The first book printed in America

December 18, 2012
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The first Christian book printed in English in North America was also the first book printed in North America. The Bay Psalm Book was first printed in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Stephen Daye, a locksmith whose name does not appear on the title page but who is nevertheless credited as the first printer of the first […]

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The book that brought us “Bah! Humbug!” and “Merry Christmas”

December 13, 2012
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What do Christmas and rare vintage books have in common?  The answer is …the famous first edition of the Charles Dickens book – A Christmas Carol.  This immortal novel written by Charles Dickens is easily one of the most loved Christmas stories ever written, while the scarcity of its first edition has given some fortunate […]

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The Tchaikovsky – Hoffmann – Dumas – Sendak – Disney Nutcracker

December 11, 2012
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Few performances or storylines have ushered in the Christmas season quite like The Nutcracker.  The ballet masterpiece by the Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is based on a little known novella entitled Nussknacker und Mausekönig (The Nutcracker and the Mouse King), which was published in 1816 by the German author, Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann. It […]

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Les Propheties by Nostradamus

December 7, 2012
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Once more the world is believed to be ending on December 21, 2012. This time it is believed to have been the prediction of our famous prophet from the 16th century,  Nostradamus (Michel de Nostredame)   The year 1999, seventh month,  From the sky will come a great King of Terror:  To bring back to […]

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On the most serious economic crisis

December 4, 2012
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The economy might be down, but as we are approaching the end of 2012 we are looking at yet another banner year for the rare book market. This increasingly popular vehicle in collectible investing, allows for better diversification with long-term investment planning. Last week we looked at two finance books written around the times of […]

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Two economic crises, two rare books on investing

November 30, 2012
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One does not have to look too hard or too far back to get a glimpse of the effects of an economic crisis. The most recent crisis in the Euro zone and the near collapse of the banking system in the US are still impacting our lives. But try to find witnesses of the 1929 […]

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The most famous private press – Kelmscott Press

November 27, 2012
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He was an English textile designer, an artist, and a writer. He was associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood or Pre-Raphaelites as commonly referred to, which was considered to be the first avant-garde movement in art.  Realism was the culture of the movement he was more active in, stressing the independent observation of nature.  During his […]

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Pushkin, father of modern Russian literature

November 20, 2012
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At the end of the 18th century, a Russian poet by the name of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was born in Moscow. The date was June 6th, 1799, and the newborn was to become the father and founder of modern Russian literature during a century considered to be the most important century in Russian literature. Pushkin […]

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The Treasures Laid-In

November 16, 2012
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Often times dealers are selling, along with a particular rare book, other important material that was laid into the book by the owner, author or publisher either for reference or unintentionally. An item laid-in is something which is included with, but not attached to the book, such as a sheet of paper, a card, a […]

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Two book fairs that are distinctively homogeneous

November 13, 2012
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The upcoming weekend of November 16-18 draws book lovers in the United States to two events that are not to be missed. This is especially true for those who are located close to the cities of Boston, Baltimore, or Washington DC. The first is the 36th annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, and the second […]

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