Tag Archive: 0America

Published in Boston in 1855, this is a sumptuous gift-book edition of Byron’s works, in the preparation of which ‘the publishers have spared no expense or delay in making it entirely complete.  In its progress through the press, it has undergone the careful supervision of a distinguished literary gentleman; and its proprietors feel that they […]

Printed in Jedburgh in 1821, these poems were written by a Andrew Scott (1757–1839), a Scottish a shepherd boy who enlisted at the outset of the American War of Independence and served for the duration of the campaign.  Of the many poems he penned there, most were lost, but ‘The Oak Tree’ survived and is […]

I am currently cataloguing some new material in preparation for the Boston Virtual Book Fair next week. Here’s one such item: ‘This elaborate house-blessing [which measures 412 × 325 mm], issued in the 1820s by Johann Ritter and Company of Reading … provides a unique poetic blessing rather than the common prose versions and the shorter […]

October is drawing to a close, which means here in Chesham we are inundated with fireworks (for Diwali) as well as book fair preparation (for the Boston fair). Equally exciting, but the latter is perhaps more pertinent to this blog. This year we are bringing some fantastic things, including an apparently unrecorded book; privately printed […]

Another month, another book fair.  In the past, New York book fair has taken place in April, but this year it’s moved to the beginning of March.  This has meant carefully selecting, even as far back as December last year, which items to take to California, and which items to take to New York.  The selection for […]

‘”Edgar Poe—the underground stream in Russia.”  So the Russian Symbolist poet Aleksandr Blok noted in his journal for November 6, 1911, a topic for a future critical study.  The article was never written, but the prospect has remained an enticing one.  For Poe’s fame, however clouded by conflicting interpretation, is of long standing in Russia’ […]