overall, a great day.

Interestingly, there seems to be a good deal more dealer to dealer action. I know we were looking for Wrong Coast material (sorry, left coast) for Seattle, SF and LA. It really seemed as if some good material was moving here and there...certainly more than I've seen at recent shows.

The show is running as smoothly as always. I've said it before, these guys should really offer classes to others as to how to run great shows. They've done great marketing, the hall looks great (the spend more on flowers than most promoters spend on all elements of show infrastructure). It is just a great...and well run...show.

Suz and I returned to Salt again tonight, this time with Adam and Kate. I know that Baltimore has many more places to offer, but I truly doubt they could be *better*. It is hard to go somewhere else that *might* be good when there is a known place that is simply wonderful. The company was great fun, we talked books and silliness all evening. The food was just what we expected...the goat cheese doughnuts in lavender infused honey were, again, insanely good. Adam summed it up aptly, "I'm pretty certain this is the best meal I've ever had."

Tomorrow is the final day and pack-up. For the first time, we will be returning to our hotel after. The rate was so good that it made more sense than hitting the road and driving for a few hours. I hope it will make the drive home on Monday less torturous... We shall see.

Day Two in Baltimore: FoodPorn Issue

2009-09-04T23:52:00.003-05:00

The day was good fun. A few sales, a few good buys, several great clients stopped by to say hi. Fun had by all. An then it was over and the best part of the day began.

We had 9pm reservations at Salt. We gathered first in our room (Josh, Sunday, Lauren, Cythia, Suz & ijk) Wine and some munchies and much laughter. Nice to settle down (and be off one's feet) after the day and before dinner.

We arrived shortly before 9pm. The hostess (owner?!?) remembered me from past years and was particularly lovely. Given that we are only in town once a year, it was very nice that she remembered us...more so that she seemed pleased and amused to have us back (admittedly, we did eat there twice during last year's visit). Two of our party of six were new to the fare, but feel in love.

As is often the case, we opted to share appetizers and

selected the following:

Eastern Shore Corn and Shellfish
Chowder: Applewood bacon, fresh thyme
Corvina Ceviche: Ginger, lime, cilantro, aji amarillo, red onion, cusco corn, sweet potatoes (x2)
Duck Fat French Fries: With a trio of aioli (x2)
Crispy Hoisin Duck Spring Roll: Spicy Chinese mustard dipping sauce (x2)

The Ceviche was made with grouper and was wonderful (an interesting contrast to last year's shrimp). The chowder was

exceptional and the spring rolls were basically peking duck deep fried and crispy...just delicious. The fries were, as always, delicious.

We decided that we would basically share entrees as well. This was a great idea, as it is so hard to make choices as too many things beckon you...

We settled on the following:

Grilled Atlantic Wahoo: Quinoa and vegetable salad, mango chimichurri sauce
Coriander and Pepper Crusted Tuna: Served over seaweed salad with spicy tuna pot stickers and ginger soy glaze
Grilled Lamb Sirloin: Curried carrot fritter, watercress and bean salad, feta vinaigrette
Fresh Pasta with Corn, Asparagus and Chiles: Sweet corn butter, fresh thyme, shaved Pecorino Romano (x2 (1 split between the two more or less veggies at the table))

Dinner was simply exceptional. Not only have I not had a bad meal at Salt, I've never had a bad dish. While everything was genuinely great, it was the tuna that stole the show for me...seered about .25 of an inch in, the rest was cool and raw. It was beyond good. Just the best tuna I've ever eaten.

We finished our meal and wicked, wicked waiter told us the desert options. We decided to be good:

Trio of Ice Cream Cones (house-made icecream, orea, blueberry and white choc. and key lime) (x2)
Goat Cheese Doughnuts drizzled with Lavender Honey and a wee cup of house-made coffee icecream
Dark Chocolate Gelato with fresh fruit and Grand Marnier

The trio(s) were delicious and the gelato smooth and wonderful. The doughnuts, however, were in a class by themselves. Lauren forced us (against our will and better judgement) to order as second serving of them them...to be fair, she also ate most of the second round...sacrificing herself to save us from ourselves. There is no way to describe just how good they were. Come to Baltimore. Eat at Salt. Have them yourself. You will not regret it.

We finished the evening at the end of a pier watching and/or dancing the tango. Fish were jumping, music playing, people dancing. Such a good day...

Day One, strong start...

2009-09-03T22:53:00.002-05:00

Quick post...too tired. Long day, 9am to 8pm (show from 12 to 8). Good lines at both entrances before opening and strong traffic nearly all day. Few good sales to humans (as opposed to dealers)...great conversations and interesting folk. Just a good day...

Dinner after was good. Names escapes me at the moment...I'll correct later. Very nice shrimp and grits.

