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The ABAA’s first official webinar took place on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. My calendar, iPhone alarm, etc. were marked for the date and time, and my own excitement built as I sat down to meet the faculty and hosts, namely: Sarah Baldwin, George Krzyminski, Brian Cassidy, Sunday Steinkirchner, Janine Moodhe and Susan Benne. There was, I will admit, a small learning curve on my part with regards to the actual program that allows for the webinar. Dashing between desktop and laptop,

My brother and I started fooling around with the idea of starting a shop in early 2002. He was finishing up at Rutgers and my days of fruitfully mucking about with the stock market (back when you could do that – and even say it out loud) had ended with a gasp and a sputter. Before that I’d been a (para)paralegal, a telephone operator, a line cook, a dish washer, and, very briefly, an 11th grade English teacher. I used to tell people that we were aiming to explore our ambivale

What is the name of your business and when was it started? John Howell for Books started on January 1, 2005. Where are you located? Los Angeles, California. We live in a National Historical Landmark Property called the Village Green. If one were traveling West on the 10 Freeway from downtown, one would take the La Brea South Exit. East of Culver City and North of Baldwin Hills. People living Downtown, Hollywood, or points north and east think of the area as “On the way to LAX

[Editor’s note: For more on trade discounts, see our related article Trade Discounts: Good For One and All.] NOTE: These are pitched to the “first-time askers” — those of you who would like to request a dealer discount from a fellow bookseller who you’ve never bought from before, and who is a complete stranger to you. Lesson 1. Ask directly. Take the time to seek out the seller’s email address, and send a direct message. (It’s acceptable, for the sake of convenience, to make

Other People’s Books Association Copies and the Stories They Tell. The Caxton Club (2011). Like a junkie seeking a secret fix, I furtively ordered a copy of Other People’s Books Association Copies and the Stories They Tell. I must confess to a penchant for books signed by their authors and inscribed to professional colleagues, family members or friends. I treasure the gems in my own collection and strive to locate and place other such ‘wants’ in the hands of my customers. For

What was the name, dates, and place of fair? Antiquarian Book Fair within the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, August 25-28, 2011 (Thursday – Sunday) at the Baltimore Convention Center – Inner Harbor. Did you attend as a buyer or as an exhibitor? Buyer What seemed to be the mood among buyers? I was there on Thursday and Friday, under somewhat difficult circumstances; the week had begun with an earthquake, and was ending with Hurricane Irene headed for the area. Sandbags were b

Table of Contents Looking Forward, Looking Back 2008 Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS) Journal, or Teaching an Old Dog Some New Tricks “Rare Book School is like graduate school.” DeWayne and Joan White, White Unicorn Books, Dallas, TX Terry Gibbs, Gibbs Books, Williamsville, NY Meryll Williams of Rainy Day Books (Australia) Why I Belong to the IOBA BEST OF: The Boot Camp for Book Dealers BEST OF: Rare Book School, A Week Among Bright Bookish Minds BEST OF: Overlooked a

With this issue, I happily and proudly assume the editorship of the IOBA’s (long neglected) Standard. And with our first new installment in more than two years, we also begin the tenth volume of The Standard, one that unveils what I hope will be only the beginning of many improvements to our august publication. But as with many things, before we can go forward, it helps to look back. In the last two years, the IOBA has matured. Where in years past our membership directory did