Holiday Book Drive and Christmas 2013 Catalog
We have been hard at work putting together what we think will be a great program for this holiday season. Partnering with several local charitable organizations, we will be hosting a holiday book drive to collect books for donation to those less fortunate. Interested in participating? It’s simple. If you have new or gently used books you would like to donate, please contact us or drop by our store with them. If you would like to buy books for the purpose of donating them, you can purchase from us and receive a gift certificate towards your next visit, or you can purchase elsewhere and drop them off to us.
We want to make this easy – the idea is to make books available to those who might not otherwise have access to them. We want to promote literacy, and spread a little holiday cheer at the same time. We understand not everyone has the financial ability to offer donations. If you cannot personally contribute, please consider sharing the information about our book drive program with friends and family. The more people who know about it, the more successful it will be.
Interested in contributing, but not sure what to donate? We’ve put together a catalog of holiday titles that will be sure to put smiles on the faces of those who receive them as gifts. Make sure to check out the book drive flyer and catalog below! Please feel free to contact us with any questions about the book drive program. Happy holidays!
Jonathan Smalter, Bookseller, ABAA, ILAB, IOBA
Yesterday’s Muse Books
32 W Main St Ste 1
Webster, NY 14580
585-265-9295
www.websterbookstore.com
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September 2013 Newsletter
For those not on our mailing list, here is a look at our latest newsletter. We’ve also embedded our latest new acquisitions list at the end of the post:
Another month has come and gone, and as always we have been busy booksellers. This past weekend we exhibited at the 41st Annual Rochester Antiquarian Book Fair. We had more dealers than usual this year, and enjoyed a record turnout of browsers and bibliophiles. Everyone seemed very pleased with the Main Street Armory, the new venue for this year’s event. Here is a photo taken by one of our colleagues of myself and my fiancee Kristine:
Booths were bustling with activity throughout the day as customers inquired about books on display, or asked questions about their own collections. We purchased a number of items ourselves, including a first American edition of George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia, a set of Shakespeare’s works in an attractive silk-lined publisher’s case, and a small collection of travel literature featuring decorative cover designs by A. & C. Black publishers.
Watch for these, and a number of interesting and scarce items acquired at the end of August, in next month’s newsletter. But first, have a look at what we have been working on for the last month:
See a few things you like? Enter coupon code S10TWO013 during checkout, and when you buy three books you get another FREE! (Please make sure you have at least four books in your shopping cart, or the discount won’t work.)
Below is one of our favorites from this month’s acquisitions, a limited edition of Shakespeare’s complete works inspired by the famous Shakespeare Head Press edition printed in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon (commonly known as the Stratford Town Shakespeare).
The Works of William Shakespeare, in Ten Volumes – Shakespeare Head Press Limited Edition, #585 of 1000
A hearty helping of Shakespeare
The Works of William Shakespeare, in Ten Volumes
We couldn’t wait until our next newsletter to share this gem with our followers:
[The Stratford Town Shakespeare]
Shakespeare, William; Clark, William George; Wright, William Aldis
The Works of William Shakespeare, in Ten Volumes – Shakespeare Head Press Limited Edition, #585 of 1000
Duffield & Company, New York / Shakespeare Head Press, Stratford-upon-Avon 1904. Limited edition, #585 of 1000. Large 8vo. Complete in ten hardcover volumes. Original beige cloth, paper spine labels. Printed on laid paper in a limitation of 1000 copies. This was the first work to be released by the Shakespeare Head Press, which was a fine press in Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon which undertook to carry on the sort of printing that the Kelmscott Press made famous. It is to this day the only complete set of his works to be produced in his hometown, and is often called The Stratford Town Shakespeare. This set was reproduced by Duffield & Company of New York in another limitation of 1000, which is the set offered here.
Very good. No jackets. Spine labels toned with loss from two volumes, boards of a couple volumes lightly soiled. Descriptive label tipped in on front endpaper of first volume.
$950
August Newsletter
I thought followers of this blog might enjoy seeing our monthly newsletter, so I have copied our August issue below in its entirety, and embedded a PDF of our most recent highlights catalog. Those interested in receiving our newsletter monthly, please visit our website at www.websterbookstore.com and complete the web form on the homepage.