Baltimore 2009 - Setting up and settling in...

2009-09-02T20:57:00.003-05:00

We left Portland bright and early(ish) on Tuesday. The drive was as nice as an eight hour drive can possibly be. We landed at Ned Sparrow's (of Ned Sparrow Books fame) around 8pm. There was fresh pizza waiting and Ned sauteed and thinly sliced some venison to top it....amazing. The next morning, we were off in time to be at the Balt. Convention Center by 10AM.

We were allowed in with no waiting at all and were able to park *right* next to the booth. So far, so good. On the other hand, when we arrived we only had our case and one 4 foot table...our six food and eight foot tables were no where to be seen throwing a major monkey wrench into our ability to begin. We ended up getting a standard six foot and 2 sixes that are only 2 feet wide (allowing us to stay within the rigidly enforced 10 foot booth size limit...but we are able to "violate" it at the back, as we abut big load bearing pillars). It took an hour or so to get our tables, during which I build the glass display case and cleaned and prepped the trophy case.

Set-up took about 8 hours. the booth looks pretty good, I think. The trophy case is a bit "dense", but that seems to resonate with more than it annoys. The pictures show most angles of the booth (small pictures are small, but blow up if you click them...also, sorry re the order, I could not get them to lay out correctly and am too tired to figure it out). I'll post some close ups tomorrow.

I'll try to figure this out, but it seems as if there are *more* book dealers this year than last. The other booths I was able to poke about look good (Brian next door looks great as usual). It is shaping up to be a great show...hope attendees do their part .

We checked into the hotel...a mere 2.5 blocks from the show. Thus far, I can not recommend the Hotel Monaco highly enough. It is in the old-fabulous-B&O Railroad headquarters building. It is a great deco building (more images of the building also likely). The room is lovely and large, the decorating touches on the buildings history without being camp (e.g. nightstands have the look of steamertrunks, the bathroom door is a slider). We were very lucky to be offered a "we just renoed the building and would love to have warm bodies in it" rate of just $99/night. As with most of their (Klimpton Hotels), we were offered and readily accepted "pet goldfish" for the duration of our 5 night stay. I've named them SushiK and Hiro (hat-tip to NS).

Dinner from the hotel gastrobar was really quite nice (pepperoni and arugula flatbread and bbq meatball sliders) and the dessert was exceptional...a long, thin brulee with finely diced candied ginger, cocoa, peaches, strawberries and mango. Absolutely wonderful.

We are going over around 9am tomorrow morning to finish tweaking the booth. The show opens and 11 and runs until 8pm tomorrow...long day. I'll do my best to post after.

Great new site for stolen and missing books...

2009-08-22T15:54:00.002-05:00

MissingMaterial.org has gone live and is on track to be a tremendous resource. From their site:

The loss of materials held in libraries and archives worldwide is a concern not only for owning institutions, but also for the international antiquarian book trade and global law enforcement. In order to deter thieves, prevent inadvertent purchases and recover valuable stolen cultural materials, OCLC Research, the RLG Partnership and the RBMS Security Committee convened members of the cultural heritage collecting community to explore strategies for sharing reliable information about missing rare books and other materials.

The Missing Materials project has evolved to develop a "beta" procedure for cultural heritage institutions to demonstrate their commitment to transparency about stolen and missing materials. This blog-list, the fruits of this work, is under construction. Please send us comments and recommend improvements.

The Naming of Cats (and other wastes of time...)

2009-08-16T20:11:00.002-05:00

We share a "house cat" with our tenant (and slow library shelf builder) on the first floor. When he is "down there" he is Katsu...when he is up he is Morpheus. He, of course, could care less. He answers to basically anything...if he chooses to do so...perhaps ignores anything more is more apt.

Talking about this earlier this weekend brought about a reading of T.S. Eliot's The Naming of Cats. It really is great fun and I offer it here for your amusement:

The Naming of Cats.
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey -
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter -
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum -
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover -
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.
- T.S. Eliot (from "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats")

Good day on the PR front-and a great list of biblio-blogs

2009-08-06T10:16:00.002-05:00

We were included in two "best of book blogs" lists yesterday and are flattered and honored by both.

The first was part of blog.com's ongoing program of providing internal and external "10 Best List"s. In this case, Larry Mitchell (collector, occasional dealer and special collections library) and author of the brilliant blog The Private Library was asked to compile his Top 10 list. Our blathering notwithstanding, it is a wonderful short list. I am pleased to say, it only added 4 that I was not already following...they have been added. Each site is described briefly so you can get a touch of flavor.

The only problem is that he was only allowed to include 10 blogs. Apparently, Larry heard about this shortcoming from a number of humans as he subsequently posted an apology. Such lists are obviously subjective...We are very pleased to be included in Larry's best of...

