Rants and Rambles on Books and Bookselling

ramble

2012-02-11T13:52:00.000-05:00

I got a nifty new Roomba vacuum cleaner and tried it for the first time yesterday. It immediately headed under the bed to annihilate the dust bunnies nesting there. After a few forays it emerged, triumphantly pushing my copy of Michelle Sagara's Cast in Ruin that the dust bunnies were holding hostage. I LOVE my new robot. Pardon me I must go re-read my rescued book.

Shop Small

2011-11-26T13:30:00.003-05:00

Remember this is Shop Small Saturday. Support a small independent business today (and hopefully every other day too!) For out of print and collectible children's books you can show that support at: finebks.com. Thank You!

dumb, dumber, dumbest!

2011-11-13T14:18:00.001-05:00

The freerice website now has a literature quiz....and I STINK at it. I really should start reading something more than children's books or fantasy.

more book art

2011-10-29T22:45:00.008-04:00

another book in the True Book series, The True Book of Animals of the Sea and Shore by Illa Podendorf and illustrated by Chauncy Maltman.

book art

2011-10-29T22:36:00.007-04:00

One of the titles in the True Book series published by Children's Press in the 1950's and 60's. This one is is The True Book of Moon Sun and Stars by John Lewellen illustrated by Lois Fisher.

I just love this cover, I think it's nifty!

Crockett Johnson

2011-10-22T11:45:00.000-04:00

An illustrator I ALWAYS scout for, this book is: THE LION'S OWN STORY. Published by Harper & Row, 1963.

She's baaack...

2011-10-21T11:34:00.000-04:00

New e-commerce website for Windy Hill Books is finally up and running. It's at the old domain name www.finebks.com.

Dianna Wynne Jones

2011-03-26T18:17:00.002-04:00

Diana Wynne Jones, Author of Howl's Moving Castle, Has Died

March 26, 2011 01:10 PM EDT
British fantasy and science fiction writer Diana Wynne Jones has reportedly died. Jones, author of the wildly popular 1986 fantasy novel Howl's Moving Castle, is said to have passed away on Saturday after a long battle with cancer. Jones' death is a huge loss in the literary world and for millions of fans who have cherished Jones' many books through the decades.

Diana Wynne Jones' fans took to Twitter to spread the news of her death, and to offer kind words about the Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin author.
Among those fans: Neil Gaiman, author of such well-known works as American Gods, Coraline and The Graveyard Book. Gaiman Tweeted about his friend's death early on Saturday, saying, "Rest in Peace, Diana Wynne Jones. You shone like a star. The funniest, wisest, writer and the finest friend" and adding simply, "I miss you."

sad, sad, sad

She did so many more wonderful books than the few listed in this obit...

wikipededia bio

More book art 1970's

2011-02-17T20:22:00.006-05:00

I've always loved woodcut illustrations and this is a great example from 1971. Lamb, Said the Lion, I Am Here by Mark Taylor woodcuts by Anne Siberell.

and

William's Doll by Charlotte Zolotow illustrated by William Pene Du Bois. This book was published in 1972 and the story of a young boy who wanted a doll was beautifully written and controversial for it's time.

More Dj Art 1970's

2011-02-17T02:11:00.004-05:00

I've fallen way behind on my pontificating because all my extra time is going to scanning my inventory. So I thought I'd share some more dust jacket art. I love this cover, the book is:
I Can Be written and illustrated by Sonia Lisker in 1972.

Again a Fairy Tale

2010-12-28T17:57:00.001-05:00

Fairies & Enchanters A New Book of Old English Fairy Tales, edited by Amabel Williams-Ellis. Illustrated with color plates and black and white by Wilma Hickson. Published by Thomas Nelson, NY in 1934. First Edition. Bookplate of Bertha Mahoney Miller 1882-1969 afixed opposite of the half title page.

(Since it is a memorial bookplate I have no idea if this copy came out of Miller's own library or the book is associated with her through Horn Book magazine.)

Snow Day!

2010-12-16T12:14:00.003-05:00

It's a snowing enough to cancel all the outside visits, errands, chores, shopping etc. Locked in with my books, my music, a nice fire in the stove and this view out the window....poor me :-)

Another Fairy Tale Book

2010-12-15T12:59:00.000-05:00

...and a rather obscure one. Fairy Tales From the Isle of Rugen, by Ernst Moritz Arndt, selected and translated by Anna Dabis. Published by David Nutt in 1896. Research shows it was the the only English translation of these tales.

(I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do about pricing this, there is only one other copy listed on the net that is not a dreaded print on demand and this one has a rather intriguing gift inscription in German that I need to get translated.)

Fairy Tales

2010-12-13T21:32:00.001-05:00

One the the Fairy Tale books that rescued me from my rut. Norwegian Fairy Tales selected and illustrated by Gert Strindberg. Published by Roy Publishing, 1947. A nice tidy review copy with review slip laid in. An yes, that is a nice bright dust jacket with very minimal wear and a few closed edge tears.

hurrah for me

2010-12-06T15:47:00.001-05:00

Just when things seem to be sliding from routine into rut, a friend walks in with a box of folk and fairy tale books from 19th and early 20th century and says "are any of these interesting?" Research to be done! Images to follow!

ramble

2010-09-22T15:38:00.000-04:00

Just read ARC (advanced reading copy) for Bujold's Cryoburn at www.baen.com. Will DEFINITELY be buying the book. (and yes I should have been working)

bookless

2010-08-30T02:12:00.000-04:00

For the first time in 2 months all my inventory is unpacked & shelved in one place, it's just NOT the same place that I'm in. I have serious separation anxiety.

grumble

2010-08-10T15:14:00.001-04:00

packing books with a bad back, bad knees and a bad attitude and I'd rather be READING. (advil is my new best friend)

...on the road again

2010-08-04T14:07:00.000-04:00

I like this view of interstate 81 better...it's all in the timing. Early = emptier roads Sleep in = TRAFFIC

2010-07-24T20:36:00.001-04:00

note to self.... moving books and bookcases in 100 degree heat is NOT TOO BRIGHT.

On the move...

2010-07-23T11:39:00.001-04:00

I'd forgotten how HEAVY a fully loaded book box is, multiply the above by about 400 and that should hopefully hold all our inventory. I predict Advil is going to be my new best friend.

life is a highway

2010-07-20T12:54:00.001-04:00

and we will be on it.... just started the process of moving a 25,000 volume book business down the road from Maryland to Virginia.

It's that time again...

2010-01-13T22:18:00.006-05:00

The 2010 Newbery and Caldecott Awards (among others) will be announced on Monday January 18th at 7:45am EST. The live web cast can be viewed at http://alawebcast.unikron.com and the results will be on twitter at: www.twitter.com/ALAyma

and then the hunt will be on!

Auction Alert-Dr. Seuss

2009-12-28T03:50:00.000-05:00

The January 7th auction at PBA Auctions in San Francisco is going to include 85 lots of Dr. Seuss material; books, original sketches and ephemera with many of the items signed.

factoid

2009-12-05T12:19:00.004-05:00

I love it when in snows in New York, (especially New York City) it seems that I always get a jump in online orders when the weather gets bad there.

