This was a pleasant and unexpected addition to my reference library.
Rosenbach, A. S. W. Books and Bidders. Little Brown and Company, 1927. First edition hardback (“Published November, 1927), a Fine-copy with a faint 1″ groove at head near rear join and slight bend at head and heel, in a Very Good+ dust jacket with a 1” closed tear and associated creases at top rear, two much smaller closed tears, slight shallow loss at head and heel, and a bit of soiling to white rear cover, with dedication slip tipped in at the dedication page: “To Ben F. Wallace, with all best wishes/a.s.w. Rosenbach/ June 20, 1933.” Rosenbach was probably the grandest of the grand old men of the American bookselling trade in the first half of the 20th century. Given that Rosenbach sold multiple Gutenberg bibles throughout his career, I think my own bookselling efforts rather pale in comparison. Still, I expect this will be full of bookselling tidbits of yesteryear. Given to me as a birthday gift by Dwight after we watched The Booksellers documentary, which I recommend to bibliophiles, and in which SF bookseller/collector/publisher Henry Wessels gets a fair amount of screen time.
Tags: Books, bookselling, reference works, signatures
One of the reasons I bought this for Lawrence was that I keep encountering Dr. Rosenbach in my reading.
I wrote a while back about the Conan Doyle shaggy dog story. And, to Lawrence’s comment about Gutenberg Bibles, he shows up in The Lost Gutenberg as one of the people who tried to sell Estelle Doheny a Gutenberg. (He wasn’t successful, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.)
He sounds like an interesting character, and I may have to get a copy of this for myself.