HoB Nob - Histories of the Book in 7 countries

There are many books about the minutia of publishers, printers, booksellers, and authors lives, or how books are made, or how to collect books, or how a particular library was put together. On a grander scale, there are many books on the broad sweep of books, covering cuneiform tablets to ebooks, or the greatest books or libraries in the world. But the middle ground, the book histories of a particular place across time, or of a particular time across places, are less common. National book histories are important landmarks in this middle ground, and it is remarkable that such books on seven major English language nations are all coming out at nearly the same time.

Start clearing bookshelf space now.


Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland , Scotland, and New Zealand are the countries in question, with the university presses of Cambridge, North Carolina, Toronto, Queensland, Oxford, and Otago doing the heavy lifting, and the American Antiquarian Society helping out the US effort. The works are in various stages of completion, with Vol. 3 of Britain's history by Cambridge leading the way in 1999, and Canada being the first of the countries to finish, with their 3rd volume appearing in 2007.

Britain's history will be seven volumes, 3 of which are already printed, with 2 more on the way this year. The three volumes out, vols. 2-4, cover the period from 1100 to 1695, with the next 2 covering 1695-1914 out by the end of summer. On series page, a brief discussion of the series states:

The seven volumes of the History of the Book in Britain will help explain how these texts were created, why they took the forms they did, their relations with other media, and what influence they had on the minds and actions of those who heard, read or viewed them.

The books will be collections of essays that collectively will cover the period thoroughly. It will be the most scholarly of the group (though all will be well done I think), I imagine, and also the mos expensive. I have vol. 3 and I think they do a fine job, and will slowly buy the rest as the reference purse permits.

The United States series started shortly after the British, and has a bit more of a convoluted publishing history. The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester MA is the prime mover in this series, originally working with Cambridge University Press to produce the first volume in the series, The Colonial Book in the Atlantic World. It was reissued by the AAS and the University of North Carolina Press in paperback in 2007. What prompted the change in partners for AAS I do not know - perhaps Cambridge already had enough on its plate with the British series. In any case, vol. 3 The Industrial Book, 1840-1880 followed in August of that year, and vol. 4 Print in Motion: 1880-1940 was just released in January 2009. V. 5 The Enduring Book: Print Culture in Postwar America is promised in September of this year, and will be a major addition to book history of the most recent period. All volumes except for v. 1 are available from UNC in hardcover only, but for about a third of what the British series costs per volume.

The Canadian series by the University of Toronto Press (Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal is doing the French edition) is, as mentioned above, the only one of the six to be completed. Starting with vol. 1 published in 2004, the three volumes cover to 1840, to 1918, and to 1980 respectively. Our reading group here at the shop read vol. 1, and while I would not recommend it other reading groups, it is very informative and an excellent resource. As with other series, the Canadian is a one of a kind resource and a well constructed set of books. The price for these volumes runs approx.. $85 USD each or so new, a bit more than the US series.

Australia's effort by the University of Queensland Press is affectionately called the HOBA, for A History of the Book in Australia. Like Canada, this is a three volume effort. Volume I is not yet scheduled for release, but vol. II 1890-1945 came out in October 2001, with vol. III Paper Empires : 1946-2005 arriving in summer 2006. Like the other series, a collection of different essays and case-studies are presented to provide a broad view during the different times. Vol. II appears to only be in hardcover, while vol. III appears to have a paperback edition in addition to the hardcover. Prices for the hardcovers are around $75.00 USD.

The Irish book history series of 5 books is being published by Oxford. The first work in that series is Vol. III The Irish Book in English, 1550-1800 came out in early spring 2006. Again a collection of essays by scholars and well made. This volume looks primarily at the printed book in Ireland and its effect on the culture and covers the spread of presses throughout ireland from English areas to the rest of the island. I did not see when the next volumes were scheduled, and I fear that the downturn in the world economy may delay this series and perhaps others. The book costs 195.00 USD for new copies, and I don't think used ones will be very common.