Auction Price Realized- Darwin On the Origin of Species

2009-11-25T18:03:00.003-05:00

From www.Artdaily.org

First Edition of Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species' Sells for $170,569

The book was recently rediscovered sitting on a bookcase in the guest bathroom of the vendor’s house. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd. 2009.

LONDON.- A rediscovered first edition of Charles Darwin’s (1809-1882) 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection' sold today at Christie’s in London for £103,250 / $170,569 / €114,298 (estimate: £40,000 to £60,000). Recently rediscovered sitting on a bookcase in the guest bathroom of the vendor’s house, it had been bought for only a few shillings over 50 years ago. The book was sold 150 years to the day after this seminal work of scientific literature was first published (November 24, 1859). It was bought by an anonymous client bidding by telephone.

Margaret Ford, Director and Head of Books and Manuscripts, Christie’s London: “It is a very fitting occasion to have sold this rediscovered copy of Darwin’s 'Origin of Species' 150 years to the day after it was first published. One of the most important and influential scientific books ever written, the copy sold today was an unusual rediscovery having been found in the guest bathroom of the vendor’s house. We are thrilled to have seen so much interest for the book leading up to the auction where clients competed in the room and by telephone, with an anonymous telephone bidder winning the battle and acquiring it for £103,250.”

The vendor’s son-in-law was recently visiting an exhibition on Darwin when he noticed a first edition of the book on display. Seeing the distinctive green spine, he recognized it as a book on a bookcase in the guest bathroom of his father-in-law; he found there a fresh copy of a rare first edition of the book. It was this copy that sold today at Christie’s for £103,250 / $170,569 / €114,298.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is most recognized for his theory of evolution, which states that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors. His most notable publication was 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection' which was first published on November 24, 1859, and which became one of the most influential scientific books ever written. He was buried in Westminster Cathedral alongside Sir Isaac Newton, and is one of only 5 non-Royal Brits to be honored by a State Funeral, the others being Lord Nelson, The Duke of Wellington and two former Prime Ministers; Lord Palmerston and the Rt. Hon. William Gladstone.

Book Scouting

2009-11-24T13:02:00.003-05:00

On the subject of non traditional book scouting locations....

Rare Charles Darwin book found on toilet bookshelf

LONDON – An auction house says it is selling a rare first edition of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" found in a family's guest lavatory in southern England.

Christie's auction house said Sunday the book — one of around 1,250 copies first printed in 1859 — had been on a toilet bookshelf at a family's home in Oxford.

The book will be auctioned on Tuesday, the 150th anniversary of the publication of the famous work. Christie's said the book is likely to sell for 60,000 pounds ($99,000).

Darwin's "The Origin of Species" outlined his theory of natural selection, the foundation for the modern understanding of evolution.

Celebrations around the world this year have marked the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth.

I also check out the books used for displays in furniture stores and restaurants, have not found anything exciting yet but I can dream...

bibliofanatic part II

2009-11-24T12:52:00.003-05:00

Keeping a calendar of favorite authors publishing dates-fan

Downloading the ebook version at midnight on date of publication and then still buying the hard copy--fanatic

bibliophile

2009-10-28T16:41:00.006-04:00

The most straight forward definition of a bibliophile is "a lover of books" and as a life long fan of books, both the reading and collecting thereof I think it would be fun to discuss the signs and symptoms of when a fan becomes a fanatic.

Buying every book written by an author as soon as it hits the stores-fan

Haunting the bookshops to see if anyone accidentally shelved a new title prior to the book's release date--fanatic

Discussing an author or specific book with friends-fan

Trying to talk about same book or author with strangers on the street--fanatic

Joining book groups to discuss books and learn about new titles or authors-fan

Trying to peek at the title of a book that the stranger on the bus (or gym, or doctor's office...) is reading--fanatic

Watching your favorite decorating show and trying to read the titles of the books on the shelves-fan

Refusing to ever watch said decorating show again when the decorator stacks books to hold up vases or removes dust jackets from books because "the books look neater"--fanatic

I'll post more examples of these as I do them, uhmm I mean as I think of them.

Gotta Love Grandfathers

2009-09-11T22:28:00.006-04:00

I've sold children's books since the early 1990's, first by catalog sales and since 1996 via the internet. From my earliest days in business one of my favorite type of customer to talk to has been Grandfathers. In print or out of print they want to provide there grandkids with the best of the best. Whether it is my Armenian American grandfather who wants books that reflect that culture, the grandfather who wanted to replace the books he read to his daughter, for her to read to her own daughter, or the call I got recently from a soon to be granddad who wants to surround his new family member with the best of children's literature. They are dedicated buyers and repeat customers.

Wizard of Oz Waddle Book-Auction Price Realized

2009-07-03T22:29:00.002-04:00

PBA auction house in San Francisco auctioned this great copy of Baum's The Wizard of Oz Waddle Book complete with slotties for a most impressive $21,600.

[8], 211 pp. Illustrated with 8 color plates by W.W. Denslow with text on the versos; black & white illustrations in the text and some full page; how-to assemble directions for all 6 waddle toy die-cuts illustrated on the last 3 pages, perforated stubs present between pages 46/47, 94/95, 143/144 (Waddle sheets detached). 9x7, olive-green cloth, color pictorial cover label. First Edition, First State.
Includes the rare 6 die-cut "waddle toys," while the sheets containing the Waddles are detached from the binding the Waddles themselves are still in their flat cardboard panel state, never removed or assembled. Also with the folding yellow brick road, likewise unassembled and never used. The waddle toys are printed in colors on a thin stock cardboard and intended to be assembled with metal hip connectors, 10 of which are present in a small envelope as issued. Also included are the original instructional envelope which holds the die-cut parts for the ramp and a wrap-around band which proclaims: "Under this band in the large envelope, you will find an ingenious runway. It can be set up by any child and will form a perfect base on which to set the Waddle Characters. Just place them on this runway, tap them gently to side and off they will go, walking all by themselves, without the aid of any mechanical power...". Very rare to find a copy with all six of the Waddles present, exceedingly so to find them in the original unused state. This is the first state, with publisher's imprint at foot of spine. Hanff & Greene I, pp. 35-36, Plate 7.Condition: Wrap-around band clipped open at one end and with some chipping to fold at other end; envelope chipped at edges and with a large chip on rear (blank) side, several tears at edges of printed side; sheets holding Dorothy Waddle and Scarecrow Waddle each with a separation where the corner of the die-cuts come very close to the edge of the sheet, one tab on ramp bumped; light wear to volume edges, some faint soiling on rear cover, hinges cracked with mulling exposed, previous owner's name on front pastedown endpaper and 1937 gift inscription on verso of dedication leaf; volume about very good; Waddles near fine though Waddle sheets detached from binding.

2009 Edgar Award-Juvenile and Young Adult

2009-07-02T20:08:00.006-04:00

The 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award for the best juvenile went to THE POSTCARD by Tony Abbott published by Little, Brown.

