Member Blogs > Tavistock Books

• Happy International Literacy Day! All Hail the Printing Press

  Thu, 08 Sep 2016 01:37:46 Permalink
  As everyone (at least, everyone who is reading this blog) probably knows, the advent of the Printing Press in 1454 (the year the Gutenberg Bible was printed) instigated a major boom in reading and literacy worldwide. Suddenly even the common man could afford a booklet or even a book… there was no longer an aristocratic or […] Read More

• Happy Birthday to Mary Shelley… and the Birth of Frankenstein

  Tue, 30 Aug 2016 11:30:49 Permalink
  Once upon a time, there was a large house that sat alone on a cliff in the countryside. It contained more dark corners and cobwebs to count. On one dark and stormy night, inside that house a birth took place. One young lady (and a terribly naive young and handsome doctor) created a terrible creature […] Read More

• Welcome to the Biennial Reference Book Workshop with Tavistock Books (For All You Lazies Who Didn't Sign Up)

  Wed, 24 Aug 2016 11:19:57 Permalink
  1. Hooray! Another Reference Book Workshop! Who attended and how was the vibe of the event in your eyes? This was like the 11th or 12th I’ve hosted this workshop since the first in 2001.  Due to space constraints, I limit registration to 7, which was attained this year shortly after the announcement but relatively […] Read More

• Happy 170th Anniversary to the Smithsonian Institution!

  Wed, 10 Aug 2016 11:00:19 Permalink
  In 1829 an English chemist and mineralogist name James Smithson died. This, in and of itself, should not have influenced the United States in any grand way… but it did! This English chemist, born in Paris and the illegitimate song of the 1st Duke of Northumberland donated all of his lifetime of earnings and his […] Read More

• "You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm." A Look at Colette – Scandalous & Beloved French Writer

  Wed, 03 Aug 2016 10:00:44 Permalink
  I readily admit that I am a fan of the badass literary woman. Give me Anais Nin, Marguerite Duras or Virginia Woolf any day – women who tell it like it is, who aren’t afraid to examine deep parts of the psyche, of feelings on sex, attraction, anger… any and all of the above. It […] Read More

• The Lost Generation: Expatriates Living in Paris in the Roaring 20s

  Wed, 27 Jul 2016 10:34:50 Permalink
  Once upon a time, there was the Roaring 20s. There was plenty of jazz, shorter skirts and illegal booze all over the place. The End. Just kidding!  I could never stop a 20s blog with that – not when it is one of my favorite periods! (In an “I would live then only if I […] Read More

• Some Books-on-Books Titles That Might Be Missing from Your Reference Library

  Wed, 20 Jul 2016 02:05:07 Permalink
  Do you ever wonder what the most useful reference books are for your collection? Whether you are a bookseller, a librarian or even just a customer, it is important to know what you are buying, what you are selling, and what you’ve got! Reference books are one of the keys to being a responsible cataloguer, […] Read More

• "It is better to learn wisdom late, than to never learn it at all" The Life of the Great Creator of Sherlock Holmes

  Thu, 07 Jul 2016 12:10:36 Permalink
  On the 7th of July, 1930, Arthur Conan Doyle died at age 71 from a heart attack. On this the 86th anniversary of his death, we’d like to look at this famous author, spiritualist & physician and his lifetime contribution to so many different fields! Conan Doyle (as he is often called, though Conan Doyle […] Read More

• Rare Books and Manuscripts Galore! We Get a Low-Down of Last Week's RBMS Conference from Our Very Own Attendee!

  Wed, 29 Jun 2016 12:47:34 Permalink
  Vic, how many years have you attended RBMS for now? My first RBMS Conference, then called the Preconference for the conference precedes the big ALA event, was in San Francisco, 2002.  I was the local ABAA rep to the RBMS Local Affairs committee, and helped with things like stuffing the book bag, helping arrange the […] Read More

• Charles Dickens & the Beginning of "The Pickwick Papers"

  Thu, 09 Jun 2016 01:11:55 Permalink
  Get yourselves ready for one of the most morbid (therefore, we celebrate it in high style) days of the year… the anniversary of Dickens’ death! Every year we do a Dickens blog around this day, though I prefer to think of it more as a celebration of life blog, rather than as a homage to […] Read More

• "Perhaps life is just that… a dream and a fear": A Brief Biography of Joseph Conrad

  Wed, 01 Jun 2016 11:26:01 Permalink
  A large genre of antiquarian books collected and sold by many is known as “Modern Firsts”. Now, quite obviously that refers to Modern First Editions, right? Right! However, what many don’t realize is that the scope of Modern Literature is truly as wide as it is varied! Some “Modern” authors that people recognize the names […] Read More

• Look no further… than the Latest Items at Tavistock Books!

