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online forum for early American discovery, discussion, and diversion from the American Antiquarian Society

Henry David Thoreau meets Cotton Mather at the Antiquarian Society

August 10th, 2010, by Elizabeth Watts Pope

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The following post comes to us from AAS reader Peter MacInerney. Early in January 1855, a Concord-based free-lance writer, occasional surveyor, and sometime lecturer, visited the American Antiquarian Society at its then-new building.  This second Antiquarian Hall had been completed little more than one year before, after the Society outgrew its original building. The visitor [...]


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The Acquisitions Table: Omnibus Editions

May 19th, 2010, by Tom Knoles

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Collection of omnibus editions, ca. 1840-1855. AAS has purchased from member Mark Craig an interesting and very unusual collection of 14 omnibus editions, all in fine condition in the original blind- and gilt-embossed publisher’s sheep bindings. These omnibus editions typically consist of 16mo stereotype reprints of popular and juvenile fiction, with three to four works [...]


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The Acquisitions Table: Only Known Copies

January 20th, 2010, by Tom Knoles

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This week we feature two items acquired by AAS in recent months.  What they have in common is that our copies are the only ones known to exist.  Given the age of these items (they were printed in 1795 and 1815 respectively) and given the fact that generations of bibliographers have labored to identify and [...]


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The Acquisitions Table

December 11th, 2009, by Tom Knoles

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In 1834, AAS librarian Christopher Columbus Baldwin wrote: “Some philosopher has said that his unhappiest moments were those spent in settling his tavern bills.  But the happiest moments of my life are those employed in opening packages of books presented to the Library of the American Antiquarian Society.  It gives me real, substantial, and unadulterated [...]


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From Cheap-Jacks to Scrooge McDuck

November 15th, 2009, by Elizabeth Watts Pope

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Recent economic events have raised the profile of cheapness, which makes this Tuesday evening’s free public lecture at AAS a particularly timely event.  On Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7:30pm Lauren Weber will be discussing the value of thriftiness in American history in a talk titled: ”From Cheap-Jacks to Scrooge McDuck: A Brief History of Cheapness and Thrift in America.”  By [...]


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Are your bookshelves looking bare?

November 14th, 2009, by Elizabeth Watts Pope

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Happy weekend, everyone!  Hope you all have had a chance to crash out on the couch and luxuriate in the do-nothing vibe. Should the time come when you decide to do something more drastic with your weekend, here’s a last-minute but heartfelt invitation to join us at the acclaimed Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair at [...]


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Anatomy of a Catalog Record

November 10th, 2009, by Diann Benti

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People tend to treat catalog records a lot like refrigerators: open it, grab what you need, and close it up again. At AAS, the milk, eggs, and butter of the record are the author, title, and call number. Locate those three and the rest can stay a black and white blur. But know that somewhere [...]


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Today in the Life of an 1870 Schoolmarm Aptitudes. : September 2. Silas and I went up to see Ada Montague yesterday afternoon.  We all rode down to Mr. Marvin’s, found Alice much better.  Tried to learn me to play croquet but I am not a very apt scholar.  We came back to Mr. Seymour’s to meeting in the eve and then bid Ada goodbye.  [...]