AbeBooks' Reading Copy

First created over 2000 years ago, illuminated manuscripts had drawings or paintings of ornate initials, borders, flowers, vines and other decoration to accompany text. A true illuminated manuscript was made without machines. Frequently in devotional prayer books, the most exceptional art served as a status symbol. Nowadays, original illuminated manuscripts are highly scarce. But due [...]

Are you thinking of becoming a rare bookseller? Or have you just started to sell collectible books? The Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar is a week-long educational event held in Colorado Springs in August, 2013 for booksellers, librarians and collectors that offers expert discussion about rare books. The Book Seminar provides an opportunity for leading specialists [...]

My husband and I are expecting our first baby. It’s an exciting, wonderful, strange and occasionally terrifying time, as anyone who has been through it will remember. Both medically and emotionally, it’s an absolutely fascinating process that is affecting parts of my body and both of our hearts that neither of us ever expected. To [...]

The term leporello refers to printed material folded into an accordion-pleat style. Also sometimes known as a concertina fold, it is a method of parallel folding with the folds alternating between front and back. The name likely comes from the manservant, Leporello, in Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni. Famed rogue and lover Don Giovanni (in Italian [...]

It can take decades to assemble a half decent collection of rare books…or you could just buy a ready-made collection with a single click. Booksellers on AbeBooks offer hundreds of ‘instant collections’ ranging from a complete set of the Flashman novels to Andrew Lang’s 12 Fairy books and Henning Mankell’s Wallander Series. These book sets [...]

I love this letter that Norman Mailer sent to Ernest Hemingway in 1965, along with a copy of his novel, The Deer Park, which had been rejected multiple times for years before finally being published: TO ERNEST HEMINGWAY —because finally after all these years I am deeply curious to know what you think of this. [...]

Our top 10 most expensive book sales list for April is topped by the poetry of none other than Emily Dickinson. Dickinson was unheralded during her lifetime but today, 127 years after her death, the poet’s work is treasured by collectors. Three volumes of her poetry were sold last month on AbeBooks and became our [...]

Harper Lee, who is now 87 years old, sued her literary agent on May 3rd in an attempt to regain full copyright to her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee claims that in 2007, Samuel Pinkus plotted to trick her into signing over the ownership of all rights and royalties from Mockingbird. Lee has poor [...]

We love the BC Book Prizes here at AbeBooks. Granted, we’re a bit biased, given that we make our headquarters in British Columbia’s capital city (Victoria). But the prizes really are something special, highlighting the best written talent this beautiful province has to offer in seven categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, regional, children’s literature, illustrated children’s [...]

Our friends at English PEN, an organization devoted to literary freedom, are staging an exciting event later this month when 50 modern first editions are to be auctioned. However, these are no ordinary first editions. All the books have been annotated, usually at length and in great detail, by their authors specially for the ‘First [...]