Books - Page 6

Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion

Madeline B. Stern, Leona Rostenberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Louisa May Alcott once wrote that she had taken her pen for a bridegroom. Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern, friends and business partners for fifty years, have in many ways taken up their pens and passion for literature much in the same way. The "Holmes & Watson" of the rare book business, Rostenberg and Stern are renowned for unlocking the hidden secret of Louisa May Alcott's life when they discovered her pseudonym, A.M. Barnard, along with her anonymously published "blood and thunder" stories on subjects like transvestitism, hashish smoking, and feminism.

Old Books, Rare Friends describes their mutual passion for books and literary sleuthing as they take us on their earliest European book buying jaunts. Using what they call Finger-spitzengefühl, the art of evaluating antiquarian books by handling, experience, and instinct, we are treated to some of their greatest discoveries amid the mildewed basements of London's booksellers after the Blitz. We experience the thrill of finding one of the earliest known books printed in America between 1617-1619 by the Pilgrim Press and learn about the influential role of publisher-printers from the fifteenth century.

Like a precious gem, Old Books, Rare Friends is a book to treasure about the companionship of two rare friends and their shared passion for old books.

Growing Up with Dick and Jane: Learning and Living the American Dream

Carole Kismaric

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

They're back!

Growing Up with Dick and Jane reunites us with two old friends, Dick and Jane, who, for forty years, taught so many of us to read. Here's the all American brother and sister team. Look! It's Dick, in his striped polo shirts and shorts, always ready for an adventure. Look! Look! It's Jane, in her pretty dresses, eager to have fun and learn about life. There's silly, mischievous Baby Sally, and Spot, America's favorite spaniel. Growing Up with Dick and Jane brings to life the cast of characters who are emblems of the American Dream. And side by side with the story of Dick and Jane is an entertaining and informative text that tracks important historical, social and educational events of the "Dick and Jane era."

Here's your chance to step back into the innocent watercolor world of Dick and Jane, where night never comes, knees never scrape, parents never yell and the fun never stops. Remember holding a Dick and Jane primer for the first time and the thrill you felt when you knew you could read? Growing Up with Dick and Jane traces the Dick and Jane phenomenon from their birth during the Depression to their retirement in the stormy 1960s. It explores the influence these little books had on education and the evolving American Dream. Packaged with a sampler of original Dick and Jane stories and cutout dolls of Dick and Jane, Growing Up with Dick and Jane stirs memories of home, school and what it was like to grow up when childhood felt like one long summer day.

Carole Kismaric and Marvin Heiferman produce innovative visual books and museum exhibitions. Lookout, their company, has created: Talking Pictures (Chronicle), a book and popular multimedia exhibition; Loyalty and Betrayal: The Story of the American Mob (CollinsSanFrancisco); the bestselling Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood (Hyperion) with William Wegman; and the cult classics Mr. Salesman (Twin Palms) with Diane Keaton and I'm So Happy (Vintage).

Bob Keeshan, known to generations as Captain Kangaroo, is one of the most beloved performers and influential innovators of children's television. The first Clarabell on The Howdy Doody Show, Keeshan went on to create Captain Kangaroo, the longest-running network children's series. An advocate of children's causes, Keeshan's unique blend of education and entertainment has influenced his followers, on screen and off.

Books of Hours (Phaidon Miniature Editions)

Editors of Phaidon Press

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautiful book 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Lovely tiny book with absolutely gorgeous illustrations from real medieval books of hours, with jewel tones and lovely compositions. The binding should be different to allow it to more easily open fully.

Small yet Elegantly Detailed 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Although this is literally a miniature publication from Phaidon, it truly encompasses the character of the Book of Hours. Historically, these were popular items, especially among pious woman to "show off" their devotion to God. The illustrations are just beautiful and so intricate. This is a true gem. A compact way to view illuminated manuscript.

Books of Hours 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I'm an art student, and we often study books of hours, but it's always just slides, so we don't get to hold an example. This little book is a wonderful example of the actual books of hours from this time period. It really gives you an appreciation for the craftsmanship of the artists; the intricate detail is so delicate and tiny, and it's clearly printed in this book. I highly recommend it!

Editorial Review:

"Books of Hours" is a glittering collection of devotional texts which became a favorite of people in western Europe by the end of the 13th century.