In the young adult category the award went to PAPER TOWNS by John Green, published by Dutton.

Rest in peace my son

2009-06-09T13:51:00.004-04:00

Sometimes there are no words....

TAH DAH!

2009-02-21T23:18:00.004-05:00

590 items and way to long in compilation, the catalog goes to the printer on MONDAY!

2009 Catalog Update

2009-02-13T02:10:00.005-05:00

Well I'm getting a bit closer to being done; it looks like the catalog will have 595 items, and consist of Award Winners, (Newbury, Caldecott, etc), signed books, and books I just think are too cool for words. I'm hoping to have it finished and sent in the next 10 days, but then I thought it would be publishing before the end of January!

Bookstore Reviews

2009-02-11T12:52:00.003-05:00

This review of Borderland Books, a Science Fiction/Fantasy Bookstore in San Francisco is from a new blog site called "No Bookstore Left Behind"

Borderlands
Surprising it took me two and a half years to find a bookstore completely devoted to Science Fiction and Fantasy. Borderlands is located in the sunny mission smack dab in the middle of half a dozen other bookstores (more Mission bookstore reviews to come) and many dozen cafes, coffee shops and restaurants. An entire bookstore devoted to sci-fi…sounds like Eden, right? Except Eden is inhabited by two freaky cats. This aren’t normal cats (assuming they are indeed cats), they’re the hairless, “Sphinx” cats and they are as ugly as sin. Their faces are all shrunk up and wrinkly, their tails are exactly like rat tails. The first time I went in the store they both kept staring at me. The second time one of the cats followed me around meowing (apparently the other was at home, or out haunting the dreams of young children, and she was lonely). When I sat down with some of Ray Bradbury’s short stories, she climbed into my lab and clamored to be petted. Petting a hairless cat is a lot like stroking a bat. But she seemed to like it, she purred loudly for a while before setting in. Several people came by and did the “aaawwwwww….whatta cute kitty” routine. I refrained from asking them what they were smoking but it must have been strong.

Anyway, aside from the disconcerting cats, Borderlands is a great store. There is about a 60-40 distribution of new books to used, plus a smattering of rare editions. There is also plenty of space to sit and read, including a comfy couch.

quote for the day

2009-01-31T23:24:00.004-05:00

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991

I've got a 50% success rate on this....

catalog update

2009-01-25T16:45:00.003-05:00

Jeez, it's been such a long time since I've compiled a hard copy catalog that I've seriously underestimated the time it takes. It doesn't help that I've got a new (COLOR!) printer/copier that I'm learning to use so it's going to be an illustrated catalog.

So, the January 2009 catalog is currently over 500 items and is going to cover award winners, (Newbury, Caldecott, King, Edgar etc) and whatever other book that I think is cool. Hopefully it will be completed by mid February at the latest.

Compiling is the easy part, it's the editing that's going to take the time.

Mini rant

2009-01-12T20:06:00.005-05:00

I was in the local Borders bookstore this weekend looking at the new childrens picture books, just generally checking out what's new and what looks interesting, and I was struck again by the degradation in the childrens picture book section. This has been going on for a few years now but it has been especially bad over the last year, the picture book section has been shrunk by more than half it's original size and even more disappointing, a wall that at one time was dedicated to books is now "activity sets" and toys.

It's bad enough that I don't have an independent bookstore to shop at, but when the "big box" stores don't stock a decent collection it just flat ticks me off.

Award Announcement

2009-01-02T01:25:00.004-05:00

The 2009 award announcement for the Newbery and Caledecott medals will be on January 26th this year. The announcements will be webcast at 7:45am from Denver during the ALA mid-winter meeting.

A whole slew of other literary awards for childrens and young adult books will also be announced. I also follow the Printz award for young adult and the Coretta Scott King for African American titles.

Holiday Greetings!

2008-12-05T19:55:00.006-05:00

Here is our Christmas card this year! I hope the holidays find you well and happy and which ever holiday you celebrate, be sure to celebrate with those you love....

Holiday Sales

2008-11-30T13:23:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a surprisingly busy holiday, with the largest number of orders coming in on Thanksgiving day. It makes a nice ending to the slower than usual sales rate for November. Here's hoping that the orders continue to be strong for Cyber Monday.

condition report

2008-11-28T18:47:00.009-05:00

Weather conditions: 39 degrees and dark way too early

Bookseller condition: sulking

(PBA auction house in San Francisco is having an auction of children's book on Dec 11 and I'm stuck on the wrong blasted coast)

2008 National Book Award - Young Adult

2008-11-21T20:15:00.008-05:00

The ABA awards were announced on November 20th and the juvenile award went to What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell.

Taylor's Antique Mall Update

2008-11-21T13:28:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd post an updated picture of my little book corner in the basement of Taylor's Antique Mall in Ellicott City.

I wanted a small space, where the books could be browsed, so the shelves are not arranged in any particular order and the books are a mixture of children's and adult titles, with some ephemera and childrens' magazines (Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill etc) tucked in the bin in the corner.

To keep the space easy to browse, I'm going to fill the remaining shelf space, but I probably will not add any more shelving. I may add a bit more lighting though and some more holiday decorations!

Helen Dore Boylston-Biblio Checklist

2008-11-19T13:18:00.011-05:00

Sister: The War Diary of a Nurse. NY: Washburn, 1927 . 202pgs, 20cm.

Sue Barton, Student Nurse. Boston: Little, Brown, 1936. Illustrated by Forrest W. Orr. 244pgs, frontis, plates. 22cm.

Sue Barton, Senior Nurse. Boston: Little, Brown, 1937. Illustrated by Major Felten. xi, 220pgs, frontis, plates, 22cm.

Sue Barton, Visiting Nurse. Boston: Little, Brown, 1938. Illustrated by Major Felten. frontis, plates, 22cm.

Sue Barton, Rural Nurse. Boston: Little, Brown, 1939. Illustrated by Forrest W. Orr. 254pgs, 22cm.

Sue Barton, Superintendent of Nurses. Boston: Little, Brown, 1940. Illustrated by Forrest W. Orr. 239pgs, frontis, plates, 21 cm.

and then in a break from Sue there was:

Carol Goes Backstage. Boston: Little, Brown, 1941. Illustrated by Frederick E. Wallace. frontis, plates, 21 cm.

Carol Plays Summer Stock. Boston: Little, Brown, 1942. Illustrated by Major Felten. frontis, plates, 20 cm.

Carol on Broadway. Boston: Little, Brown, 1944. Illustrated by Major Felten. frontis, plates, 20cm.

Carol on Tour. Boston: Little, Brown, 1946. Illustrated by Major Felten. frontis, plates, 20cm.

Carol Goes On the Stage. London: John Lane, 1947. Illustrated by Frederick E. Wallace. 190pgs, frontis, plates, 19cm. This is the English edition of Carol Goes Backstage.

then back to Sue Barton with:

Sue Barton, Neighborhood Nurse. Boston: Little, Brown, 1949. Frontis by Major Felton. 236pgs, col frontis, 20cm.

and the final Sue Barton book:

Sue Barton, Staff Nurse. Boston: Little, Brown, 1952. Illustrated by Major Felten. 204pgs, 20cm.

