Herman Melville at 200: Call Me Ishmael

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Herman Melville [1819-1891]. As canonical in American and world literature as his compatriot, Walt Whitman [1819-1892], Melville's wondrous novel, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was published in London in October 1851, and a month later in New York. The London edition was simply titled, The Whale; it also lacked the book's Epilogue, which is essential to the story's understanding. 

It was at Arrowhead, his farmstead in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, that Melville wrote Moby-Dick, and other such classics as Bartleby, the Scrivener. From his second-floor study, Melville had a view onto Mount Greylock, the tallest peak in the state, which he noted reminded him of a great white sperm whale breaching the ocean surface. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a nearby resident in the Berkshires, and he and Melville first met on August 5, 1850 during a literary gathering.

Hawthorne is perhaps the one contemporary who best apprehended the true merit of Moby-Dick, and Melville famously dedicated the book to his newfound friend: "In token of my admiration for his genius, this book is inscribed to Nathaniel Hawthorne." Melville, however, did not have an equivalent reception from the reading public during his lifetime. It was not until the 1920s, after his critical (re)discovery, that his literary reputation began to grow into what it is today. Rockwell Kent's compelling illustrations for a 1930 edition of Moby-Dick also helped fuel renewed interest in Melville.

The illustrations above are from the Arion Press deluxe edition of 1979. The project was designed by Andrew Hoyem, and printed by letterpress in an edition of 250. It features 100 engravings by renowned artist Barry Moser, as well as a bespoke typeface, Leviathan, that was used for the initials of each chapter (Charles Bigelow and Kris Holmes designed the capitals).

Arion Press has been called the last "full-service letterpress" in the country, replete with type foundry and book bindery. One copy of Arion's Moby-Dick was auctioned last year at Sotheby's for nearly $14,000 (from actor & bibliophile Robin William's estate). First editions of the original London and New York imprints are relatively scarce and even more expensive. Two useful Melville guides from leading antiquarian booksellers are "Collecting Herman Melville," by William S. Reese, and "A Checklist of Herman Melville's First and Major Editions," by Kevin MacDonnell.

2017 National Book Festival

The 17th annual National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, will be held on Saturday, September 2, 2017, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The festival is free and open to the public.

More than 100 authors, poets, and illustrators will be making presentations throughout the day in the theme-based pavilions for Children, Teens, Books to Movies, Contemporary Life, Fiction, Food & Home, Graphic Novels, History & Biography, International, Poetry & Prose, and Science. Speakers include such writers as David McCullough, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Dava Sobel, Ibram X. Kendi, Elizabeth Strout, Jesmyn Ward, Margot Lee Shetterly, and many others. 

Further information, including a schedule of events and a map of the festival grounds, can be found at the festival website. Mobile apps are also available for the Festival. This year's poster was designed by Roz Chast; a gallery of all Festival posters from 2001 to 2017 can be viewed here. 

National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest

Entries are now being accepted for the 2017 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. Begun in 2005 by the Fine Books & Collections magazine for student bibliophiles, the competition is now jointly sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, as well as the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress. 

A number of contests are currently held at colleges and universities around the U.S., with Swarthmore College's competition being the first in the 1920s. College-level students from all educational institutions, however, are encouraged to participate. Entries for this year's competition are due by May 31, 2017. Contest rules and further information are available at the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America website. Winners of the last several years can be viewed here: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010.

National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest

Entries are now being accepted for the 2016 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. Begun in 2005 by the Fine Books & Collections magazine for young bibliophiles, the competition is now jointly sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, as well as the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.

A number of contests are currently held at colleges and universities around the U.S., with Swarthmore College's competition being the first in the 1920s. College-level students from all educational institutions, however, are encouraged to participate. Entries for this year's competition are due by May 31, 2016. Contest rules and further information are available at the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America website. Winners of the last several years can be viewed here: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010.

2015 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest

Entries are now being accepted for the 2015 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. Begun in 2005 by the Fine Books & Collections magazine for young bibliophiles, the competition is now jointly sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, as well as the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.

A number of contests are currently held at colleges and universities around the U.S., with Swarthmore College's competition being the first in the 1920s. College-level students from all educational institutions, however, are encouraged to participate. Entries for this year's competition are due by May 31, 2015. Contest rules and further information are available at the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America website. Winners of the last several years can be viewed here: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010.

Making a Case for Books

Architect and fine craftsman Frank Howarth portrays in the above stop-motion video the manifold steps it takes to create beautifully functional bookcases out of walnut veneer plywood. The video comprises approximately 6,400 frames selected from some 11,700 frames that Howarth shot of the process. More woodworking projects can be viewed at Howarth's YouTube channel.

Book Collecting Contest for College Bibliophiles

Entries are now being accepted for the 2014 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. Begun in 2005 by the Fine Books & Collections magazine for young bibliophiles, the competition is now jointly sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, as well as the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.