Among the Gently Mad: Strategies and Perspectives for the Book Hunter in the 21st Century

Nicholas A. Basbanes

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Antiques & Collectibles -> Books

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the author of A Gentle Madness , the book that delighted bibliophiles everywhere, comes a twenty-first-century guide to book collecting that deals with both the traditional methods of acquisition and the electronic tools now available on the Internet.

Sharing the superb insight he has gathered from booksellers over the years, Nicholas A. Basbanes offers a refresher course on the fundamentals that endure, while questioning certain practices of doubtful validity. Topics include how to determine if a book is a first edition, how to spot book club editions, the significance of dust jackets, scouting the flea markets, how to work the book fairs, and the importance of handling the goods, as well as discussing less tangible issues like spotting trends and shaping a focus. Then he takes a careful look at Internet buying, pro and con, illuminating how you can use these electronic tools to your advantage, and making this the book no modern collector will want to be without.

The Smithsonian Book of Books

Michael Olmert

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Just How Special Books Were 5 out of 5 stars.
23 of 26 people found this review helpful.

The contemporary books we buy today fill many categories, and while they may be special for a variety of reasons, their mass production that condemns them to a comparatively brief life, also is the cause of how visually dismal they are.

There are some small private presses that still produce books as artisans, some even completely by hand, but the product is often well beyond the budgets of all but affluent collectors. Reading a work by Dickens is undeniably a thrill, but even Dickens believed his books were enhanced with imagery, so artists were part of his books, fellow craftsmen he chose to compliment his tales.

This book by Michael Olmert is for people who love books for not just what they contain, but the manner in which they were presented. Mr. Olmert also provides a very readable history of books from long before Guttenberg printed his Bible, from a time when a book was done by hand, every letter, every stitch.

This book presents some of the greatest rarities that have been preserved, so while you may covet a Book Of Hours, A Book Of Kells, or an illuminated page that rivals the art placed on canvas, your savings are safe. This is "The Smithsonian Book Of Books" so nobody can take any of these treasures home.

Mr. Olmert states, "The book is perhaps humankind's most powerful intellectual creation". A rather daring claim, but this book backs it well.

Editorial Review:

A feast for book lovers. (Publishers Weekly)

Official Price Guide to Books, 5th Edition (Official Price Guide to Books)

Marie Tedford, Pat Goudey

List Price: $18.00 By: House of Collectibles Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $5.18

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

If you're a book collector or bookseller, you need this book 5 out of 5 stars.
39 of 39 people found this review helpful.

This book's extensive guide to collectible book pricing is fascinating and valuable in itself, but what I enjoyed even more was the numerous interviews with longtime book dealers. These interviews, sprinkled throughout the book, provide a keen insight into today's out-of-print bookselling and collectibles market. Of course, the experts disagree on some points, but that is all part of the fun -- you get to decide what makes the best sense for you, and apply those ideas to your own book-hunting adventures.

This guide also thoroughly covers genre collecting, the care and repair of books, and includes a glossary and references to many additional sources of information.

So whether you're a book auctioneer, bookshop owner, an online dealer, or simply a lover of collectible fiction or nonfiction treasures, I'd recommend that you read this book from cover to cover and put it on your shelf for future reference. When I read this book a few months ago, I found myself underlining a few paragraphs on nearly every page. It will give you a finer appreciation of how the Internet has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for book collectors and dealers alike.

Editorial Review:

Books are some of the oldest and most distinguished collectibles—the newly revised, fifth edition of The Official® Price Guide to Books reflects the current marketplace with new books and prices!

•This guide prices everything from rare signed first editions of The Wizard of Oz to today's Harry Potter blockbusters.

•Contains information on popular genres, care and repair, research resources, Internet sites, dealers, and auction houses.

ABC for Book Collectors

John Carter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Subtle, accurate and funny, and indispensable for collectors 5 out of 5 stars.
76 of 78 people found this review helpful.

One of the earlier reviewers -- a history grad student -- noted that this book is "outdated and unorganized." Both of those claims are inaccurate. I'm a manuscripts curator by profession, and this text is certainly not outdated. Book knowledge, and the subtleties of collecting and discriminating among important texts, are the highest priorities of John Carter's book, and he imparts those things with great skill. Several reviewers also criticize the lack of an index or table of contents. Folks, it's an encyclopedia; each term has its own heading, in alphabetical order! The book IS the table of contents and the index. This book was required reading for the "Introduction to Descriptive Bibliography" calss when I first attended Rare Book School in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1998; I'm sure it still is.