The University of Edinburgh is publishing the Scottish series through its Centre for the History of the Book. The Edinburgh History of the Book in Scotland Project, or EHOBS, started off with a bang on St. Andrews Day 2007, with two volumes released at once. The two, Ambition and Industry 1800-1880 and Professionalism and Diversity 1880-2000 are the last two in the series. I could find no scheduled date or tentative titles for the first two. The volumes are, like the other UK works, expensive, with prices similar to the Irish and British series.

The last of the seven nations to begin its History of the Book series is New Zealand/Aotearoa. While an earlier work called A Book in the Hand: Essays on the History of the Book in New Zealand was published in 2001, it seems to be a smattering of essays more literary rather than a more concerted overview of the history. I learned of the upcoming volume from a brief entry in Beattie's Book Blog by a New Zealand Publisher and bookseller. Further investigate uncovered a blurb from the Humanities Research Network in NZ/A that is a call for scholars to work on a single volume that covers both Maori and English books and publishing, divvied into 4 time periods from 1830-2010. There is no suggestion as to the publication date, but I think if we see it before 2012 I will be surprised, as they are just getting started. I do wish the team there success and happy researching.

Such works as these listed above are important landmarks in any field. As such, they take a great deal of effort and time to finish. I have firm hopes that all of the projects will be completed, because many hands are at work in each group. My only fear is that the essays won't dovetail well enough, and that gaps may appear in the different histories. I have not seen that so far in the volumes I personally own, but in other areas such as medieval history the collections of essays sometimes seem a hodgepodge of scholarly essays loosely connected by the broad title of the work.

So, as I said. clear shelf space. These books will be thick, well made, and full of new research. You may not want all of the series, but don't wait too long to get the volumes you do want. I imagine the works are geared toward academic institutions and the print runs will not be large.

More after the jump...

Oak Knoll Press - The Bookseller to the Book World

If you like any aspect of the book arts, history of the book, bookselling, or library history, you need to know about Oak Knoll Press in Delaware. They have made the books about books field their own, publishing new titles for any budget and distributing books for smaller publishers that might be overlooked without them.

And they even have a festival.


As you can see from their front page, Oak Knoll was started in 1978 by Bob Fleck, to fill a void of booksellers who sold books about books. They issue 35 titles a year, on such topics as book collecting, book design, binding, forgery, papermaking, typography, calligraphy, and more. Some of the titles, like Rostenberg & Stern's OLD BOOKS IN THE OLD WORLD, are quite affordable, in the 20-25 dollar range, while others like Bennett's TRADE BOOKBINDING IN THE BRITISH ISLES 1660-1800 are specialty publications with excellent illustrations and sell north of $80.00.

Oak Knoll has deep and important ties to other organizations and publishers as well. They co-publish books with the British Library and the Library of Congress, for example. They are the exclusive distributor for 10 firms, and for selected titles from 13 more. These firms include the American Antiquarian Society, the Bibliographical Societies for the US & UK, the Caxton Club, and many others. These publishing and distribution arrangements allows them to be almost one stop shopping for books on any niche of the book world.

The other important aspect of Oak Knoll to note is the quality of production they bring to their books. Without exception, any book published by them, and virtually all distributed by them, are well made and attractive. Good paper, solid binding, and good layout are hallmarks. The previously mentioned TRADE BOOKBINDING IN THE BRITISH ISLES is a prime example. It is scholarly but accessible, well illustrated, with a unique focus, and is most definitely practical. That work alone would make one notice a publishing house, and Oak Knoll has dozens.

From a bookseller's standpoint, Oak Knoll stands out for two features. The utility of the publications they carry for the trade, and the commitment they have to publish books directly about bookselling past and present. Not a day goes by that I do not use either a bibliography or reference work they did not have a hand in publishing or distributing. The memories they have published of American and European bookshops and booksellers both inspire me and help me be a better, more professional bookseller. If a bookseller's reference library is their tool set, then Oak Knoll is the equivalent of the Craftsman company. You can't go wrong with them.

Oh, and the festival is called Oak Knoll Fest. The next one is in October of 2009, but they generally do not have information on the next event up til summer. It is definitely on my list of book festivals to visit.

More after the jump...

Book Club Editions - The Good, Bad, and Ugly

We often see book club editions of works, either offered to us in the shop or at the various library or garage book sales we attend. On occasion we will visit a home and an entire library will contain nothing but book club editions, all looking smart and even in their tidy rows.