A number of contests are currently held at colleges and universities around the U.S., with Swarthmore College's competition being the first in the 1920s. College-level students from all educational institutions, however, are encouraged to participate. Entries for this year's competition are due by May 30, 2014. Contest rules and further information are available at the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America website. Winners of the last several years can be viewed here: 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010. Update: Winners for 2014 have also now been announced.

National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest

Entries are now being accepted for the 2013 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest. Begun in 2005 by the Fine Books & Collections magazine for bibliophiles, the competition is now jointly sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, as well as the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.

A number of contests are currently held at colleges and universities around the U.S., with Swarthmore College's competition being the first in the 1920s. College-level students from all educational institutions, however, are encouraged to participate. Entries for the 2013 competition are due by May 31, 2013. Contest rules and further information are available at the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America website. The Library of Congress will be the site of this year's awards ceremony on October 18, 2013.

UNC Heart Surgeon Dr. Benson Wilcox Honored

Valentine's Day is an appropriate day upon which to note that Dr. Benson Wilcox [1932-2010], a prominent cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of North Carolina for many years, has been honored with the renaming of the Special Collections Reading Room at the Health Sciences Library. Now known as The Benson Reid Wilcox Historical Collections Reading Room, the new name was approved by the UNC Board of Trustees on July 22, 2010; on January 14, 2011, a dedication ceremony, with family members, friends, and several library staff, was held to commemorate the occasion.

The Common Curator can personally attest to the contributions that Dr. Wilcox has made to the library's collections, both through his Rare Book Endowment and through the donation of over 1,400 volumes from his own personal library. The breadth and depth of the Wilcox Collection are truly remarkable, and make a significant impact upon students and researchers. An earlier post, Dr. Benson Wilcox: Surgeon, Scholar, Benefactor, describes this influence, and Dr. Wilcox' illustrious career is detailed in his obituary, also available at the Common Curator.

Note: The papier-mâché heart shown above was acquired with funds from the Wilcox Endowment. Designed by Dr. Louis Thomas Jérôme Auzoux (1797-1880) and fabricated circa 1870, this and similar anatomical models were an important tool in the teaching of human anatomy in the nineteenth century. As cultural, legal, and environmental concerns limited the efficacy of using cadavers for instruction, Auzoux pioneered the development of papier-mâché anatomical models, which were employed to represent the structures of humans, as well as animals and plants. For those interested in learning more, the Smithsonian Institution's online exhibition, Artificial Anatomy: Papier-Mâché Anatomical Models, is highly recommended.

Below are pictured three UNC medical students in the Wilcox Historical Collections Reading Room examining several early volumes from the rare book collections. All are members of the longstanding Bullitt History of Medicine Club, which Dr. Wilcox helped organize in the 1950s while himself a medical student.

Some Consumer Advice for "Black Friday"

For an earlier posting on the operation of books, see Medieval Help Desk, or The More Things Change . . . .

Fine Books & Collections Back in Print

Fine Books & Collections has now returned to print with the publication of its Spring 2010 issue. Among the items in the latest issue are:

:: Dard Hunter's passion for paper;
:: Biblio 360, a comprehensive guide to book-related events;
:: Edward Stratemeyer's life in New York;
:: Nicholas Basbanes interviews the new archivist of the United States;
:: A look into Baldwin's diary.

Subscription and other information is available on the magazine's web site.

See related post: Fine Books & Collections Returning to Print.

Fine Books & Collections Returning to Print

February 1, 2010, Durham, NC. Fine Books & Collections magazine, which targets collectors of rare and collectible books, will return to a regular print schedule in April 2010.

The magazine had suspended its bi-monthly publication schedule in November 2008, but published an edition in Fall 2009. Based on very positive results, the publishers will return the magazine to print on a quarterly basis. The annual subscription price will be $25.

In announcing its plans, the magazine said it would continue its monthly e-letter online and its very popular blog. According to associate publisher Kim Draper, the web site has grown tremendously in the past year, having just topped 50,000 monthly visitors.

"We don't hope to achieve as much readership in print, but we do think print has a certain charm and value that is impossible to obtain online," says Draper. "It remains a conundrum why collectors of print love reading online, but we are delighted to be able to serve both needs."

The online editor, Rebecca Rego Barry, will also serve as editor of the print edition. According to Barry, the content of the magazine will be a collection of some material used online as well as new features, columns, and resources that will not appear online. "We are intrigued with the idea of archiving some of our best online stories in a print format, but we will also be offering readers new content in each issue. It was a formula that worked very well for us with the edition we published last fall."

The magazine said that it plans some operational changes to make publishing more affordable, most notably that it will not process any subscription without a valid email address. According to Draper, "When we looked at our operation, we realized that contacting people via the postal service was just too expensive. We plan to handle all renewals and communication efforts via email, so there's really no point in having a subscriber with whom we can't communicate."

Writers in the upcoming print edition will include Nicholas Basbanes and Joel Silver, two stalwarts of the book collecting world. The magazine will continue its annual directory of booksellers started last fall that featured more than 700 book-related businesses, and it will add a feature called Biblio/360, an annual guide to classes, societies, fairs, and symposiums related to book collecting.