[N.B. As I have said before, The Private Library should be on everyone's blog roll...in addition to this regular and cogent posts, his navigation links provide a clearinghouse to nearly every substantive rare/used book resource available. It is the benchmark against which data-rich biblio-sites should be measured.]

OnlineSchool also included us in their "100 Best Book Blogs for History Buffs" under the "Rare" section. They have created a much longer list, broken up into sections (e.g. Reference, Librarian, Rare, Review, etc.) and, again, most have short bios. Obviously, there is a lot of crossover, but they try reasonably hard to group things properly and the result is a good list.

It is always nice to be recognized...more so by those you respect. Enjoy the various suggestions...I'm going to have to start posting more cogent missives.

Michael Suarez's Response at the homage to Terry Belenger

2009-08-01T22:26:00.007-05:00

At the end of the RBMS weekend in June there was a "Farewell Reception and Dinner" for Terry Belenger, the founder and driving force behind Rare Book School. A professor at UVA and Honarary Curator of Special Collections (and 2005 MacArthur fellow), Terry is force of nature...and we are all better for it. I had only met Terry once or twice prior to taking my RBS class last week, but had heard many stories from many people...to a one with love and perhaps a touch of awe.

Many people spoke at the reception, all have known and loved Terry for years and it showed in their words. The one that struck me, however, was the last. Michael Suarez will be the new Director of Rare Book School when Terry hands over the reigns. His was one of the best such I've heard in a very long time. I emailed him to ask if I could have a copy of his speech and was told that he had no written text for them...I think you'll agree that they were not bad for extemporaneous comments. He told me that they were recorded and would be transcribed...I received a copy of the proceedings as a Keepsake. I have included the full text of his words below, because I think they are wonderful. I look forward to seeing how RBS evolves and grows during his tenure.

Please note, in honor of Terry's "retirement", RBS has created the "Directors Scholarship Fund", its goal being to raise $30,000...to date, contributions exceed $113,000. This fund will be exclusively used to fund scholarships for students who might not otherwise be able to attend. If you have not already done so, I strongly encourage you to contribute (see the link above)...if you have already given, you might consider giving again, just on principle. Also, "In Praise of Rare Book School, including the full text off all the speakers at Terry's event and a nice history of RBS, can be had at the RBS Store (you'll have to ask for it, as it does not appear to be listed online...$5/copy).

The following is the full text of Michael Suarez's comments. Enjoy.

Thank you very much indeed. I can't tell you what a privilege and pleasure it is to be here. I'm very moved by the testimonials we've all be listening to.

Tonight we've heard many memories: important memories of relationships built over many years. And as I was sitting here, I was thinking about a moment a long, long time ago, when a noble king had a true humanist teacher. And Charlemangne one day asked Alcuin, "What is memory really like? To what could memory be compared? How can I as the leader of a great nation, train and understand the art of my own mind?"

Great humanist that he was, Alcuin took a deep breath and thought, and then he said to the king, "You must understand this. Memory is not like anything at all except for a great library, and everyone has this great library in his mind, in her mind. A great nation has this library even more so. And as leader of the people, you must know that even as memory is a library, so too are libraries memory. They are the precious repository of the past."

Sitting there tonight in the front row - as I was told to do! - I asked myself, to what book in the great world library might we compare this night? To what book is the great world library might we compare Rare Book School and Terry Belanger himself? It seems to me that the most appropriate book of all would be that classic by Erasmus of Rotterdam, In Praise of Folly.

Mr. Belanger, I accuse you - as many doubtless have before - of tremendous and unbridled folly. The folly of founding the Book Arts Press. The folly of starting Rare Book School. The folly, after being crushed by an uncomprehending administration, of starting everything all over again. The folly of collecting 200 lithographic stones and copper plates. The folly of sending out those Valentines! What are they for? Can someone explain? The folly of producing the biggest library address book in the entire world. The folly of evening after evening "Terrorizing!"

Terry Belenger: I accuse you - and I praise you for your folly. You are a fool for books. You are a fool for libraries. You are a fool for collectors and collecting. Terry Belenger is a fool for the enterprise that has been his life. But much more, more than all this, the man who sits before you is a fool for you.

I am a poetry teacher, and I love to teach my students figurae verborum, the classic figures of rhetoric. And when I get to the figure of oxymoron, I explain by saying, "Well, come on, you know, jumbo shrimp! military intelligence! humble Jesuit!"

Yet, I stand before you this evening deeply honored and deeply, deeply humbled to receive this great commission - to carry on, to deepen, and to extend the work of the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, that has already been so supportive and so generous.

Ladies and gentlemen, the wisdom of the wise is pure folly, but the foolishness of the foolish man turns out to be true wisdom and grace.