Featured Item No. II: Randall's DUKEDOM LARGE ENOUGH. Inscribed to Frederick B. Adams, Jr.

David A. Randall. DUKEDOM LARGE ENOUGH [REMINISCENCES OF A RARE BOOK DEALER, 1929-1956]. New York: Random House, [1969].  xiv 368 [1] p. Plates.  8vo.  Maroon cloth, spine stamped in gilt, dust jacket.

Inscribed to Frederick B. Adams, Jr., “For Fred from Dave, Aug. 7, 1969.  It all seems far away and long ago.”  Bookplate of Adams.  Adams has marked various sections with annotated slips. Laid in is a copy of a TLs dated Jan. 24, 1973, from Randall to Reginald Allen at the Pierpont Morgan Library, discussing the acquisition of Gilbert & Sullivan material including reference to Carroll Wilson, and Randall’s thoughts on how a bibliography should be written.  Also laid in is the AB tribute to Randall by Michael Papantonio.  Adams delivered the main address at the gala dedication of the Lilly Library in 1960.

 A companion piece, acquired separately, is an exceptional ALs from Adams to David Randall dated Paris, January 18, 1970, spurred on by Adams’ reading of the book:   “Dear Dave, I have just this afternoon finished Dukedom Large Enough. . . you have a lot of good stories to tell of men and books and you tell them damn well, without any pretentiousness, telling the bad with the good, and bringing back to me so many memories of old days and of wonderful people that we had fun with.  There were others too—Phil the literate bartender—Mrs. Clampitt, Sara Hay and others who entertained me if you were busy with a client when I dropped by—and a collector or two whom you didn’t mention, for reason of libel? . . . As to the introduction of Carroll Wilson and Waller Barrett, my memory runs this way.  CAW and Tom Streeter and I were working on the 100 Influential American Books [1947] and we had heard—through you? Through the Grolier Club?—that there was a youngish collector of American literature whose library might be worth looking into for some possible loans.  As I recall it, I made the date by correspondence, and in due course on a Sunday shortly after lunch Carroll and I descended from the Long Island RR train at Garden City to be greeted by a man neither of us had met before—C.W.B.  He took us to his comfortable but not grandiose suburban home, and our eyes were opened—bugged!  There seemed to be a whole room full of Henry James, and what’s more our host had read them.  He had a scattering of many authors, and by golly he knew exactly what he had and what he himself thought of it as literature.  The other thing I remember about the afternoon was the extraordinary number of children who seemed to be popping in and out irregularly, and assembled for tea, because we stayed on and on.  Obviously this was a collector after Carroll’s own heart—that was the beginning.  Some day we must ask Waller how he remembers it.  And what did Waller lend to the glorious 100?  One book certainly, which was included in the show at his insistence, W. G. Simms The Yearnassee. He already owned, I am sure, the country’s finest Simms collection, doubtless reinforced since then.”

Great Bookseller Catalogs

Readers be forewarned:  My brief hiatus from blogging is now over.  (Been busy with work.)  Let the posts commence!

My friend John Payne, bookman, appraiser, and bibliographer of Steinbeck and W. H. Hudson, is currently working on a book entitled Great Catalogs by Master Booksellers.  The manuscript is in draft form and John has asked for feedback from a number of noted booksellers and book people to finalize the 100 or so catalogs that will be featured.  The catalogs will encompass 19th & 20th century examples in English.  Of course, any list is subjective, but a primary thrust is to highlight great booksellers and their catalogs in a way never done before.  This will draw attention to the whole subject and provide a foundational reference for further study.

John was gracious enough to ask me to write an introduction.  I've been chipping away at it and recently finished.  The intro as it will appear in the book will focus mainly on historical context.  However, I've also penned some personal reflections on bookseller catalogs that I'm posting now for your enjoyment and edification.  I'm highlighting a few interesting bookseller catalogs from my own collection, too.

If you have any favorite bookseller catalogs that you feel would be candidates for the book please let me know and I'll pass them on to John.  I will keep you posted on publication as well.  This will be an important reference and fine read!

Here follows some personal reflections on catalogs:

The 2012 California ABAA Book Fair: A Book Hunter's Holiday

The 45^th California International Antiquarian Book Fair would be called in sports terms “A Super Bowl of Books.”  The Fair was held this year in Pasadena, California, at the Convention Center, February 10-12.  It alternates yearly between the Los Angeles area and San Francisco.   Some 200 of the top book dealers in the world gathered to tempt bibliophiles with a plethora of rarities, meet clients new and old, and network with fellow members.   One woman dealer observed in amusement that during set-up before the show the booksellers were colorfully dressed in quite a vast array of casual wear from cut-offs to tennis shoes, t-shirts and mismatched fashion statements.  Come opening day, however, the group had miraculously transformed themselves into spiffy, polished, book selling gurus.  