At such times I think - I wonder how much bulk pulp paper goes for these days?

Lest you think I am on the verge of forgoing bookselling for recycling, let me explain. Book clubs - Book of the Month Club, the History Book Club, the Science Fiction book club, the Romance Book Club, the Mystery Book Club, etc. etc. etc. supply reasonably priced books to a host of readers across the country. The are currently almost all printed by the Book Club master, Bookspan, a wholly owned subsidiary of the mega media giant Bertlesmann. The books are generally smaller in size than trade editions with different binding and paper. Most are hardcovers, but not all. Many are in standard size and do indeed look quite nice on a shelf. Most are cheaper in price than original editions as well.

In some cases, they are collectible. Some genre fiction sees its first hardcover (or only) edition in book club form, and often the dust jackets reproduce the original designs. This allows a collector to at least have the appearance of some of the earlier important works without the cost of the original editions.

For readers, there are benefits as well. It is sometimes easier to find a hardcover book club edition of a book than a paperback copy. Copies are, as noted above, cheaper than new trade editions. Club membership can also be managed online, certainly an improvement over the old card system.

That said, overall I am not a fan. I will pick up book club editions of science fiction when the dust jackets reproduce the original designs, but beyond that call me Savonarola. Book club book, esp. hardcovers, use lower quality paper and binding than trade editions. They are usually smaller, and sometimes not printed as sharply. In the early days, the book clubs would sometimes sell copies printed by the original publisher and You pay less, and you certainly get less.

They are also confusing and mis-described all over the used book market. Newer book clubs editions are harder to spot, as this article at the Tom Folio website notes, though a more extensive article is needed. Either by lack of attention or education, or by sharp practice, booksellers often offer book club editions as first editions. Many book club dust jackets do not print the price on the flap, and more mercenary booksellers sometimes clip the corner to hide this fact. Others simply do not note that the book is a book club edition, and price it as if it were the original trade edition.

In financially tight times, book clubs can seem like a good deal. But book club books also are not necessarily good value books. While book club editions are cheaper, in many cases waiting a bit will allow you to get a even cheaper used copy of a nice, well made trade edition of the same book. Such a copy will last longer, and have better resale value, than a book club edition. Even with shipping, it is at least no more than the grasping "shipping & handling" charges by the book clubs.

So take a longer term view with book club editions. Think about what you want the book for when you buy - just to read or to collect. Will you want it for a long time, or just for now? And what does a book club really cost compared to a used copy of a better edition? And what is the current price per pound of pulp paper?

More after the jump...

Award Season - The Best New Bookshops

In both the US and in the UK, there are annual awards for the best bookshops. In the US the award is called "bookseller of the year" and ran by Publisher's Weekly. The UK has two versions - the "independent bookshop of the year" organized by the Publishing News as part of their British Book Industry Awards. The US ones are a bit harder to find, but for both awards they give a good view into some of the more successful bookshops in the world, including some in business for over 100 years.

Its enjoyable to read about such shops, but there 's a lot to learn from them as well.



For starters, the two bookshops between the big pond could not have been more different on the surface. In the US, the 2008 win went to Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena CA. Started in 1894, Adam Clark Vroman came West for his wife's health and was also a photographer, who western views and Native American images influenced Ansel Adams. The shop has always been sizable, and is still the largest independent in California and has over 20 staff. There is a solid talk with their head buyer at the LA Weekly, though the article is 2 years old.

Mr. B's Emporium of Reading Delights is located in the resort town of Bath, famous since Roman times. Opened in 2006, Mr. B's won praise and customers immediately, with the vision and energy of its founders Nic and Juliette Bottomley. With 3 floors books of books and a surprisingly useful bathtub, Mr. B's seems to have a well thought out selection for a whole range of tastes. They even detailed their decision to start their shop at the Guardian. They have recently expanded to 6 staff.

In browsing the articles about these two bookshops and their own websites, their differences seem to fade away a bit. Both have very active book groups. Both have good ordering programs in place. Both have a healthy number of events, though Vroman's clearly has an edge here because of its size. Also, through email, newsletters, groups, and of course their web pages, both shops have solid lines of current communication up between themselves and their buyers. They support local external book and literacy events, and local authors. In short, they know the books well, know who they are and they know their customers. That, to me, is the fundamental understanding a bookshop has to have to survive.

