tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384320141963762926.post5399787850229598283..comments2024-03-18T12:21:07.141-05:00Comments on American Book Collecting: William Reese (1955-2018): A Personal HomageKurt Zimmermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027574788531126159noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384320141963762926.post-41147544182137065172018-06-12T15:24:13.656-05:002018-06-12T15:24:13.656-05:00Thank you for this. You capture for me what's ...Thank you for this. You capture for me what's been inexpressible since this news crossed my bow. Very easy to enumerate the magnitude of his stature in the trade and the world of rare books generally; though the surprises kept coming for me on that account as well. I spent most of my career in such awe of the guy I couldn't treat him as a human... But he gave me no justification to feel that way whenever I interacted with him. It maybe been ten years ago or more that, for whatever reason, he started chatting with me on a personal level, the kind of thing I wouldn't ever have felt I could initiate myself. The intelligence, the accomplishments, all incredible, but all the more impressive when I realized he was also inexplicably unpretentious and generous with his time if it was about books, a fine human being.Kevin F. Kelly, booksellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00913120508669288091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384320141963762926.post-3400969592902698042018-06-11T18:36:30.684-05:002018-06-11T18:36:30.684-05:00I want to send you a simple note of gratitude for ...I want to send you a simple note of gratitude for your excellent memoir of Bill Reese. Like everyone else, I was shocked by his untimely death. You captured much of what was so distinctive about him, and you gave me new perspective on his life.Dana Gioiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05899305928052830588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384320141963762926.post-19545826248784085322018-06-11T15:17:09.231-05:002018-06-11T15:17:09.231-05:00A characteristically balanced, nuanced, and inform...A characteristically balanced, nuanced, and informative job, Kurt. Although a sometime customer for years, I really wasn't acquainted with WSR himself (and envy all those who were). However, when I once called on him to ask a good-size favor, he couldn't have been nicer despite my relative nobody status. I suppose he knew that sort of unexpected grace is what creates legends in the rare book business, not to mention loyalty, and I'm sure I wasn't alone in receiving it. I'd hoped his forty-plus year career would lengthen by several more decades, and am indeed saddened it was cut so short. His legacy is as indisputable as you say it is. Let's hope he's now sharing war stories with George D. Smith, A.S.W.R., Ernest Wessen, Thomas Streeter and the other great Americanists.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09477201493480048471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384320141963762926.post-4251927873607341502018-06-10T21:16:52.848-05:002018-06-10T21:16:52.848-05:00Wonderful as always, Kurt, though this time on a s...Wonderful as always, Kurt, though this time on a sad occasion. One of my favorite books on books in my collection is "The Michael Zinman Collection of Early American Imprints" (Library Company, 2001). I got Bill Reese and Michael Zinman both to sign at the 2005 San Francisco Book Fair--and they did with dueling inscriptions, poking fun at each other. That was my one encounter with Bill. Like you, I saw him at many other fairs, but he always seemed too busy to engage. So glad that you got to know him.William M. Klimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17628915355580035706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384320141963762926.post-68752778589045339752018-06-10T15:13:58.014-05:002018-06-10T15:13:58.014-05:00Hi Kurt,
Thanks for this fine account. Bill was...Hi Kurt,<br /><br /> Thanks for this fine account. Bill was so interesting as a person to me. I always wondered what kind of family he came from, literate? Wealthy? His taste was so damn sophisticated, and I was often boggled by his ability to recognize important works that everybody else had forgotten or ignored, that's part of a definition of a great dealer if you ask me, brining new things to the attention of the right people. ToddTodd Pratumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01200979556888817915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384320141963762926.post-45787955235891888502018-06-10T15:08:52.465-05:002018-06-10T15:08:52.465-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Todd Pratumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01200979556888817915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384320141963762926.post-52086562748790149362018-06-10T14:12:02.577-05:002018-06-10T14:12:02.577-05:00I'm surprised that nobody, except me, on Exlib...I'm surprised that nobody, except me, on Exlibris, has mentioned that Bill's widow is a granddaughter of Ralph Isham, as was Bill's first wife, who died quite some time ago, and who was his widow's sister.<br /><br />More specifically, I wonder if Bill had interesting material relating to Isham or knowledge of Isham's life, as a collector, that isn't commonly known. <br /><br />Dave<br />PS Gabe Austin was a good friend of mine, whose memoirs I would have loved to see, but Gabe had no interest in writing them.David Klappholzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03176613847022060087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384320141963762926.post-32652314049534508512018-06-09T22:32:54.807-05:002018-06-09T22:32:54.807-05:00Kurt,
Thank you for posting this very sad news. I...Kurt,<br /><br />Thank you for posting this very sad news. I'm currently traveling and not paying much attention to the world--just brought up your blog for any recent blog articles- not the Zimmerman post I was hoping for.<br /><br />Well, off to C-Span for a few hours of remembrance. The William Reese presentations on rare book history he did 15+ yrs ago are still important and really the only thing like it on the internet. A very sad evening. <br /><br />The last few years have been so filled with loses...Bob Fleck and then Ian Jackson. Great sources of biblio knowledge are being lost much quicker then I can accept. If anyone was (is) ever going the write the history of the book world post WWII (picking up where Gordon Ray left off) I was positive it would be Bill Reese. This loss is tremendous.Ninthgate Libraryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16072151094914809120noreply@blogger.com