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Before I get to the usual fix for our loyal bibliophiles, I have some news to announce:
I have officially been accepted as one of the newest members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA). This is a respected trade organization which promotes professional and ethical bookselling, and sponsors several of the largest, most respected book fairs in the world. This is a big step in my career, and a bright spot in the history of Yesterday’s Muse Books. Big thanks go out to those who encouraged me to pursue membership, and to the other booksellers who were kind enough to give their time to be my sponsors during the application process.
And now to the rest of this month’s news:
The sidewalk sale we launched last month is going strong – thank you to everyone who has stopped out for great deals. For those who have not heard about the sidewalk sale – every Friday and Saturday through the middle of August, we will be offering bargain books outside our shop. All books are $1 each, or you can fill one of our bags for $8.
A big project we just began work on last month is the Rochester Antiquarian Book Fair, which I am co-organizing this year along with Franlee Frank from Greenwood Books. This year it will be held on Saturday, September 7th at the Main Street Armory. Check out the fair’s Facebook page for more details:
Rochester Antiquarian Book Fair
While you’re at it, drop by the store’s Facebook page to view our This Just In album – check it out regularly to find the latest deals.
Speaking of deals, in addition to the usual in-store coupon we include with our newsletters, here is a coupon for use this month on our website:
Enter coupon code A8TWO013 during checkout, and when you buy three books you get another FREE! (Please make sure you have at least four books in your shopping cart, or the discount won’t work.)
Here are links to our usual new acquisitions lists:
This month we were lucky enough to acquire a signed first edition of Ayn Rand’s masterpiece Atlas Shrugged, as well as a sumptuously bound copy of Thomas A Kempis’s Of the Imitation of Christ. We also cataloged a few examples of early stock market material, a set of Theodore Roosevelt’s works, numerous books dealing with book arts and decorative arts, and a science fiction serial featuring the first appearance of Orson Scott Card’s Hugo Award winning Ender’s Game.
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Below is the full highlights list:
This Just In – Hand-Painted Chinese Portraits; Marie Bonaparte’s Five Copy Books; Etc.
Here is today’s crop of new books, which includes two very interesting items – if you’d like any of these, comment to claim them! Prices and other details are listed in the captions – click the image to zoom.
The first image shows some of our usual bargain fare. The sets of pictures following it are of two particularly interesting items, just acquired today.
The first is a set of Marie Bonaparte’s Five Copy Books, a scarce collection of facsimiles of the notebooks of a ten-year-old girl, originally discovered in her father’s files. She was a contemporary of Freud, and these formed the basis of some of her psychoanalytical studies of girlhood. Our price is $325.
The second is a collection of hand-painted portraits of Chinese women, some notable historical figures, others noted for their beauty. They are excellent examples of Chinese art, all done on fine silk mounted on sturdier backings and bound in the accordion style popular for collections of eastern art. The covers are wood, with a carved emblem on the front board. Our price is $300.
Jonathan Smalter, Bookseller
President, Yesterday’s Muse Books
Vice President, IOBA
Sellers of fine books in all categories, with specialties in:
Castles & Military Fortifications; Dystopian Literature
32 W Main St Ste 1
Webster, NY 14580
Phone: (585) 265-9295
www.websterbookstore.com
https://musebooks.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/yesterdaysmuse
www.twitter.com/ymbookseller
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www.linkedin.com/in/yesterdaysmuse/
$5 each (buy 2 get 1 free)
Page from Marie Bonaparte’s Five Copy Books
Page from Marie Bonaparte’s Five Copy Books
Marie Bonaparte’s Five Copy Books, shown with publisher’s slipcase
Page from Marie Bonaparte’s Five Copy Books
Page from Famous & Beautiful Chinese Ladies
Page from Famous & Beautiful Chinese Ladies
Page from Famous & Beautiful Chinese Ladies
Cover of Famous & Beautiful Chinese Ladies
This Just In
Here is today’s crop of new books (lots today!) – if you’d like any of these, comment to claim them! Prices and other details are listed in the captions – click the image to zoom.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
$5 each
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
$3 each (front cover of Dubus volume creased)
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
$5 each, or $50 for the stack
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
$30 (signed)
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Top two $3, others $5 each.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
Individually priced – please inquire for details.
