Chicago Gang Calling Cards. Wicked cool collection of ephemera.

Here’s Exactly What’s Happening in Colorado. Part Four.

Friday is the Last Day to Receive $100 Tuition Discount for Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar. Part Three.

Here’s What I Said A Year Ago: Ten Good Reasons Why You Should Consider Going to the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar. Part Two of Chris’ series.

Lots of Scholarships Available for the 2009 Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar. Part One of Chris Lowenstein’s (of Book Hunter’s Holiday) series on why you should attend the venerable Co. Book Seminars.

Inappropriate coloring books. Via ABE’s Reading Copy.

Larry Lessig's REMIX Available as Free PDF. An excellent book on the future of copyright in the internet age, including its implications for books.

SHE: “This book is going for $85.00 on the internet. I’ll take $25.00 for it though.”

ME: “Let’s take a look.”

SHE: “Well, I said it’s going for $85.00.”

ME: (typing) “MmmHmm”

SHE: “You don’t believe me?”

ME: (typing)

SHE: (straining to see my computer) “What would you pay for a book worth that much?”

ME: “For this book and these couple others, I can give you $35.00″

SHE: “But I said this is an $85.00 book even without those others! I can’t take that!”

ME: (trying to hand the books back) “Well, there are people ASKING $85.00. But prices for this book on this condition start at about ten. I understand if you don’t want…”

SHE: “Okay, $35.00.”

I just posted this over at the Fine Books and Collections blog, but though I’d put it up here too for the three or four people who read this blog but not the one at FB&C (and if you’re not, you should!):

I would just list to pick up where Chris left off and recommend that anyone reading this - whether dealer, collector, librarian, or simply book lover - consider attending this year’s Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar. I graduated in 2006 and quite simply my business would not be anywhere close to where it is today without my having attended. It is no exaggeration to say that the Seminar easily saved me two or three years of effort and learning on my own by trial and error. Between the advice given, information bestowed, contacts made, and inspiration received it is an investment in time and money well worth making. Indeed, in the years since I attended I have made back what I spent on my trip many times over simply through the books I’ve sold to people whom I met via the Seminars. What I wrote shortly after returning from the Seminars, I still agree with and re-post here for anyone thinking about registering:

I’m a bit overwhelmed at the thought of coherently summing up the experience of this year’s Annual Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar, which I was lucky enough to attend. So much is packed into the week. So I’m just going to kind of list my thoughts in the order they occur to me -

- The most common question I’ve gotten from other booksellers is “Was it worth it?” To which the simple answer is, you better &%$#@(&%-ing believe it was. Every penny, every hour, every bit of lost sleep was worth it.

- The seminar struck a difficult balance between being useful for the newbie while not boring the more experienced sellers. They managed, in my opinion, to engage both the more advanced attendees as well as those just beginning. This is, of course, a testament to the faculty.

- Was a surprisingly diverse group. Many attendees were literally just starting out. Others had been working at it for year. A few open shops. I was also interested to see that there were a fair number of librarians and pure collectors in attendance. I was also struck by the number of (like me) younger students. Still a minority (about ten of about fifty), but as someone who’s used to usually being the youngest person in a group of booksellers, a nice change. I think part of the liveliness of the discussions stemmed from what was a reasonably eclectic group.

- In a strange strictly-speaking kind of way, the information given during the seminars was in some ways the least of the entire experience. Which is not to say the information wasn’t invaluable, or that this alone wasn’t worth the price of admission all by itself. It was. But for me, two other elements are what really made the seminars outstanding…

- The first was how what the faculty taught told you at least as much about what you DIDN’T know as what you did, and in this way sketched out the boundaries of your expertise while simultaneously inspiring (at least me) to continue to learn more.

- And second, the other amazing part of the week were the other attendees. I think I learned more from the other “seminarians” than anyone else. In addition, it was wonderful to finally be able to talk with other people who know what you’re talking about. We all basically work alone in a business that most people don’t understand. What a relief then to talk books and not have to explain what you’re talking about. Haven’t laughed so hard as I did last week in a LONG time. In addition, the other students are, of course, the people who will be your colleagues for the foreseeable future. Good people to know.

- Highlights? Faculty member Terry Belanger. Erudite, engaging, a bit eccentric and with the driest sense of humor I think I’ve ever encountered, he made what were often fairly dull topics (bibliography, collation, etc) utterly fascinating.

- Also: good bookscouting. Paid for my plane ticket with a few finds from our various field trips. Huzzah!

In short, one of the best week’s of my life. Can’t recommend it too highly. Beg, borrow, or steal but go go go. You won’t regret it. Happy to answer other questions for anyone who’s interested.

