Reading Room

2005-03-04T11:36:00.000-06:00

Ancient Texts as "Fossils": How They Survive
A new study uses population biology to calculate the likelihood that an ancient text has survived from the eighth or ninth century to the present.
National Geographic

2005-02-27T19:14:00.000-06:00

Dartmouth College to House Pilobolus Archives
The dance company Pilobolus has donated its archives to Dartmouth College's special collections library.
PlaybillArts

2005-02-27T19:12:00.000-06:00

Rare Descartes first edition auctioned in France
A first edition of French philosopher Rene Descartes' 1637 work "Discourse on Method" was sold Sunday for EUR 78,000 (USD 103,000) at auction in Evreux northwest of Paris.
Expatica.com

2005-02-24T16:07:00.000-06:00

Coptic trove
Excavators unearthed two papyri books with Coptic text along with a set of parchments placed between two wooden labels as well as Coptic ostraca, pottery fragments and textiles.
Al-Ahram Weekly

2005-02-24T16:05:00.000-06:00

Shelley letters to be auctioned
A newly discovered set of letters written by the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley are to go on sale after being found in a trunk at a house in London.
BBC

2005-02-24T15:47:00.000-06:00

Philosopher's rare 'other book' goes on sale
For it is rare and famous among collectors as Ludwig Wittgenstein's "other book" - only the second work published between hard covers in his lifetime by the thinker acknowledged as the pre-eminent genius of 20th century philosophy.
The Guardian

2005-02-24T15:44:00.000-06:00

Net history sold cheap at Christie's
The recent auction of rare documents and artefacts related to the evolution of computers and the internet failed to bring in big bucks on Wednesday at auction house Christie's.
Silicon.com

2005-02-23T09:45:00.000-06:00

A brazen plot doomed to fail
Four days before Christmas, two young men, one wearing a red tie, the other in a yellow suit jacket, arrived at Christie's, the famed New York auction house, claiming to represent a very private collector. "Mr. Beckman," they told a woman in the manuscript division, wanted to sell some rare books.
Lexington Herald-Leader

2005-02-23T09:42:00.000-06:00

Exhibition on the Woodcut in Early Printed Books
The Library of Congress has organized a special exhibition of 84 rare books from its Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection that are illustrated with woodcuts from the late medieval and early Renaissance periods. Titled "A Heavenly Craft: The Woodcut in Early Printed Books," the exhibition will be on display from April 7 through July 9, in the South Gallery of the Great Hall of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.
Artdaily.com

2005-02-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

Announcing the Launch of Collectors Book Market, a Unique Book Auction/Mart Venue
Collectors Book Market (www.collectorsbookmarket.com), based on the antiquarian bookseller’s magazine, AB Bookman’s Weekly, opened to the public today. CBM is a new online venue, built and run by antiquarian booksellers, that focuses on the rare, collectible, and quality out-of-print book market.
i-Newswire.com

2005-02-15T09:46:00.000-06:00

Treasure Troves of History Arrive
Blaustein papers and Wyman Institute archive given to Jewish Studies
Johns Hopkins Gazette

2005-02-15T09:44:00.000-06:00

The man with the golden library
Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, amassed a big collection of rare books, covering golf to Einstein. Andrew Lycett leafs through his treasures.
Times Online

2005-02-15T09:42:00.000-06:00

Latest Exhibition Puts Rosenbach on the Map
Don't look now, but Philadelphia's Rosenbach Museum & Library is creating a buzz with an ongoing string of visually rich exhibitions that draw fresh and unusual connections across the museum's diverse collections.
U.S. Newswire

2005-02-15T09:40:00.000-06:00

Fine Books & Collections: 65 Million Books; Magazine Ranks 2004 Auction Results
Fine Books & Collections magazine has released its annual ranking of the top-selling rare books and manuscripts of 2004 at auction houses worldwide.
Business Wire

2005-02-11T15:47:00.000-06:00

Police arrest three suspects in theft of rare books
Police arrested three Lexington men Friday morning in connection with the theft of rare books from the Transylvania University library in December.
Lexington Herald-Leader

2005-02-11T15:45:00.000-06:00

Libraries Acquire Huge Collection Of Science Fiction Fanzines
"It's an extraordinary collection and a significant contribution to the resources available in our library," said Sid Huttner, head of Special Collections at the UI Libraries. "We've long collected the scholarly literature related to science fiction. As a result of this acquisition, however, we now have the largest collection of science fiction fanzines in the Midwest and one of the largest that exists anywhere."
Newswise

2005-02-10T10:20:00.000-06:00

UCLA Library Completes Challenge to Create Preservation Endowment
"This endowment will allow the Library to address one of its most pressing needs, which is to protect our fragile and highly used resources, in perpetuity," said University Librarian Gary E. Strong.
UCLA News

2005-02-10T10:13:00.000-06:00

Newberry Library's longtime chief to retire
The Newberry Library, Chicago's world-class private research library at 60 W. Walton St., Tuesday announced the search for a new leader to replace Charles T. Cullen, who has headed the Gold Coast institution since 1986.
Chicago Tribune (requires registration)

2005-02-07T13:35:00.000-06:00

Curating and Reclaiming Black History
Few were as committed to studying and reclaiming the past than Schomburg, for whom New York's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is named.
Washington Post

2005-02-03T17:19:00.000-06:00

John Muir's legacy showcased at University of the Pacific
The university's Holt-Atherton Special Collections department has nearly 17,000 items in its "John Muir Papers" collection.
Lodi News

2005-02-03T17:17:00.000-06:00

Schlesinger Library renovation complete
After an extensive renovation, the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America reopened to the public Wednesday, Feb. 2.
Cambridge Chronicle

2005-02-03T17:15:00.000-06:00

Hitler's original British invasion plans up for sale
The maps of landing sites in the south east of the country, coastal profile diagrams, and hundreds of photographs of British towns and other scenes are to be sold at auction in Ludlow, Shropshire.
Telegraph

2005-02-03T17:13:00.000-06:00

Library acquires Gill collection
Washington University Libraries recently acquired a collection of hundreds of Gill artifacts in several boxes, including books, drawings, alphabets, rubbings, correspondence and woodblocks.
Washington University Record

2005-01-31T11:45:00.000-06:00

World's rarest cricket books on offer at Christie's
London-based auction house Christie's is all set to auction one of the world's greatest private library of cricket books.
New Kerala, India

2005-01-31T11:42:00.000-06:00

Descartes original up for auction in France
An original edition of French philosopher Rene Descartes' 1637 work "Discourse on Method" will be sold at auction next month in Evreux northwest of Paris.
Expatica