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Relics of revolutions are avidly collected— uniforms, bullets, swords, guns, and propaganda, are carefully preserved. Until recently, however, relics of one of the most sweeping revolutions, the social revolution in women’s rights that culminated in the suffrage struggles of the early twentieth century, gathered dust or were discarded. As interest in the feminist movement has increased, so has interest in its collectibles. In the following article, the first of two or more ar

Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition Even in these days of fast internet access to all sorts of arcane information, when you can “Google” just about anything, there is a print-and-paper reference work that retains its dusty luster and a fierce band of loyal adherents. This book is the so-called “Britannica 11”, or the 11th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1910 and 1911. The Encyclopedia Britannica was first published in three volumes between 1768 and 1

I read only reference books. Or so I say when asked if I still am a book reader when others discover that we have collected our way into a full-time book business. Perhaps I should say that these books, here, are not for sale, at present. It is the only section of shelves that I turn to regularly, the last remnant of an assortment of books that eventually collapsed under its own weight, was swept up, and offered for sale to other eager seekers of the Colossal Collection. Two

Mystery and detective fiction is probably more popular today than at any time in its history, including the so-called Golden Age in the 1920s and 30s. I’ve tried to aim this list at generalist dealers who might want more information about mystery fiction, but do not need the reference works of a specialist in the field. Because, as Christopher Morley said of Sherlockian writings, “Never has so much been written by so many for so few,” I have separated Holmes-related items fro

So much for the classical origins of ephemera. What does the term mean for us here and now in the opening years of the new millennium? For some basic paper training, one could begin appropriately enough with a published source of information . . . also known as the dreaded price guide. I go to one crowded country auction where hanging on the wall near the slow checkout desk is a nice framed 1930s-era oil painting of an old-time auction. They were often held right in front of

Scenic views in Western Massachusetts make driving to the MARIAB Fall Book Fair a treat On Saturday, October 19th, the Massachusetts & Rhode Island Antiquarian Booksellers held their annual fall book fair at the site of the Historic Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was the second year for the fair in this venue. For the last decade MARIAB’s fall show has been a veritable Flying Dutchman of a fair — moving from Wilmington to Andover and now to Springfield —

The Midwest Bookhunters held their annual fall book fair October 13th, at the DePaul Student Center on the Campus of DePaul University in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Dealers and customers were both excited and pleased with the new venue of the DePaul Student Center, which is a brand new facility and is used as the University’s Student Union. Previously the Midwest Bookhunters had held other book fairs at DePaul; however, it has been several years before a suitab

This year marked the 15th Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair (SABF). This annual autumnal event is said by many exhibitors to be one of the best book fairs not staged by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), but this year’s occasion was noteworthy not only for the exhibitors, attendees and millions in collectible material sold, but also as a snapshot of the current used book industry. As Seattle has been enjoying unseasonably dry weather, a picturesque fall w