  Wed, 25 May 2016 12:47:11 Permalink
    Does the name Victoria Lucas ring a bell to you? She’s a super famous poet! We recently wrote a blog about her, even. Not ringing with understanding yet? Hmm… she also struggled with depression her whole life and wrote some of her most famous poems at the peaks of her despair. Here’s a hint […] Read More

• "In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." OTD in 2001, the Universe Lost … "a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher… or, as his wife would have it, an idiot."

  Wed, 11 May 2016 01:38:49 Permalink
  As a child, I was required to listen to many different things. Classical music, for one. Teachers getting annoyed with me for asking too many questions, for another. And… The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy quotes, for a third. For that last particular factor I have my father to thank. (Though actually, now that I think about […] Read More

• "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both"… As we lose one "Prince", We Study Another

  Wed, 04 May 2016 11:17:42 Permalink
  Niccolò Machiavelli is a name known to many. We all know (with a name like Niccolò… it’s pretty obvious) he was Italian, we know he wrote “The Prince” and we know that he is quoted by posh academics. Often. And at length.  But what else is known about our man Machiavelli? For instance, did you […] Read More

• "And then I spent two years wandering the Sahara Desert before being rescued by a wandering trio of exiled German princes who brought me along as their entertainment… a court jester, if you will…"

  Wed, 20 Apr 2016 12:07:38 Permalink
  Personal confession: normally I am a proponent of all types of blogging. Though I believe the (not-so-old) adage “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet” – I also find the internet to be a most useful place for information. Some of it genuine… some of it not quite so genuine… some of it kind, some […] Read More

• There and Back Again: a New York Book Fair Tale by Vic Zoschak

  Wed, 13 Apr 2016 12:18:56 Permalink
  So you have now attended your… what, 27th New York ABAA fair? How does it feel? Well, perhaps not quite that many, but have gone, either as an exhibitor, or as an attendee, pretty much every year since becoming an ABAA member in 1995.  I haven’t exhibited at the fair since sometime in the early […] Read More

• The Art of Freeing the Mind (and Body) with Henry Miller

  Fri, 08 Apr 2016 12:59:34 Permalink
  Normally our author blogs are based on a date in the life of said author – birthdays, publishing dates, even memorials to their deaths. I’d like to take this moment to say that this is not one of those types of dates. This blog is completely and utterly random… all because I recently dreamt about […] Read More

• Who cares that Gold was found near Sacramento? Check out these Gems we Mined at the Sacramento Antiquarian Book Fair…

  Thu, 31 Mar 2016 11:00:16 Permalink
    Circa 1869, this pamphlet titled “God is Love. A Sermon” was authored by George Storrs – one of the leaders of the Second Advent movement, affiliated with William Miller and Joshua V. Himes. After a fair amount of study, Storrs preached to some Adventists on the condition and prospects… for the dead. OCLC records […] Read More

• It's Always Sunny in Sacramento

  Thu, 24 Mar 2016 02:00:42 Permalink
  Our main lady, the lovely Kate Mitas, reports on the recent Sacramento Antiquarian Book Fair. That’s not all… perhaps I should call it (for Tavistock Books, at least) the most recent and successful Sacramento Antiquarian Book Fair. Stay tuned! Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m willing to bet that by now, if you’ve been following Tavistock’s less […] Read More

• Be on the Lookout! Come to the Sacramento Antiquarian Book Fair for…

  Wed, 09 Mar 2016 09:42:40 Permalink
  The Sacramento Antiquarian Book Fair is coming up and as usual we will have some hot new items with us for your perusal! Check out our list below for the latest acquisitions that may be of interest. Also, please feel free to ask us to bring anything you may want to take a look at […] Read More

