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Garvarni's Women In Lace
by Stephen J. GertzL'AmoreIn 1844, Joseph Méry published Les Parures (The Ornaments) and Les Joyaux (The Jewels), each a "Fantasie par Gavarni," the two volumes graced with a total of thirty-two...
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Fascinating Lawrence of Arabia Letter Comes To Market
by Stephen J. GertzHold on to your keffiyeh: the asking price for a letter written by T.E. Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia that has recently come into the marketplace is $47,514 (€35,000). For Lawrence...
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John Lennon's Bag One At $133,500
by Stephen J. GertzA complete copy of John Lennon's Bag One (1970) from its forty-five sets only hors commerce (not for sale) issue of the first edition has come into the marketplace. No complete copy...
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Guericke's Got Plenty O' Nothin', and Nothin's Plenty For Him (1672)
by Stephen J. GertzOne day in 1656, the citizens of Magdeburg, Germany were startled by the appearance of strange unidentified flying objects hovering over their town. Documented by a now-famous...
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Innocence Found in Scarce Dust Jacket
by Stephen J. GertzTake a good look; you'll likely never see another first edition copy of Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Age of Innocence (1920) in its scarce first state dust jacket in...
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The Greatest American Social Event of the 19th Century
by Stephen J. Gertz On May 21, 1874, Ellen "Nellie" Grant, the 19-year old third child and only daughter of President Ulysses S. Grant, married Algernon Charles Frederick Sartoris, a member of a...
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Beelzebub Complains About Taxes In 1763
by Stephen J. GertzA scarce satirical hieroglyphic epistle dated April 1, 1763 and written by Beelzebub, one of the seven princes of Hell, has recently come to market. It was surely hell on the...
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The Elegantly Macabre Anatomical Plates Of Gautier-D'Agoty
by Stephen J. GertzA rare, stunning first edition, first issue copy of Jacques-Fabien Gautier-D'Agoty's unsettlingly beautiful, elegantly macabre and disarming color-printed book, Anatomie des parties...
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First Dibs On That Book: A Poetic Meditation On The Landscape of Memory
by Alastair JohnstonMohammed Dib, Tlemcen or Places of Writing, translated from the French by Guy Bennett, Los Angeles: Otis Books/Seismicity Editions, 2012, 115 pp., paperback, perfectbound, $12.95The...
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Four Days of the Codex Book Fair 2013
by Alastair Johnston"There is not a prophet in the Old Testament who would not be excommunicated from the modern Church for the vehemence of his opinions" -- John J. CollinsThe 2013 CODEX book fair...
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A Decadent Night in Paris With Georges Barbier - A Booktryst Golden Oldie
by Stephen J. GertzBARBIER, Georges. Le Grand Décolletage.Le Bonheur du Jour, ou les grâces à la mode.Paris: Chez Meynial, 1924This past Saturday, alone and at loose ends, I called Lisette. She was, as...
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Mark Twain, Hapless Collector, For $75,000
by Stephen J. GertzMark Twain's autograph manuscript of Chapter XX of A Tramp Abroad, published in 1880, has come to market. It is being offered for £50,000 ($75,825) by Peter Harrington Rare Books of...
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JFK, The Stripper, The Cuban Missile Crisis And Lincoln Bedroom
by Stephen J. GertzTwo signed autograph letters from burlesque queen Blaze Starr (born 1932 as Fannie Belle Fleming) to an unknown correspondent are being auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions this...
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Bukowski: Lost Original Drawings Of A Dirty Old Man Are Found
by Stephen J. GertzNineteen long-lost original drawings by Charles Bukowski, America's poet laureate of the depths, surfaced at the 46th California International Antiquarian Book Fair February 15-17,...
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A Landmark In The History of Style
by Stephen J. Gertz"The task which you propose to me of adapting words to these airs is by no means simple. The poet, who would follow the various sentiments which they express, must feel and...
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Sangorski & Sutcliffe Celebrate Elizabethan Poets
by Stephen J. GertzAround 1920, Sangorski & Sutcliffe, the famed London bindery established in 1901 by Francis Sangorski (1875-1912) and George Sutcliffe (1875-1943), designed and bound a first...
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The Shadow Of Your Smile Is A Monkey: The Caricatures Of Charles H. Bennett
by Stephen J. GertzIn 1857, Shadows, an octavo album of thirty-six plates in wrappers, was published. Quite popular, in the next year the album, reduced to thirty plates but now with accompanying text,...
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Louis Icart: Leda And The Swann Auction
by Stephen J. GertzSwann Auction Galleries is offering a copy of the Louis Icart-illustrated edition of Leda, Pierre Loüys adaptation of the classic tale from Greek mythology, Leda and the Swan, in...
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Meet Paul Parrot, Rare Bird Casanova & Star Of Rare Book
by AlbertToday's guest blogger is, once more,Albert the Writing Parrot, a thirty-four year old Yellow-Naped Amazon, Booktryt's mascot, my ward since fledged, and, pathetically, my most successful...
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Don't Wipe Your Nose With This Map
by Stephen J. GertzEvelyn Mulwray: It's a handkerchief! [slap] Jake Gertz: I said I want the truth! Evelyn Mulwray: It's a map… [slap] Evelyn Mulwray: It's a handkerchief… [slap] Evelyn Mulwray: A...
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