                It was this crowd that my wife and I entered into on Friday afternoon, the first day of the show.  This first day drew the most serious and eager book people.  There was a buzz of excitement in the air and quite a few booths already had patrons.  Imagine a museum quality display of thousands of rare books in every conceivable category and they are all for sale.  This convention center venue was a good one—open, airy, well-lit.  The rows of dealer booths were lined up with military precision.   It would take me all three days of the show to get through them.

Barton Currie: Formidable Book Angler

Barton Wood Currie (1877-1962) best captured the spirit of the 1920s Golden Age of book collecting in his witty and insightful Fishers of Books (1931).  Currie transcended much of the bibliophilic genre with this highly personal account of his development from naive enthusiast to seasoned veteran.

Featured Item No. I: Arnold's FIRST REPORT OF A BOOK-COLLECTOR. 1/85 copies

I thought it might be entertaining and (perhaps) enlightening to post selected items from my collection on a regular basis.  Each will feature a description of the work.  Keep bookin'.  Kurt Zimmerman
 

William Harris Arnold.  FIRST REPORT OF A BOOK-COLLECTOR; COMPRISING:  A BRIEF ANSWER TO THE FREQUENT QUESTION “WHY FIRST EDITIONS?” WITH SOME REMARKS ON THE COMMON SUPPOSITION THAT MERE SCARCITY IS A REASON FOR COLLECTING THEM; AND FIVE EGOTISTICAL CHAPTERS OF ANECDOTE AND ADVICE ADDRESSED TO THE BEGINNER IN BOOK-COLLECTING: FOLLOWED BY AN ACCOUNT OF BOOK-WORMS. Jamaica, Queensborough, New York: Printed on the Marion Press, 1897-1898.  xi 97 [2] p. Frontis., plates, illus., facsimiles, inserted leaves, two folded leaves in pocket at rear. Small 4to. Original stiff vellum, spine stamped in gilt, custom slipcase.  Limitation: No. 51 of 85 copies, signed by the printer, Frank E. Hopkins.  Also signed by Arnold at the end of the foreword.  Notes:  A second, less elaborate edition, limited to 220 copies, was published in 1898. 

Great Expectations -- Bowers and Hinman

Re-reading a classic work of literature can lead down unexpected bypaths.  In my case, I can’t claim the re-reading was premeditated.  In fact, as I settled my tender loins against the hard, wooden bench, a book was not on the front burner.  My wife, Nicole, had an appointment.  Since we were together, I hunkered down to wait for her.  The appointment ran long and turned into a two hour sigh fest – or could have. 

Across from me sat an oblivious couple of flat-bellies, early twenties, deeply engrossed in their I-phones.    I deftly whipped out my Android phone, recently acquired, and spent a few minutes fumbling aboard the internet.  I still felt pretty cool.   This amused me for a little while but being well-seasoned I soon looked around for something printed to read.  Nothing.   Frustrated, I played more with the phone and noticed the pre-loaded “Books” application.  I opened it and my phone offered me a selection of Google-scanned free classics, one of them being Dickens’ Great Expectations.   I selected it and my e-reading adventure began.  The text was easy to read and “turning” pages required only a simple swipe of my thumb.

The Beinecke Brothers: A Yale of an Association Copy

The Beinecke brothers weren’t your average well-heeled alums looking to have a name on a building as a path to immortality.  Edwin J. (1886-1970) and Frederick W. “Fritz” (1887-1971) Beinecke were two of America’s most notable book collectors.  Their common love of books was supplemented by a long professional relationship working together in the various family businesses.   The two brothers, along with other members of the family, built Yale a new rare book library in the early 1960s.  The Beinecke Library at Yale is renowned for its holdings and groundbreaking modern design.

It is doubtful my brother and I will someday build our alma mater, The University of Texas—Austin, a new rare book library.  We are fortunate that UT’s Harry Ransom Center is already in place and frankly, unless we win the lottery and then do some Warren Buffett-style investing with that money the cash flow may come up a wee bit short.  Nonetheless, I can still relate to the brotherly camaraderie of collecting.  My brother and I collected a number of things together as youth; most notably a vast assemblage of beer cans still housed twenty-five years later in our parent’s attic.  I moved onward and upward to books and my brother has “collected” countries, having visited over 110 of them and counting.