I know we all often hear about independent bookshops closing and the problems they endure from sales to online competition. But shops like these can give us a window into how bookshops can and will continue. So click on the links, and go look at past winners as well. There's more than a little for any owner of a shop for used, rare or new books to learn from these folks.

More after the jump...

Make Mine Irish - Four Courts Press

In a publishing environment where big names and large firms seem to dominate most US shops and a good many Brit establishments, it is a joy to come across a smaller publisher with a solid line of titles and high standards as well. Such firms are few and far between, and if you find one that fits your interests, then you are a lucky reader indeed.


Four Courts Press is one of those publishers for, and I envy Ireland all the more because of it.

Four Courts Press, from its own about page, was launched in 1970 by Michael Adams (still the publisher) and began to expand in 1992. From Theological works the firm has moved into Irish History from Celtic forward, Art, Literature and more. They have over 500 titles in print, and I copies of a small number of those.

I was first introduced to Four Courts when I was visiting the Medieval Congress in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Congress bring together scholars from around the globe as well as a good number of publishers and a few used & rare sellers as well. When I am there I usually seek out books on Medieval Spanish History or Book & Library history. Both of these subjects can be even pricier used if you miss them when they come out, so it is good to keep aware of what currently in publication. In any case, in a side room, I came across gentleman whose name escapes me now, who was just done packing up the booth, and all that was left were a few catalogues. I picked up a catalogue, thumbed through it as he was finishing up, and a title caught my eye: KING'S INNS AND THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS, 1972 by Colum Kenny. I asked if he had any copies, and he said no, the one he brought sold but he would take my order if I wished. I did so wish, and the deal was struck.

2 weeks later or so I received the book from their US distributors. And a couple weeks later I received a copy directly from Dublin as well. As the book was not cheap I contacted them and told them I was happy to buy the second copy. They were kind enough (and right prompt in replying too - always a good sign) to give me a good price as I was a bookseller.

These events hooked me on Four Courts. The book itself is a very interesting read, and I encourage you to investigate it, though sadly it is out of print. Other factors struck me even than the content of the book. The quality of manufacture was high and, on taking more time with the catalog, the other works in the catalog were both unique and interesting. Many publishers seem to repetitively cover the same ground - just do a browse on how many biographies of JFK or Elizabeth I have been published by major US publishers in the last 25 years. Four Courts to be consistently good at taking a different angle on a subject, and in some detail.

To give you an idea of some of the variety:

Virtues of a Wicked Earl
The life and legend of William Sydney Clements, 3rd earl of Leitrim, 1806–78 A.P.W. Malcomson

Irish Governments and the Guardianship of Historical Records, 1922-72
Gerard O'Brien

The University of Ulster
Genesis and growth
Gerard O'Brien & Peter Roebuck, editors

2RN and the Origins of Irish Radio
Richard Pine

Building Irish Identity in America, 1870-1915
The Gaelic Revival
Úna Ní Bhroiméil

And so on. I am not a collector or even a heavy reader in Irish history, but so many of these titles seem so interesting to me. Granted, I live in the United States so books on Irish History pretty much are limited to Vikings, potato famines, travel, and drinking. But the variety of titles from one publisher still impresses me a great deal.

If you are interested in Irish history and/or culture, look at Four Courts Press . They are not the cheapest books, but they are some of the best. That is a good and needed thing.

More after the jump...

Why Do New Book Prices Drop So Fast?

One of the interesting phenomena I see is how fast prices of many new titles from a good number of publishers fall. I have seen books that have been out only a few days have 10+ copies already listed as used, with prices half or less off the Amazon price. Some even have over a dozen reviews months before publication date, which surprised me as well.

Then one day, a person came in the shop and had two boxes of brand new books. These books had been sent them by many publishers because of some small award for which the person had been empaneled. As with many prizes, books are sent to be considered and the publishers decide what to send. I imagine judges do have a bit of leeway to ask for titles they want to see, but I think the number of those titles would be small. I have known book reviewers and editors who have similar experiences as well.

