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Articles - November 2009 Issue


The Gifted Institution - By Bruce McKinney By Bruce McKinney Material is given to libraries for many reasons. Often the owner has or had a preference for an institution and in time this preference leads to a gift. Such gifts, if substantial, may be legally executed. Most are less formal. When the gift is legally structured, it includes obligations that in time expire. For all other gifts, often subject only to a holding period for tax purposes, the...

The Gifted Institution

- By Bruce McKinney

By Bruce McKinney Material is given to libraries for many reasons. Often the owner has or had a preference for an institution and in time this preference leads to a gift. Such gifts, if substantial, may be legally executed. Most are less formal. When the gift is legally structured, it includes obligations that in time expire. For all other gifts, often subject only to a holding period for tax purposes, the...


Immortality has a Price - By Bruce McKinney By Bruce McKinney At Bloomsbury New York on December 3rd the hammer will fall on a single owner sale, a small group of exceptional early printed...	Daniel in the Lions' Den - By Bruce McKinney By Bruce McKinney The history of libraries and rare books came to San Francisco in the person of Terry Belanger to deliver a talk at the...
The Google Settlement: Where It Stands, and Our Opinion on the Appropriate Resolution - By Michael Stillman By Michael Stillman The proposed settlement that would allow Google to offer digital copies of copyrighted books, and in particular so-called "orphan books," books that are...	E-Reader Sales Going Up, Prices Down, While Competition Heats Up - By Michael Stillman By Michael Stillman The prices of electronic book readers are tumbling, sales are increasing, and intense competition is boiling just below the surface. The electronic book...
Book Prices Tumble Amid Cutthroat Competition - By Michael Stillman By Michael Stillman We are at a moment of momentous change in the book industry. Where it all will play out remains anyone's guess. All we...	Book Clubs go Live - By Bruce McKinney Book Clubs and Events a new page, is now linked throughout the site. On the home page, on the menu under the sign-in box...
Some Ideas for Making Rare Books Relevant from Buffalo, New York - By Michael Stillman By Michael Stillman For generations, rare book libraries have been obtaining and squirreling away enormous quantities of historic old books and ephemera. They have made them...	More than Meets the Eye - By Bruce McKinney By Bruce McKinney Two sales this year by libraries in the United States illustrate how procedure may influence public response when material is deaccessioned. The...
Where Goes the Collectible Book? - By Michael Stillman By Michael Stillman A recent unsold auction lot is something of a microcosm of various challenges facing the book trade today. It was a single item,...	In The News: Shakespearean Gifts & Thefts, a Gift Gone Wrong, Abe's Top 10 - By Michael Stillman By Michael Stillman UCLA's Clark Library was the recipient of a major Shakespeare collection. Valued at just under $2 million, it is the largest gift ever...
The Book Club of California: the oars are in the water - By Bruce McKinney By Bruce McKinney The Book Club of California held its annual reorganization meeting on Wednesday, October 20th in new space under renovation quarters at 312 Sutter...	400th Anniversary of Freedom of the Seas Celebrated at Yale Exhibition - By Michael Stillman By Michael Stillman Freedom to navigate the seas is a crucial element of free trade among nations. For many, their very survival requires freedom of trade,...
15 Catalogues Reviewed This Month This month we review 15 new book catalogues. Travel is the topic at Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books and Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books. A...	Travel Books from Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books By Michael Stillman Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books has issued their annual exploration catalogue: Travel 2009. The common point is that most of these travels...
French and European Antiquarian Books from Librairie Thomas-Scheler By Michael Stillman Librairie Thomas-Scheler has issued their 38th catalogue of Livres Anciens, or "antiquarian books" to those who speak English. This catalogue will require some...	Autographs from Famed Leaders, Artists, Musicians, Writers and More from David Schulson Autographs By Michael Stillman David Schulson Autographs has issued Catalog 142 of exceptional autographs and signed documents. All types of notable people are represented here - political...
New and On Sale Americana from Clark Rare Books By Michael Stillman Clark Rare Books has issued its 940th catalogue, New Acquisitions and Inventory Clearance Sale. As the title suggests, this is a two-part catalogue....	Great Writers, Actors, Crooks and More from James Pepper Rare Books By Michael Stillman James Pepper Rare Books has issued Catalogue 186 in a familiar series. The Santa Barbara bookseller generally features literature, science and detective fiction,...
The Unusual, Odd and Inexpensive from Peter L. Masi Books By Michael Stillman Peter L. Masi Books has published Catalog 202, a collection of odd and obscure publications priced for any budget. What we have here...	Important Signed Documents from the Raab Collection By Michael Stillman The Raab Collection has published Catalog 61 of signed historic documents. This catalogue includes many important, some momentous documents from (primarily) American history....
Cook's Final Voyage from Hordern House The latest catalogue from Australia's Hordern House is entitled Courage and Perseverance. Cook's Final Voyage. This refers to the third and final voyage of Captain...	Inscribed Books from James Cummins Bookseller By Michael Stillman James Cummins, Bookseller has issued a catalogue entitled From the Author. At first glance, that might seem obvious. All books come from an...
History of Ideas from Rudi Thoemmes Rare Books By Michael Stillman Rudi Thoemmes Rare Books has issued their Catalogue Twenty, History of Ideas. Offered are several centuries worth of thinking - philosophers, theologians, scientists...	Travel from Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books By Michael Stillman Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books has issued their Catalogue 139 Travel. Bestebreurtje is located in the Netherlands, but nevertheless this catalogue contains much...
America Before 1700 from the William Reese Company By Michael Stillman The William Reese Company's latest catalogue takes a look at early to the earliest Americana: America Before 1700. It starts from the...	The Strange and the Serious from Garrett Scott, Bookseller By Michael Stillman Recently arrived is Catalogue Twenty-Four from Garrett Scott, Bookseller. Scott's catalogues are always among the most unusual and entertaining you will find. They...
Recent Acquisitions at the Veatchs Arts of the Book By Michael Stillman From the Veatchs Arts of the Book comes their Catalogue 64: Recent Acquisitions. The Veatches catalogues feature examples of the book arts...	The Zaehnsdorf Reference Library from Oak Knoll Books By Michael Stillman Oak Knoll Books has issued a new catalogue entitled The Reference Library of the Zaehnsdorf Company. The Zaehnsdorf Company was a venerable English...