In 2014, AAS receptionist Sally Talbot was looking for a project she could work on during slow periods on the front desk in the foyer of Antiquarian Hall. Creating a name list of the Society’s collection of loose American bookplates (not those tipped into books) was suggested by Curator of Books Elizabeth Pope. As the … Continue reading Type, Sally, Type! Inventorying AAS Bookplates
Each year as Halloween comes around, the staff here at AAS tries to think of ways to feature the spooky, scary, and creepy material in the Society’s collection. We have shown off our postcard collection and some fright-inducing stereograph photos. We’ve hunted for ghost stories, featured gift book illustrations of the supernatural, and peered into … Continue reading Boo! Bookplates!
The American Antiquarian Society has an extensive collection of pre-1800 American bookplates, with representative examples engraved by famous patriots like Paul Revere, or commissioned by founding fathers such as George Washington (left). AAS founder, Isaiah Thomas, had two different bookplates made by Revere and AAS, of course, has several examples of each ( below). These … Continue reading New Acquisitions: Early Bookplates
This week we continue our curators’ acquisitions stories with curator of newspapers Vince Golden. His story combines elements of both of the previous posts (I and II), making for quite an interesting turn of events! There are various phrases in the English language that mean act immediately. Strike while the iron is hot. He who … Continue reading Seven Years and a Quiet Dirt Road in Exchange for 600 Newspaper Issues
Archive of American Publishers’ Ephemera, 1840-1900, 216 pieces. The American Antiquarian Society’s collection of American ephemera includes much material related to the book and printing trades, including bookplates, binders’ tickets, and trade cards for printers and publishers. A recent donation in honor of long time ephemera dealer and collector Joseph Freedman (who passed away in … Continue reading The Acquisitions Table: Archive of American Publishers’ Ephemera
About two years ago, I found myself looking at an 1892 Bibliobroadsheet. It advertised the Bronson, Michigan, store of J. Francis Ruggles, the most unusual bibliopole ever working in Bronson, for sure. Michael Winship, professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin and an editor of the recently published five-volume series A History … Continue reading Bibliothanatography
Tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 6 pm, the American Antiquarian Society’s long anticipated Adopt-a-Book event will be held at Antiquarian Hall (185 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA). While we hope you have enjoyed our recent series of posts previewing some of the items available for adoption, the actual event will be full of extra … Continue reading Adopt-a-Book Tomorrow!: Extra Special Treats
Past is Present is taking a short break from our series of Adopt-a-Book posts to tell you about our favorite new resource on the AAS website. Some of us at AAS embark upon irrevocable and unusual quests – like creating the “perfect” inventory. While, arguably, it is an impossible task to encompass everyone’s inventory-needs, the … Continue reading Much Revere-d
This past April, the state of Massachusetts marked the 235th anniversary of the famous ride of Paul Revere and the start of the American Revolution at the Battles of Lexington & Concord. As you might expect, AAS takes Patriot’s Day (April 19th) seriously. Like most Massachusetts residents, we have the day off …