Herein may lie the problem.


Whether it is awards, reviews, or even solicitation for blurbs from writers in the same field, some publishers send out a ton of copies in advance of publication, or shortly thereafter. In the case of reviewers and award judges, a good number of these books are not pertinent to the task at hand. Tangential, obscure, or self published works come in, along with the many pertinent works as well. Even for reviewers, the books may be pertinent but there are so many of them. Eventually, the stacks rise beyond comfort levels and something must be done to save both architecture and relationships.

Happily faced with a deluge, many folks have to regularly weed the books sent them. In many cases they sell them. The Strand in New York City, for example, has a well known reputation for having a wide selection of such review copies. Most university towns have several reviewers about, so on a smaller scale than NY this goes on across the country. Sooner, rather than later, these books start popping up on Amazon and elsewhere. In numbers.

Then the race to the bottom begins. The first few are priced at or even higher than the new copy, esp. if the new copy is not out yet. The next ones drop a bit below that, and so on and so forth. By the time the books has been out a month or two, the book is at most 20% of the value new. Again, we are primarily talking about most trade books here, but I do include some popular art books in the mix as well, and scholarly books published in quantity as some from Yale and Harvard and Oxford. There are of course exceptions but, for most, this is the likely scenario.

Publishers complain about Amazon listing new and used on the same page, thereby depriving them of sales, or about eBay or ABE books and all the new copies of books there. However, as we can discussed this an issue to which they themselves greatly contribute by sending out so many free copies. What are people supposed to do with all the books? Donating them is of course a possibility, but many of those copies wind up on the used market in any case. Recycling is a possibility, but why recycle a perfectly good new book? I think expecting reviewers to jus sit on these free copies or return them to the publisher (esp. if the books were not requested in the first place) is just absurd, and complaining about the current effects of one's own policies a waste of time. Publishers would beter spend their time revisiting their pre-publication distribution policies.

Next Week - How Publishers Might Improve Revenue Stream From Their Titles

More after the jump...

New Books, Used Sellers

Since this is a new blog (so to speak) I'll start off our endeavor with New Bookery.

I am not sure how much used & rare booksellers pay attention to new publications, but I bet it is more than many folks think. If you are a modern firsts person, that newly released Cormac MacCarthy novel is probably easiest to get signed or in a limited edition right when it comes out. Same way with science fiction (which I dearly love) if it is a limited edition from that fine (relatively) new publisher Subterranean Press. For reference works, like those wonderful tomes from Oak Knoll, again, earlier is sometimes cheaper.

For history, our focus at the shop, we notice more variance than the example above. Some subjects from publishers are printed in such small runs that to miss them when they first come out is to ensure a higher price down the road. IF you can find them later, that is. An subject example of this is medieval Spain, especially the more scholarly works. A number of publishers (Univ. of Pennsylvania, Princeton) have put out excellent studies of medieval Spanish royalty, but did not do paperback editions or keep the books in print very long. Most likely they thought the primary market for these books were university libraries and professors in medieval Spanish history. However, many of these scholarly books are actually interesting and readable without a PhD. So educated lay-people may also be interested in them as well. This ensures both scarcity and higher prices on the secondary market if you miss the book when it comes around.

Conversely, other scholarly books may drop in cost more quickly. WWII history from the from the Univ. of Kansas, or law enforcement history from Yale often fall to less than $10 with shipping on the inter-tubes less than a year after publication. This is in part due to the size of printing and/or to paperback editions being published simultaneously or shortly after the initial hardcover.

Used & rare bookseller do occasionally buy new books, especially if he bookseller has a subject focus. A few used & rare booksellers in our area (us included) will have signings or events for local authors with history books, who will certainly not be a huge draw at a Borders or Barnes & Nobles. Unsold copies of such books are rarely returned by us, as we know we will sell them out over the course of the coming months. We also often pay up front for a steeper discount, which makes everyone happy.

So, keep an eye on the new book market as well as the used one. The more specific a subject, the better the reputation of the author, and the greater likely hood of a small print run could signal a sleeper down the road. And it just might be good reading to boot.

More after the jump...