It's important for historians (grad student or no) to familiarize themselves with this terminology. "All the terms and abbreviation in the book can be found on the Internet," notes the aforementioned grad student. Whoa! The great hulking trash barge that is the Internet does indeed pull up search terms for all of Carter's entries, but I don't trust them to be accurate. Many book-collecting terms are highly subjective ("first edition," for instance) and I'd never rely on an unvetted digital source for an accurate description if I knew nothing of the subject. You can trust John Carter's book. It should be handy on the bookshelf of every bibliophile. You'll find yourself reaching for it a lot. -Dan Lewis, Ph.D., Curator of the History of Science, the Huntington Library.

Editorial Review:

This reference contains over 450 alphabetical entries ranging in length from a single line to several pages. Each entry consists of a definition and analysis of the technical terms of book collecting and bibliography, interspersed with comments on such subjects as auctions, facsimiles, fakes and pirated editions. It should be a valuable book for any collector baffled by the technical language of an auction catalogue, or a bookseller wanting to widen his or her knowledge of these bibliographical terms.

The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New: A Simple Repair Manual for Book Lovers

Margot Rosenberg, Bern Marcowitz

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Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

You're Better off Leaving Your Books Alone! 1 out of 5 stars.
20 of 23 people found this review helpful.

As a Librarian who specializes in Preservation Management, I found this book somewhat appauling. I found it to be full of factual errors. Many of the cleaning and repair procedures described in this book would actually do more harm than good in the long run - while book tape, rubbing alcohol, homemade paste, and Elmer's glue might seem like harmless substances, these items will break down over time, yellowing, cracking, and damaging your treasured book. The bookbinder's motto is not as these misguided souls profess "Don't make it any worse", but rather "Don't do anything you can't undo". Readers of this book will come away with just enough knowledge to do some real damage! If you're unsure of your methods, you're better off leaving your books alone! If you're really interested in learning book repair, there are many manuals written by trained professionals who actually have some idea what they're talking about.

Editorial Review:

Here at last is a short, simple, inexpensive guide to the tricks of the trade regarding how to take care of your beloved books. Written by a pair of booksellers, this little gem emphasizes household products and simple methods.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Swanton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great source, not for casual readers. 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys exploring the Anglo-Saxons and is keen on studying History. This edition uses all of the manuscripts, and gives the same annals from seperate sources. This setup gives the reader a very thorough look into Anglo-Saxon writen history. This edition is also very beautiful and contains many helpful Appendices, such as pictures and maps. The price isn't too high, I would highly recommend it. Although the Translator and editor Michael Swanton states that this edition is for reference, and not a steady read strait through, I still found it enjoyable to sit down and read it in order page by page.

Editorial Review:

The first continuous national history of any western people in their own language, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle traces the history of early England from the migration of the Saxon war-lords, through Roman Britain, the onslaught of the Vikings, the Norman Conquest and on through the reign of Stephen.

Michael Swanton's translation is the most complete and faithful reading ever published. Extensive notes draw on the latest evidence of paleographers, archaeologists and textual and social historians to place these annals in the context of current knowledge. Fully indexed and complemented by maps and genealogical tables, this edition allows ready access to one of the prime sources of English national culture. The introduction provides all the information a first-time reader could need, cutting an easy route through often complicated matters.

Atlas Maior of 1665

Joan Blaeu

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"The greatest and finest atlas ever published." -Koeman I, Bl 56 The finest and most comprehensive baroque atlas was Joan Blaeu’s exceptional Atlas Maior, completed in 1665. The original 11-volume Latin edition, containing 596 maps, put Blaeu ahead of his staunch competitor, mapmaker Johannes Janssonius, whose rivalry inspired Blaeu to produce a grandiose edition of the largest and most complete atlas to date. Covering Arctica, Europe, Africa, Asia, and America, Blaeu’s Atlas Maior was a remarkable achievement and remains to this day one of history’s finest examples of mapmaking. This reprint is made from the National Library of Vienna’s complete, colored, gold-heightened copy, thus assuring the best possible detail and quality. The book’s introduction, by the University of Utrecht’s Peter van der Krogt, discusses the historical and cultural context and significance of the atlas; Krogt also provides detailed descriptions of the maps, allowing modern readers to fully appreciate Blaeu’s masterwork.