July 2013 Newsletter
At Yesterday’s Muse Books, we are in the habit of releasing a monthly newsletter detailing goings-on at the shop, and highlighting our most recent acquisitions. Below is our most recent newsletter:
This month’s newsletter comes a bit later – we wanted to make sure everyone had the time to relax and enjoy the July 4th holiday weekend.
This has been a great month for us. We revived our Musings blog, acquired some exceptional and important first editions, and launched our local weekend sidewalk sale.
For those who have not heard about the sidewalk sale – every Friday and Saturday through the middle of August, we will be offering bargain books outside our shop. All books are $1 each, or you can fill one of our bags for $8.
Our commitment to better book images has paid off by allowing us to better promote our stock on social media, our blog, and through catalogs. If you have yet to see our This Just In album on Facebook, check it out to find the latest deals.
For those interested in collecting, and purchasing books online in general, we have posted a number of helpful resources on our blog:
Identification of First Editions
Here are our usual new acquisitions lists, followed by a few samples to whet your whistles:
This month we were lucky enough to acquire first editions of the two books shown below – the first the very first book published by the inimitable Dr. Seuss; the second is is a Pulitzer Prize winning play that inspired an award winning Broadway production. We also cataloged a nice collection of Rockwell Kent titles, and close to a dozen Philo Vance mysteries by S.S. Van Dine (mostly first editions). Have a closer look at the lists, as there is far too much to enumerate here…
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street First Edition
Death of a Salesman First Edition
Encyclopaedia Britannica – The Scholar’s Edition
The Encyclopaedia Britannica (I will call it EB from this point for brevity’s sake) is synonymous enough with the word ‘encyclopedia’ that when one is able to call it simply ‘Britannica’, with the first word of the name implied. Since it’s first appearance in the mid-18th century, it has risen to a stature enjoyed by few reference works (possibly only two others, Webster’s Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary, could be called its equals). This was likely due to the pioneering decision to arrange its entries by subject, something previous works had not done. It was a sad day, then, when it was announced just last year that no further print versions of the work were to be released, making the 2010 fifteenth edition the last – remaining copies of this set sold out about a month after the announcement. Current and subsequent editions will now be available in digital form only by payment of a subscription fee.
While many of us are familiar with the EB as it is today, its size and format were not always such. In fact, it has changed drastically since its birth. During its evolution, EB grew from a modest three volumes to an imposing thirty-two, the bulk of this growth occurring during the first 60 years of its life (the sixth edition of 1826 was 20 volumes). It is also interesting to note that, though each successive edition was still dubbed the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the editorship and authorship changed significantly throughout its history, and many editions did not resemble previous or subsequent editions, except in general structure. Surprisingly, a separate general index was not added until the release of the seventh edition. This of course made locating specific articles much quicker.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Scholar’s Edition
Two editions of the EB still stand out as prominent examples. The ninth edition, still referred to as The Scholar’s Edition, is considered the pinnacle of the EB’s career as a scholarly work. The articles were meticulously researched, and some are the length of short books, many quite beautifully written by well-known intellectuals of the day (e.g., Robert Louis Stevenson, John Muir, Algernon Swinburne, etc.). As a result, this edition is not only useful as a reference, but can be read continuously (and enjoyably) as one would a magazine or a work of nonfiction. The same can be said of the eleventh edition, which was the last edition for which all article submissions came from experts in their fields.
Little has been done in our time to promote the importance, and highlight the material differences, of the various editions of the EB. Those who dismiss its contents as outdated or compare its accessibility negatively to a Google search are missing a rather large point. It used to be that, when faced with a question, we referred to information compiled by the brightest minds available, whose contributions were edited by judicious men who took pride in their work. The wild frontier that is the internet, on the other hand, seems to be ruled by those who can shout the loudest.
The EB, and other works similar to it, have displayed the arc of human thought over an extremely important period in the history of mankind, encompassing the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, the birth of globalization, and much more. While I certainly understand (though sometimes reluctantly) that not everyone has within them the desire to preserve our collective intellectual heritage, I still personally believe it to be eminently worthwhile, especially in such obvious incarnations as the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
This Just In
Here is today’s crop of books – if you’d like any of these, comment to claim them! Click images to zoom in.
Priced individually – please inquire for details.
$15 each, $12 each for three or more, $125 for all of them
Musings 