As Chris pointed out, there are many scholarships available (indeed more than ever before). But even without scholarship support, any bookdealer or bibliophile looking to expand their knowledge, grow their business, or meet their colleagues would be well advised to attend.

The last couple of days I’ve had some success posting some special deals to my Twitter account (@briancassidy), but in the interest of not annoying those friends and followers who would prefer their tweets without commercial interuptions, I’ve started a new account: @cheepreads. (Tweet+cheap, get it?). So a couple times a day or so I’ll post inexpensive copies of good reads. No Danielle Steel here. Early offerings include Dave Eggers, Jim Thompson and Richard Ford. I’m thinking of it as a place for avid readers to pick up quality reading inexpensively, like @amazonmp3 but for books. The goal is to provide the least expensive copies of the particular books being offered currently available online.

The hope is between the ease of posting, relatively quick turnover, and side-stepping the commissions of listing sites, it will be a worthwhile venture. At the same time, however, I like the way the shorthand Twitter requires recalls earlier days of bookselling: of quotes to Bookman’s Weekly or the inscrutable abbreviations of mimeographed book catalogs. So while on the surface this may seem a slightly gimmicky bookselling tactic, I like to think of it as just another extension of venerable trade traditions.

Some basic info:

1) What you see is what you get: All prices INCLUDE postage (within the US via USPS media mail). Elsewhere and/or via other methods would require additional cost.
2) No scruffy books here: Unless noted, all books are in Very Good or better condition
3) Act fast: All books are subject to prior sale. Reply or direct message via Twitter to reserve.
4) Keeping it simple: Paypal payment preferred (to books@briancassidy.net), though checks, credit cards, moneys orders all acceptable as well. Please await confirmation before sending payment. And as much as possible, books and their respective tweets will be deleted as they sell. So if you see something you like that’s still listed, even if an older post, it’s probably still available.

SOME FREQUENTLY USED ABBREVIATIONS:

HC = Hardcover (no DJ)
HC/DJ = Hardcover with dust jacket
PB = Trade paperback
MMPB = Mass market paperback
BCE = Book club edition
1st = First edition
VG = Very good condition
NF = Near fine condition
F = Fine condition
NF/F = Near fine hardcover in a fine dust jacket (or VG/NF, F/F…you get the idea)

How to Get Indies in on the iPhone Game. Indiebound app?

What Steven Johnson likes about the Kindle. Jokes aside, one-handed (and no-handed) reading really is a plus.

Author proposes in his latest book.. Pretty clever, if geeky.

Coolest. Bookmarks. Ever..

Junk in My Trunk and Craigslist Experiment. Love this Craigslist idea from William @ Hang Fire.

Women more avid readers of books than men survey says. From UK Telegraph.

Photos of Amazon Distribution Warehouse.

A web Companion to Under the Volcano. "A Hypertextual & Illustrated Companion to the 1947 semi-autobiographical novel by English writer Malcolm Lowry." Very interesting.

Build a Bookshelf. Cheap bookshelf porn via Mother Earth News (via Reading Copy).

15 Coolest Bookshelves. More bookshelf porn.

Ganging up Ikea shelves for a striking, cheapass wall-o-books. Awesome bookshelf porn.

Was this review helpful to you?. How Amazon’s simple question contributed significantly to their bottom line.

Top 10 books about bookselling. I think they missed a few (more on that later), but still a good list.

Blogging is the New Closure. David Jacobs on reading with the iPhone Kindle app: “I have one major complaint: I found the act of finishing the book unsatisfying; after paging through 4393 “locations” (the Kindle doesn’t entertain the conceit of page numbers) I missed the satisfaction of closing the volume one final time. The application resisted my impotent flicks, always returning to the final page.”

Brian Dettmer's book sculptures. Simply amazing.

Investment Books. In these confusing economic times, Marginal Revolutions recommends several investments books to turn to.

The Madness of the CPSIA and How Google and Amazon Might Benefit. Michael @ Book Patrol on the idiocy that is the CPSIA: “Who could possibly benefit from this ill-conceived law. Well, how about Google and Amazon for starters. Call me paranoid but if you eliminate the opportunity for people to acquire these books in their original form from bookstores and let’s assume that the publishers of pre-1985 books are not going to “safely” reprint them then where will you be able to get them. Where will this vast archive of of literary history live? Hmm, Google Book Search should have a copy for your perusal and Amazon just might have a copy for you to print on demand.”

To Be (Shakespeare) or Not To Be? Doubts about the newly-discovered portrait of The Bard.