Clara Barton: Founder of American Red Cross. NY: Random House, 1955. Illustrated by Paula Hutchison. 182pgs, 22cm.

author's final title:

Travels With Zenobia: Paris to Albania by Model T Ford (with Rose Wilder Lane). William Holtz (editor). Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1983. 117pgs, 22cm. ISBN: 0826203906.

I would include Boylston's Sue Barton and Carol books on my even as x-libris book list. (With my usual dust jacket caveat.)

oh bleh....

2008-11-16T14:04:00.008-05:00

Well, I'm still working on the 2009 catalog, the first snail mail catalog in over a decade and I'm remembering very quickly the reasons why I was so very glad to give up issuing catalogs in the first place.

Picking a theme and the books to go into the catalog is not a problem. The problems are with the actual formatting of the catalog. Decisions like whether the catalog will be full page or booklet size, items separated into sections and what those sections should be, what items are to be illustrated and whether the illustrations will be with the listing or in an insert. These are the decisions that just drive me crazy (crazier anyway).

I also think that when you make a living selling the bound and printed word, there is an extra pressure to not produce a crappy looking catalog. So it is always a balancing act between time and cost involved in producing and proofing a catalog and the need to get the blasted thing finished and mailed so it can pay for itself and move QUICKLY from an expense and into profit.

Catalog 2009 Childrens Illustrated and Award Winners

2008-11-05T19:50:00.005-05:00

Well it's official; there is a blue moon coming, hell has frozen over and I've started compiling my first snail mail catalog in over 10 years.

I'm working on having the catalog ready January 2009 and if you would like to be put on the mailing list please send me an e-mail at: info@windyhillbooks.com.

Full Circle

2008-10-25T22:21:00.013-04:00

I started selling books by catalog in 1993 and joyfully migrated to Internet sales in 1996. In the early days of bookselling on the internet, I sold books through Interloc, Abebooks and Bibliofind. I even sold books to Amazon when their out of print department consisted of someone calling on the phone and asking if a book was available and then sending you the payment, PRIOR to shipping the book.

Flash forward to present: Interloc is now Alibris, Bibliofind was bought by Amazon, neglected to death and then shut down, and in this year alone, Abebooks bought Chrislands (which hosts my bookstore site) and less than 2 months later, ABE itself was bought by Amazon.

And me? I will be publishing my first print catalog since 1995, which will hopefully be mailed out in January 2009.

2008 Edgar Award Winners- Juvenile and Young Adult

2008-10-23T14:59:00.009-04:00

In the category of better late than never, (the awards were announced on May 1st) these are the books which won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for best Juvenile and Young Adult Mystery Novel for 2008.

The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh published by Hyperion.

Ratt Life by Tedd Arnold, published by Dial Books.

Market Research and Buying New Stock

2008-10-14T23:52:00.010-04:00

The in-print portion of an out of print and collectible book business is the speculative portion. If you can discover the new Harry Potter before everyone else, guess correctly on the next Caledecott or Newbery winner, or develop a mad passion for a new author well before the public discovers them-there is the potential to realize a large profit. Even though you are making a guess, the trick is to make it an educated guess, or you will be paying at or near full retail for stock which may never sell for retail again.

Routinely peruse Publisher's Weekly magazine and see what books are going to be published, (or as is the case with many children's titles, re-published). You can get a good feeling not only for trends but also how much marketing money/buzz a publisher is putting into a title or an author.

Also, for children's books, The Horn Book Review is a great way to identify interesting titles or upcoming authors and illustrators. A dealer specializing in in-print titles, no matter what the genre, should be studying both these publications as well as individual publisher's catalogs. Even for an out of print dealer, these magazines can help you determine which titles are generating buzz, and also ones are going to have a large initial print run and therefore would be wiser, to wait a bit and not pay full retail price.

Catalogs are great, but display is better, so I try to get to the in-print bookstores, chain and independent, at least 2 to 3 times a month. I'm also lucky enough to live close to a remainder warehouse, which I try to visit at least once a month, so I can also see which titles are on the way out of print. In some cases I'm able to purchase books I'm interested in, at a decent price, BEFORE they are attacked by the dreaded black marker.

To be totally honest, some of these recommendations are things that I SHOULD routinely be doing and don't; in part because I don't have the manpower, time, organization, or discipline.

Series Books

2008-10-13T18:38:00.004-04:00

Collectors of series books, bless their hearts, are a passionate and dedicated group. Anytime that I get a good series title in and list it in my inventory I can count on calls from collectors not just for the title listed, but for other titles in the series that I might have stashed away or may find in the future.

The problem is that I have over 13,000 children's books online, at any given time maybe 10 of them are series titles. I've found that serious collectors of series books are not usually interested in collecting other genres, and to specialize in series books as a dealer takes a major commitment in time, reference material, and most importantly space.

I never mind getting a call from collectors wanting to talk books, I always come away learning something, like the last book of most series is the most valuable etc. Kind of like the market research coming to me. But it does get frustrated at times to get calls that can't turn into sales.

A Little Mental Health Break

2008-10-09T22:06:00.004-04:00

Well I just got back from a 3 day mini-break, I did not go far but spent the 3 days reading, sleeping and NOT WATCHING THE NEWS!

Now rested and ready for (hopefully) the start of the holiday season.

Which brings me to my point; it is very easy with a home based business to always be at work and working, that way can lead to burnout ...however you choose to do it you need to find a way to take some time off.

Auction Price Realized- A WRINKLE IN TIME

2008-10-09T01:21:00.005-04:00

A bit of old news now, but the following very hard to find Newbery was auctioned by PBA galleries in San Francisco in Aug and fetched a most respectable $10,800. "First Edition of of the 1963 Newberry Medal winner, the 1965 Sequoyah Book Award, and the 1965 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. The first in the author's series of novels for children of the Murry and O'Keefe families. Extremely rare in the first edition, According to ABPC no copies have appeared at auction in more than 15 years.
Condition:
Very minor wear to jacket, primarily at spine ends, light browning to jacket edges and folds, small stain at foot of rear jacket panel; light wear to cloth at spine ends, faint stain on rear board corresponding with stain on jacket; small spot of foxing on front free endpaper; overall near fine in a like jacket." Unconfirmed rumor sez that an bookseller had the winning bid....all I know is that it was not me :-(

Auction Watch

2008-08-19T20:45:00.004-04:00

The PBA galleries auction on Aug 21st is auctioning some very interesting children's books, the highlight being a first edition in dust jacket of Madeleine L'Engle's A WRINKLE IN TIME.

Their auction estimate is $5,000-8,000 but I would not be surprised if it sold for quite a bit more. This is a very, very scarce title that (so far) I've only had once. About 8 years ago I handled a consigned copy in the second state dust jacket which I sold overnight to another dealer for $3,000.