• "You're wrong as the deuce, and you shouldn't rejoice. If you're calling him Seuss – he pronounces it Soice." (But then changed it to Seuss, so…)

  Wed, 02 Mar 2016 11:58:05 Permalink
  If someone says “Children’s Books” to you, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Picture books? Perhaps here is the better question… what author first comes to mind? I would venture to bet that at least 90% of you come up with the same name. However, did you know that the name […] Read More

• Pride and Prejudice and Bookselling: Confessions from the 49th California International Antiquarian Book Fair

  Fri, 19 Feb 2016 02:37:09 Permalink
  This past weekend Team Tavistock (Vic Zoschak & Kate Mitas) braved the 49th Annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair. How was it, you ask? Well, we’ve asked Ms. Mitas and she kindly volunteered her thoughts on the fair. Find out below! It is a truth universally acknowledged that a bookseller in possession of a good book […] Read More

• Lurking in Person at the San Francisco (Mateo) Book, Print & Paper Fair

  Wed, 10 Feb 2016 04:17:08 Permalink
  I have done many “my first book fair” blogs for Tavistock Books. I wrote about my first ever book fair working behind the booth, I wrote about my first ever book fair that I had to fly to exhibit at. I wrote about my first ABAA fair. Unfortunately for you, this blog will be of […] Read More

• Adah Isaacs Menken's Relationship with Charles Dickens: A Blog in Honor of his Upcoming 204th Birthday

  Wed, 03 Feb 2016 10:51:28 Permalink
   “[Menken] is a sensitive poet who, unfortunately, cannot write.” -Charles Dickens Adah Isaacs Menken died in Paris on August 10, 1868, only eight days before her collection of poems, Infelicia would be published. Dedicated to Charles Dickens, Infelicia highlights Menken’s complicated relationship with her literary contemporaries—and, perhaps, her unfailing talent for generating publicity. Details about Menken’s […] Read More

• A Wonderland of Books, Indeed! Happy 184th Birthday, Mr. Dodgson!

  Wed, 27 Jan 2016 01:23:30 Permalink
  One of my most favorite Children’s writers of all time was born on the 27th of January, 1832. Scratch that – one of my most favorite writers, period, was born on the 27th of January, 1832. Many critics of great literature have commented on the fact that one of the most lasting kinds of literature […] Read More

• Come to Pasadena, for There You'll See…

  Wed, 20 Jan 2016 11:47:59 Permalink
  We are exhibiting at the Pasadena ABAA Fair! If you have a chance to come check out Booth 418 while you’re there (February 12th-14th at the Pasadena Convention Center), here are some of the goodies you can hope to find. See anything else on our site you’d be interested in perusing? Shoot us an email! […] Read More

• "He was America": Happy Birthday Carl Sandburg!

  Wed, 06 Jan 2016 02:05:02 Permalink
  Admitting this is probably one of those phenomenally bad ideas I continuously have despite how much older I get, but I am one of those wicked people who pretended to know, well…something about this American literary star for many years. People would mention his name and I would be all, “Oh yes, Carl Sandburg, wow… it went […] Read More

• The Antiquarian Book World in 2016

  Wed, 30 Dec 2015 01:00:11 Permalink
  Woohoo! It is almost 2016 and have you got a whirlwind year ahead of you! Interested in Book Fairs? Book events? Bibliophiles in general? The Antiquarian Book World has got you covered. Check out the most pressing book events (mainly CA or ABAA related) in early 2016 below! January: Now until January 10th: If you haven’t […] Read More

• Collecting Antiquarian Bibles (What Better Time to Discuss than at Christmas?)

  Wed, 23 Dec 2015 05:12:04 Permalink
  The Bible is the most common English-language book in the world, so it would hardly seem like an ideal focus for rare book collectors. But the history and variety of Bibles make collecting them a diverting and challenging occupation—especially because one can often start a lovely collection without spending too much money. Finding Your Focus […] Read More

• A Warm Welcome (High-Five Included) to the Newly Nominated Vice President of the ABAA!

  Thu, 17 Dec 2015 09:28:56 Permalink
  Our very own Vic Zoschak Jr. has been recently announced to be the new Vice President of the prestigious Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (the ABAA). We pick his brains about the new role (and how he is to be bribed when in said position…) below! So we are looking at the new Vice President of […] Read More