AbeBooks' Reading Copy

With lots of excitement surrounding the Bay Psalm Book that’s coming up for auction at Sotheby’s, this is a good time to step aside and consider the most expensive books that have ever been sold. By saying books, we are including documents and manuscripts, and not just objects published on a press. I would be […]

Buzz is building for the November sale of an ultra-rare Bay Psalm Book. The book, predicted to become the world’s most expensive printed book when it is auctioned by Sotheby’s, has been touring the United States. It’s interesting to see regional media giving considerable space to the subject of rare books.  David Redden, Worldwide Chairman […]

The book that could become the world’s most expensive book is going on tour. Rather like a rock star except the gigs are in libraries rather than stadiums. However, the Bay Psalm Book actually does have celebrity status within the rare book world and Sotheby’s will auction a very rare copy on November 26. In […]

There’s a new book about J.D. Salinger on the way – Salinger: The Private War of J.D. Salinger by David Shields and Shane Salerno is due out September 3rd. The co-authors of the new Salinger biography spent eight years completing exhaustive research, conducting countless interviews with countless people, and compiling and organizing as much information […]

American pop artist Andy Warhol‘s glory days were the 1960s. Warhol was firmly ensconced in the New York art scene and had a decade of exhibitions and acclaim under his belt. Art-wise, he had already worked his way from shoe advertisements and silkscreened record album covers up to what he became best-known for: the iconic, […]

While doing some research for a feature, I came across a Penguin imprint I hadn’t seen before – Ptarmigan Books. I knew it was Penguin immediately, not just from the name (though I suspected, because they do have a theme – Penguin, Pelican, Puffin… why not Ptarmigan?) but also because the cover art struck me. […]

This has been a good week for me so far. First I discover the world’s most creative and crafty brick bookends, and now The Telegraph has an interview with Barbara Kingsolver, one of my very favorite authors, about her new book Flight Behavior. (One word or warning to those who want to go in blind […]

Shot by Thomas Edison in 1909, this short video (no sound, obviously) is apparently the only footage of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) in existence. It became part of a two-reel short film based on Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper. Twain died the year following the filming. via MentalFloss

The toughest pioneers wore skirts. This selection of non-fiction celebrates the women who tamed the American West, conquered Canada’s frozen frontiers and explored the Australian Outback. In an era when a woman’s place was in the home, these remarkable pioneer women made history, built communities and took the wild out of wilderness.

The Library of Congress have compiled a list of 88 books that shaped America, which will be an exhibition to begin a multiyear “Celebration of the Book”. “This list is a starting point,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “It is not a register of the ‘best’ American books – although many of them […]