Ooohh Lookit!

2008-08-18T01:10:00.008-04:00

As an out of print bookseller you spend a lot of time handling and processing general stock books, nice solid inventory that you describe accurately and hopefully sell quickly. But every once in a blue moon you get a bragging book in, one that by rarity/condition/edition you just want to do a happy dance, blow a figurative raspberry at other dealers and say LOOKIT WHAT I'VE GOT!

Like this one :-)

MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN by Jean George. Published NY: Dutton, 1959. First edition, Fine in a Near Fine dust jacket. 1960 Newbery Honor book and in 15 years the FIRST time I've ever even had this book in first edition.

A Booksellers Night Out

2008-05-06T21:32:00.005-04:00

Tom and I went to a regional book auction last night, some interesting books, both children's titles and otherwise. Fun to see what sold and for what price, also who showed up and what they seemed to be buying.

Tom surprised me; even with all the years he has had to put up with stacks upon stacks of books and my total inability to organize my way out of a paper bag, I think that if he had had been holding the bid card we would have come home with a couple boxes of mixed lots. (Maybe I would have bid too if it weren't for the 6 boxes of books due to be delivered here tomorrow. Hopefully I will have all day to attempt to organize them before he gets home and sees that chaos has struck again. There can be distinct disadvantages to being a home based bookseller.)

A lot of absentee bids on items so there was more being sold than to the dealers and collectors in the room, but it struck me looking around that at 51 years old we had to be at least a decade younger than most everyone else there. I certainly hope that the absentee bidders were the younger collectors and dealers that just could not get away on a week day, cause we sure were a geriatric lot in the auction room.

A little ramble on writing...

2008-04-04T08:37:00.005-04:00

One of my oldest friends is a natural born storyteller, she is funny, sometimes biting but always entertaining. It seems to me that for her writing is as effortless as breathing, and as someone who has to write 3 drafts to get one coherent, semi-grammatical paragraph, I admit to being pea green with envy.

I think that good writing is a lot like good singing; with some training and and a lot of practice you can learn to carry a tune, but very few people are born with a tuned ear and a true voice. So I practice, practice, practice....

A little bit of perspective

2008-04-03T21:26:00.001-04:00

It's more than a little humbling to google your own name and not come up until the 11th page. Especially since I've been online since 1996...

Another Image of Childhood- 1960's

2008-02-22T19:18:00.006-05:00

A Happy Nursery Book PLAY, story and pictures by Virginia Parsons. NY: Doubleday and Co. 1963.

I dare you to look at this cover and not smile!

Auction Price Realized- Harold's Trip to the Sky Crockett Johnson

2008-02-17T17:36:00.010-05:00

I usually don't report on Ebay auctions but the auction of a possible first of one of the Purple Crayon books by Crockett Johnson fetched a most reportable $565.

Dust jacket Art- Images from Childhood 1960's

2008-02-15T00:35:00.011-05:00

Some examples of 3 color illustrated dj art from the 1960's taken from books in my inventory.

THE GALLOPING GOAT AND OTHER STORIES by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Illustrated by Robert L. Jefferson. NY: Abingdon, 1965.

MYSTERY ON A MINUS TIDE by Marg Nelson. Jacket design by Catherine Smolich. NY: Farrar, Straus & Co, 1964.

A PLACE BY THE FIRE by William MacKellar. Illustrated by Ursula Koering. NY: David McKay, 1966.

Dust jacket Art 1960's Juvenile Sports Books

2008-02-10T01:35:00.001-05:00

Well, one of the advantages of spending most of your time uploading pictures of inventory is you get to see some neat books. Here are a few images of some juvenile sports books from the sixties that we currently have in stock.

Stepladder Steve Plays Basketball by C. Paul Jackson. Illustrated by Frank Kramer. NY Hastings House 1969.

Last Summer To Ride by Patricia Leitch. NY: Funk & Wagnalls, 1965. (First published in the U.K. in 1963 as: Janet, Young Rider.)

The Comeback Guy by C.H. Frick. NY: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961.

I'd really rather be reading....

2008-02-08T03:00:00.000-05:00

We've finally started the slow and tedious process of uploading images of our online listings. The process is slow because it is hard even with help to find the time take the blasted pictures and tedious because we are not only uploading them to our own store at windyhillbooks but are also sending them to a couple of the large book database sites.

I know we are late to the game getting pictures of our books online, but with over 12,000 books it was daunting even thinking about getting started. We finally started uploading on Feb 1st and have approximately 250 images to date, it will be interesting to see how long it is going to take to get this finished.

Pardon Me Have You Seen My Childhood?

2008-02-05T04:12:00.001-05:00

A compendium:

"I remember a book I had when I was 4 or 5 or maybe 6

It was blue or green or maybe yellow

And had a picture of a duck or frog or puppy dog

The duck was lost but found his way home

The frog was bad but her family loved her anyway

And the puppy was hardly ever afraid of the dark or being alone.

It’s gone now, lost when we moved

or in the basement flood of '78

or the garage sale the year I left for college...

That’s the book I want to buy, do you have it?"

More Images of Childhood- Juvenile Dustjacket Art 1940's - 1950's

2008-02-05T02:46:00.000-05:00

After a few years dealing with children's books a dealer can usually date a book (at least by decade) by illustrator art alone. Here are a few examples of 1940's and 50's dj cover art from books in my inventory.

Trudy Terrill Eighth Grader by Bernice Bryant. Dj by Alice Carsey. Published by Bobbs-Merrill, 1946.

Old Charlie by Clyde Robert Bulla. Illustrated by Paul Galdone. Published by Crowell, 1957.

That Jud! by Elspeth Bragdon, illustrated by Georges Schrieber. Published by Viking, 1957.

2008 Coretta Scott King Award

2008-01-21T21:08:00.001-05:00

Again from the ALA website:

The 2008 Coretta Scott King Award for juvenile title went to Christopher Paul Curtis's Elijah of Buxton which also was a Newbery Honor book.
And the award for picture book went to Ashley Bryan's Let it Shine.

I'm going to upload better images for these titles shortly....

2008 Printz Award for Young Adult

2008-01-14T12:49:00.000-05:00

also from the ALA site:
2008 Award Winner

The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean, published by HarperTempest, an imprint of HarperCollins has won the 2008 Michael L. Printz Award. The award announcement was made during the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, January 11-16.

2008 Newbery and Caldecott Awards

2008-01-14T09:32:00.000-05:00

From the ALA website:

2008 ALSC Literary and Related Award Winners

In order to post the winning information as expeditiously as possible, we are providing a straight list of 2008 ALSC award winners, including book title, author, and publisher. Additional information, including annotations and book cover images for each award-winning title, will be posted to the individual award pages as soon as possible.