Write Your Own Irish Memoir! Just in time for St. Patty’s Day. Bestseller list, here I come.

Tragic loss in PA - Humans fine, books and cats less so… A heads-up from buddy Lux Mentis about a fire at the shop of our colleagues at The Philadelphia Rare Book Co.

The information architecture of Kindle 2.0. From Marginal Revolutions: “The author agrees with my basic claim that the Kindle favors plot-driven fiction over complex non-fiction or for that matter postmodern fiction. Referring back and forth across sections is a no-no, so goodbye Pale Fire.”

Times online lists of "10 Spectacular second novels," "10 Cursed second novels," and "10 Literary one-hit wonders." Via Boing Boing.

What to Read… Laura @ bookn3rd has a great list of books to read “if you’re interested in book history: a short list of foundational works and other helpful material.”

New Work: Murals for The Library Initiative. Great story and images from a project to have major architects and artists help build, design, and remodel school libraries.

free from fiji. Joyce turned me on to these great download-and-assemble-yourself artists books.

Highsmith: A Romance of the 1950s. William at Hang Fire Books has a great review of the new book about the romance between writers Patricia Highsmith and Marjorie Meaker. Looks like something to pick up.

Growing Sentences with David Foster Wallace. OR: How to write like DFW in ten easy steps.

My dad wrote 1984…. George Orwell’s adopted son on his father and his father’s parenting.

A queer idea of me: Poe regrets drunkenness. “Will you be so kind enough to put the best possible interpretation upon my behavior while in N-York? You must have conceived a queer idea of me – but the simple truth is that Wallace would insist upon the juleps, and I knew not what I was either doing or saying.” I kid you not.

I leave tomorrow for the Santa Monica Book Fair where I’ll be exhibiting (Booth 712a) and thought I would try something a little different.

Through the wonders of modern technology (read: my iPhone), I’ll be posting nearly-live updates from the fair - from set-up to break-down and everything in between, maybe even a few from the road - via both Flickr and Twitter. If you’d like to follow along, here are the links:

The Santa Monica Book Fair - A Flickr Set (also available in RSS flavor)

Me on Twitter (or RSS)

Booth shots, interesting books, behind-the-scenes info…The next best thing to being there.

And I even have a few free passes left. Email me at books at briancassidy dot net and I’ll leave one for your at the door if you’d like to attend; first come, first served.

I’ve been neglecting this blog (again). The summer has just been crazy; traveling / vacation, family visits, daughter out of school and assorted other major and minor personal distractions have served to conspire to keep me from posted here. In between all of this confusion, I have managed to get some actual work done. Catalog #3 is in the works and will be available early Sept., hopefully in time for the Santa Monica Book Fair. I was also and very pleased and honored this month to be accepted into The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA). I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all of my sponsers: James Bryant and Mary Hill of Carpe Diem Fine Books here in Monterey, Tom Congalton of Between the Covers in New Jersey, and Kevin Johnson of Royal Books in Baltimore.

Now, for those handful of readers who’ve managed to stick around this long, some posts to look forward to in the coming days and weeks:

1) A book scouting report from my family’s road trip up the Pacific Coast.

2) Why book scanners and those who rely on them will never uncover the best or most interesting book.

3) What “The Cask of Amontillado” is and why its a useful tool for booksellers.

4) An uncomfortably prescient picture I discovered in a magazine recently

5) Some great additions to my collection of unusual and interesting book inscriptions, including one I am unlikely to top anytime soon.

Hopefully, this is tantalizing enough to keep folks reading despite my recent and chronic case of blog neglect.

And until get around to these other posts, here’s some of the results of my work in the shop yesterday. I spent most of the day culling books (read: getting rid of old and slow-moving stock) and redoing all of the book displays. Here’s my display just in time for the upcoming political conventions:

For those who’ve never been to my shop, my desk is right behind these shelves. Note the teetering piles of books. Probably should get to some of those…

Know what these are? I found them tucked into a couple of books that were part of a larger archive I’ve been cataloging. Go ahead, click on them. I’ll wait.

Back? Any guesses?

They’re stamped, postmarked and mailed envelopes from Paul Bowles.

Only problem? They’re empty.

And no sign of the letters they once contained anywhere. I’ve looked three times.

*sigh*

For seventy years, Paul Elder’s bookstores were a fixture in downtown San Francisco. There was not a single bookstore but a series of six, plus short-lived forays to New York City and Santa Barbara. The early shops were the most memorable, small momuments to the Arts & Crafts aesthetic. They were known as much for their ambience and array of art objects as for the books themselves.

Seems if this bit of ephemera is any indication those last two sentences are certainly true.