John Newbery Medal

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick)

Newbery Honor Books

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (Scholastic/Scholastic Press)
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion)
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (Putnam/GP Putnam's Sons)

Randolph Caldecott Medal

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)

Caldecott Honor Books

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Ellen Levine (Scholastic/Scholastic Press)
First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Roaring Brook/Neal Porter)
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtin by Peter Sís (Farrar/Frances Foster)
Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems (Hyperion)

Phooey, with the exception of Hugo Cabret and Knuffle Bunny Too, I was not aware of any of these titles, ususally my award radar is better than that!

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T16:00:00.000-05:00

found in my web wandering....

"I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.

I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.

All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."

Auction price realized Magna Carta

2007-12-18T21:15:00.000-05:00

From the Washington Post:

Magna Carta sells in NY auction for $21.3 million
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A rare 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta was sold at auction for $21.3 million by The Perot Foundation at Sotheby's in New York, the auction house said on Tuesday.

The Magna Carta established the rights of the English people and curbed the power of the king. The U.S. Constitution includes ideas and phrases taken almost directly from the charter, which rebellious barons forced their oppressive King John to sign in 1215.

Sotheby's said the Magna Carta was ratified and reissued with each monarch who succeeded John. It was enacted as law in 1297 by the British parliament when it was reissued by King Edward I. The copy sold on Tuesday is from 1297.

When it announced the auction in September, Sotheby's said the document was valued at up to $30 million.

The medieval vellum manuscript was bought at auction by the founder of a private equity firm, David Rubenstein, who plans to keep it where it has been on display at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington D.C.

Sotheby's said there are fewer than 20 copies of the Magna Carta and that this copy is one of only two held outside of Britain. The other copy, also from 1297, is owned by the Australian government.

The Perot Foundation, created by billionaire former U.S. presidential candidate Ross Perot to make philanthropic grants, will use the money for its charities. The Foundation bought the Magna Carta in 1984.

(1984 purchase price was 1.5 million, not a bad appreciation!)

Vocabulary Builder

2007-11-11T04:44:00.000-05:00

This site hosts a vocabulary game where for every correct answer the advertisers will donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. (1000 grains is roughly one cup).

Harry Potter Auction Price Realized

2007-11-09T23:14:00.000-05:00

This in from the Oct 25th auction at Heritage Auction Galleries. A first English edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. (a X-library copy!) fetched a very cool $33,460.

J.K. Rowling: The Rare True First Edition of the First Harry Potter Book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. ([London]: Bloomsbury, [1997]). First edition. Octavo (7.75" x 5"). 223 pages. Publisher's pictorial laminated boards, no dustwrapper was issued for the first edition. Ex-library copy, with ink stamp to copyright page that shows through to the title page, two blemishes to paper from staples to the preliminary pages, including title. Light bumping to corners, and general light rubbing, small scratch on the rear board, evidence of label removed from front free endpaper but barely noticeable. Altogether, a very good, handsome copy, with the covers and text block remarkably clean and tight. The book shows very well. Very scarce indeed. Reputedly only 300 hardcover copies were printed, nearly all of these went to schools and libraries. This particular copy was once the property of the Portsmouth City Library, evidenced by the library stamp on the title page, which reads "Portsmouth City Council Library Service". Both first issue points present on the copyright page: "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" and "Copyright © Text Joanne Rowling 1997".

Eloise Auction Price Realized

2007-11-08T20:25:00.000-05:00

From the 10/25/07 auction at PBA Galleries this signed first edition of Eloise by Kay Thompson fetched $3737 after buyers premium.

Nobody reads anymore?

2007-10-12T22:02:00.000-04:00

Anytime I read too many articles proclaiming that no one reads anymore and the days of the book are over, I go re-read this paragraph written by my daughter shortly after she moved from the mid west to San Francisco:

I went to the SF Friends of the Library book sale today. I've been to library booksales before, so I knew I had to go to this sale. It was held in Fort Mason, one of the old warehouse-military type buildings on the piers. I walked in, past a dozen registers or so, and got to a mini-food court area before I really comprehended what I was seeing. You know that part at the end of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the lost ark, where the arc is crated and stored in a huge area filled with other crates? Thats what it was like, only with tables and tables of books. I almost wet myself.

In the end, I bought what I thought I could carry home then grabbed a cab when I realized I couldn't. Good times.

The readers are still out there, harder to find perhaps but just as passionate.

I wish I could be lofty and superior and claim to know the secret of raising a passionate reader, but truth be told we've raised two children in the same environment, crammed to the rafters with books, but only one is a serious reader the other does not read anything unless absolutely necessary.

word for the day

2007-10-11T22:43:00.000-04:00

DISCIPLINED

the second definition from dictionary.com:

2. activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer.

Antithesis of disciplined: me

Even as x-libris

2007-10-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

Another series title that I would pick up even as a library discard if and only if it still had a dust jacket attached is:

Helen Dole Boylston's Sue Barton books. Especially the first in the series: Sue Barton Student Nurse. Originally published by Little Brown in 1936 this book was in print a long time. (Abebooks lists a 43rd printing.)

On ebay and other sites

2007-10-11T18:05:00.000-04:00

There are many professional booksellers that maintain an active presence on ebay both for the selling and the buying of inventory. If you believe ebay's hype theirs is the only marketplace that matters on the internet.

Although I do occasionally sell, and even more rarely buy on ebay, and I've also experimented with there very pricey ebay stores option, for the most part I've, (forgive the pun) opted out of ebay. The reason is not so much based on their fee structure or even the fact that I seriously resent the zeal in which they try to shove the use of Paypal down dealer's throats; it is due to the fact that I'm a compulsive auction watcher, if I have an item listed or I'm planning on bidding on an item, I'm constantly checking the listing and sulking if I feel the treasure I'm selling is not being appreciated. Believe me sulking in a woman my age is not an attractive thing.

More succinctly, even without compulsive auction watching or any other form of procrastination, no small book selling operation will be able to do equal justice to all online markets, the decision of where the majority of effort should be focused is a personal choice and a bit of a moving target.

Promoting your own website, Amazon, Alibris, Abebooks or other database sites, ebay or some of the smaller auction sites, offline catalogs, presence in a brick and mortar location, blog promotion, acquiring inventory, there are myriad areas demanding attention and the amount of attention needed will not only vary with the type of operation but also with the time of year. At its best being an independent book seller is as much of a balancing act as a high wire artist performing without benefit of a net; awesome when everything is going smoothly but always one small miscalculation away from disaster.

Celebrating Words and Moms

2007-10-10T11:21:00.000-04:00

My sister sent me a copy of this video by comedian Anita Renfroe titled Total Momsense, which totally made my day.

2007 National Book Festival

2007-09-29T21:22:00.001-04:00

I took a bit of a busman's holiday today and went to the the National Book Festival on the mall in Washington D.C. Bought some books, listened to a bit of the talks, stood in a few of the very long signing lines....

Before it got too crowded.

Mercer Mayer designed the banner for this years festival.

Jennifer L. Holm promoting her new book called "Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf".

Patricia MacLachlan signing her new book "Edward's Eyes".

Me with my loot!

condition report

2007-09-27T08:03:00.000-04:00

Weather Conditions: 65 degrees and muggy
Bookseller Condition: groggy

...not enough coffee in the world to make me alert today

Truly Rare

2007-09-27T02:13:00.000-04:00

There have always been booksellers that argue that the term "rare" as it relates to books or documents should be used only in this realm~

From the Washington Post:

Rare Magna Carta to be sold at Sotheby's in NYC

Reuters
Tuesday, September 25, 2007; 12:20 AM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A rare 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta valued at up to $30 million is due to be sold by The Perot Foundation at Sotheby's in New York in December, the auction house said on Tuesday.
The Magna Carta established rights of the English people and curbed the power of the king. The U.S. Constitution includes ideas and phrases taken almost directly from the charter, which rebellious barons forced their oppressive King John to sign in 1215.
Sotheby's said the Magna Carta was ratified and reissued with each monarch who succeeded John. It was enacted as law in 1297 by the British parliament when it was reissued by King Edward I. The copy to be sold is from 1297.
Sotheby's said there are fewer than 20 copies of the Magna Carta and that this copy, which has been on display at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington D.C., is one of only two held outside of Britain. The other copy, also from 1297, is owned by the Australian government.
David Redden, Sotheby's vice chairman, said the document "symbolizes mankind's eternal quest for freedom; it is a talisman of liberty."
Sotheby's said The Perot Foundation, created by billionaire former U.S. presidential candidate Ross Perot to make philanthropic grants, would use the money for its charities. The Foundation bought the Magna Carta in 1984.

Sad day today...

2007-09-08T13:47:00.000-04:00

From the New York Times:

Madeleine L’Engle, Writer of Children’s Classics, Is Dead at 88

By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Published: September 8, 2007

Madeleine L’Engle, who in writing more than 60 books, including childhood fables, religious meditations and science fiction, weaved emotional tapestries transcending genre and generation, died Thursday in Connecticut. She was 88

George M. Gutierrez

Full article available at: New York Times

2007 Baltimore Antiquarian Book Fair

2007-09-05T01:03:00.001-04:00

Every year, roughly in conjunction with Labor Day, there is a massive 4 day antique show held at the Baltimore Convention Center. Along with the hundreds of antique dealers there were 60 or so Antiquarian Booksellers who showed their treasures.

I only managed to sneak a one day visit to the show this year, more to visit the dealers I know than to buy books (the buying budget is a tad tight at the moment). I was there early on Saturday and while it did not seem crowded, it did appear that both the antique and book collectors were buying.

Some of my favorite book people who had booths:

Michael J. Osbourne specializes in books on City Planning and Urban design. His booth was hopping the whole time I was there!

Drusilla of Drusilla' Books specializes in children's books and always has a wonderful booth with customers that come each year just to see her books. She also has a great shop on Howard Street in Baltimore.

At Drusilla's booth I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Steven Loew the owner of Gadfly Book and Paper Conservation. I only hope someday to have something so rare and wonderful as to need his expert services.

Dan and Jan Riker of Basset Books are used and out of print booksellers also from Columbia, Md. In fact they live less than a mile from me!

Greg Williams of Walk A Crooked Mile Books in Philadelphia was there again this year. Greg also specializes in children's books and I've sold books to him off and on since the late 90's and still have not got to Philadelphia to see his store.

Me- gravitating to my natural habitat; which is anywhere that there are books and COFFEE!

Hubin's Crime Fiction

2007-08-17T13:28:00.000-04:00

A just got my copy of Hubin's Crime Fiction 1749 to 1980: A Comprehensive Bibliography, and have been browsing to my hearts content. A great reference book, I realize the print had to be small to fit all the information in at 712pgs, but I wish they had invested in some darker ink... I've got a serious case of eye strain.

I wonder if anyone has done a bibliography, or even a biblio checklist of juvenile mysteries?

(shameless & crass marketing link to my juvenile mystery catalog listed above.)

2007-08-17T13:27:00.001-04:00

"The best fertilizer for a field is the footsteps of the farmer...."

and

"the devil is in the details..."

If you plan to operate on online or catalog book selling business it is a good idea to keep faith with both these concepts.

Keeping on top of your inventory means more than repricing; you have to maintain the books in the condition described and in a way which allows you to find them easily once they sell. Also plan on some sort of inventory numbering system, even in the out of print and collectible market, you will end up with a surprising number of duplicate copies which will usually not be interchangeable.

It also means tracking your costs, not just inventory cost, but packing material, shipping costs, online fees, ALL expenses....the devil is indeed in these details.

And finally, expect that sometime in your book selling career that there will be an economic downturn, or a system failure or a family emergency or some combination of disaster scenario and keep funds and contingency plans in place for when something does happen.

even as x-libris

2007-08-16T23:23:00.000-04:00

Sally Watson wrote great juvenile historical novels and it has always amazed me that her books were never reprinted.

Mistress Malapert. NY: Henry Holt, 1955. Illustrated by Genia. This book in particular seems to generate a great many want requests.

(I'd pick up any of her titles, even as x-libris as long as the dust jackets were not too mangled. )

David Edwards First Book

2007-08-15T19:35:00.000-04:00

David Edwards, an avid collector of modern signed children's books and a dedicated and determined writer will have his first book published in October. David's wish was to have at least four copies of every title he collected (one for each of his children) which allowed many a children's bookseller to see black ink instead of red at the end of a month.

The Pen That Pa Built written by David and illustrated by Ashley Wolf will be published in October and is available at Amazon.com for pre-order.

Book Description

In this warm display of old-fashioned know-how and family spirit, a blanket is made from scratch--from the shearing to the carding, spinning, dying, and weaving. And it all starts in the pen that Pa built. Told through Ashley Wolff's vibrant artwork, this illustrated history of 1830s North America celebrates the lost art of creating a cherished, homemade object.

Homesick Mid-West Blues

2007-08-15T15:51:00.000-04:00

I've been a fairly happy transplant to the East Coast; Maryland with it's history, culture and bookstores, is a much more dynamic (and pricey!) place to live than was an acreage out in the cornfields of Iowa. And believe me, my appreciation of Maryland increases exponentially each month of it's short winter season.

We've been in Maryland for 4 years now so I was a bit surprised to get a call yesterday from a small press and almanac collector in Atlanta wanting to know if I had the first and second issues of a Iowa regional magazine called The Wapsipinicon Almanac. The Almanac is an annual magazine published and printed by Timothy Fay in Anamosa, Iowa and has been described in a review as "part New Yorker and part Farmers Almanac".

I had advertised in the Almanac in the early 90's and since I still have the same toll free number the collector hoped I would have copies of the first two issues. It took me a while to find my magazines and unfortunately I did not have the issues he wanted, but this very well crafted and literate magazine is a must have for anyone who has enjoyed or hopes to enjoy a more rural lifestyle. I've spent the last 6 hours or so re-reading my Wapsi Almanacs so I guess it's no surprise that I'm now sitting here staring out my window wishing I was seeing cornfields instead of trees and rooftops.

Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar

2007-08-12T20:47:00.000-04:00

The Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar which just finished up in Colorado Springs has been held every summer for well over 20 years. The 5 day seminar is advertised as being a training forum for for Booksellers, Librarians, and Collectors and among the talks includes a detailed training exercise on how properly catalog (describe) a book.

One of these years I'm going to beg, borrow or steal the time and the money and attend. I can't imagine anything more fun than spending 5 days with other crazed booksellers. I've been reading the news group and blog discussions on the seminar and besides making me pea green with envy they got me thinking about how my book descriptions have been dumbed down over the years.

Some of the traditional book selling terms and abbreviations that I no longer use for online book listings are:

signature: a group or gathering of leaves printed together on a sheet of paper which is folded, bound with other signatures and trimmed to form a book or pamphlet; i.e. a section or grouping of pages in a book resulting from printing and binding methodology. (omitted altogether, too many customers confusing this for an author or illustrators signature)

n.d and n.p. are spelled out as no publication date or no place of publication

t.e.g. or a.e.g.: is now written out as top edge gilt or all edges gilt.

x-libris or x-library I've had to change to library discard.

Another identifier that I'm not using at all in online are the traditional book sizes:

Folio: more than 13 inches tall
Quarto (4to): approx. 10 to 13 inches tall, average 12 inches
Octavo (8vo): approx. 8 to 10 inches tall, average 9 inches
Duodecimo (12mo): approx. 7 to 8 inches tall, average 7.5 inches
Sextodecimo (16mo): approx. 6 to 7 inches tall, average 6.5 inches

The Abebooks site has a glossary of bookseller terms, but I find most customers don't want to wade through a lot of abbreviations and in the internet world of instant click are not going to take the time to look up terms they don't understand.

(Information that I always include in my listings is: Author(s), Illustrator(s), Publisher including place and date. Binding type i.e. Hard Cover, Soft Cover Library Binding etc. Edition statement and a solid description of book and dust jacket condition. )

2007 Edgar Mystery Award -Juvenile and Young Adult

2007-08-08T15:06:00.002-04:00

The winner of the 2007 best juvenile mystery went to Room One by Andrew Clements. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2006. Illus by Chris Blair.

and the winner of the 2007 Edgar award for best young adult mystery went to:

Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready. NY: Dutton, 2006.

(I need to catch up on my reading, I did not know of either of these titles before the award announcement.)

even as x-libris

2007-08-06T22:18:00.000-04:00

Another good book to scout is Tony Hillerman's only children's book, The Boy Who Made Dragonfly: A Zuni Myth. Harper & Row, 1972. Illustrated By Laszlo Kubinyi.

(This one has an ISBN # so you will have to grab fast or fight the Scoutpal users for it.)

Genre Collecting- Juvenile Mysteries

2007-08-05T21:40:00.000-04:00

I was visiting with another children's book specialist the other day and we were doing the usual free association book natter, the topic being the books that seem to be most sought by collectors in the juvenile mystery genre. The list below does not cover the series books (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden etc.) and is by no means complete:

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. (This book won the Newbery Award and is probably my single most requested mystery title.)

Enid Blyton's Fabulous Five stories, especially from the 1940's and 1950's. Published by Hodder Stoughton. (My dealer friend is from the UK, I'm not sure these were even published in the U.S., though I remember reading them in California in the 60's.)

Elizabeth Honness. Her books were all "Mystery of" Mystery of the Secret Message, Mystery of the Maya Jade etc. Mostly published by Lippincott.

Phyllis Whitney wrote juveniles, including juvenile mysteries, as well as adult mystery/romances. She won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for juvenile mystery in 1961 for Mystery of the Haunted Pool and in 1964 for Mystery of the Hidden Hand. Whitney's juvenile mysteries were published by Westminster Press which sold almost exclusively to libraries, so finding first edition or even early edition of her mysteries that are not library discard is a major feat.

As I said, this is mostly an off the top of my head observation based on personal experience, not on market research. The flaw with working this way is that it tends to be a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy; these are some of the books I loved growing up, so I scout them as a dealer and find collectors who share the same interest.

Where the Wild Things Are Auction Price Realized

2007-08-04T20:43:00.000-04:00

From the July 12th auction at the PBA Galleries, this copy of Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are had fetched $6900. (This is less than I thought, I know of copies that have reached the $10,000 range.)

The Little House Auction Price Realized

2007-08-04T18:44:00.000-04:00

The July 12th auction at the PBA Galleries not only had a first in dust jacket of Curious George but also this beautiful first edition in dust jacket of Virgina Lee Burton's The Little House. The auction price realized was $9775.00. (I specialize in children's books and have been a full time dealer since 1994 and have never seen a first edition of this book.)

Oh, The Places You'll Go

2007-08-03T14:16:00.000-04:00

There is a very active group of collectors for all Dr. Seuss material, both books and ephemera, but Oh, The Places You'll Go is the single title that I have the most requests for from the non-collectors market. The number of requests increases each spring with the school graduation season.

even as x-libris

2007-08-02T21:35:00.001-04:00

With a nod both to the legion of series collectors and my own childhood memories:

Robert Arthur's Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators and the Secret of Terror Castle. NY: Random House, 1964. Issued without a dust jacket. This is the first book written in The Three Investigator's juvenile mystery series.

(I loved this series as a kid and judging from the large number of fan sites I'm not the only one who remembers it fondly.)

The bookseller is out...of her mind

2007-07-26T15:07:00.000-04:00

Well I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, enjoyed it so much that I decided I would re-read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

After a few days in immersed in Rowling's fantasy world I was not ready to give up fantasy for reality yet so I decided to read Patricia Brigg's Raven Shadow and Raven Strike (which I enjoyed) and then re-read her Dragon Bones and Dragon Blood, (which are still two of my favorite of her books. I'm hoping someday the author will write a third in this series but she is currently writing a series of modern werewolf books.) Then I finished off my 5 day book binge with a re-read of Bujold's Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls.

I tend to do this type of binge reading any time I'm stressed; I guess it is healthier than over-eating or drinking but boy do I have a lot of work to catch up on. I wonder if there is a 12 step program for fantasy addiction....

condition report

2007-07-22T12:39:00.000-04:00

Weather Conditions: 82 degrees and breezy
Bookseller Condition: Happy, happy, happy

...the bookseller has snuck away and is reading (Harry Potter of course!)

Geek Out

2007-07-18T21:37:00.000-04:00

Don't get me wrong, I love being a bookseller specializing in modern children's books and have spent the last 14 years or so learning all I can about this field (that and reading my inventory). But every now and the then my inner techno geek emerges and demands science.

When that happens I find myself browsing nanotechnology websites, reading articles about the latest in hydrogen fuel cells and solar panels with the same sense of wonder I remember from when I was a kid reading Asimov's Lucky Star and the Rings of Saturn or Heinlein's Have Space Suit Will Travel.

The common thread between the science fiction of my childhood and my fascination with modern tech is the feeling that even though we may be a victim of space pirates, time, or just our own shortsightedness we also have the capability and the responsibility to discover, create or just plain fix something that is broken.