An interesting article on rare book collecting

Here is a link to a recent article on book collecting in The Guardian that I thought might interest you.

Ah Rick, there still can be a Santa Claus. You just have to seek him out. Find the unbeaten paths. Take your love of an idea and carry it out to the end. You will find an unending variety of books out there waiting to be made into a cohesive collection including some very scarce but not very valuable books – because you have not yet made them valuable!

– Bob Fleck

Carol Fitzgerald featured on the Fine Books Blog

We’re so happy for Carol Fitzgerald to be the first featured bibliographer on Nate Penderson’s new occasional series, List Lust, for The Fine Books Blog!

For those unfamiliar, Carol has written two excellent bibliographies that we have published. One concerns the Rivers of America book series, and the other deals with the Series Americana book series.

In this interview, Carol discusses her love of bibliography and the stories behind the creation of her two bibliographies.

You can view the entire interview here.

The newest Oak Knoller: Bailey

Greetings bibliophiles! I’m Bailey, your new Bookselling Assistant. I’m a born-and-raised Delawarean with a diploma from St. Mark’s High School and an English degree from the University of Delaware. In addition to working here at Oak Knoll, I also organize the Brandywine Festival of the Arts, an annual art and craft fair in Wilmington.  My nonprofessional brainwaves are occupied by indie rock, dogs, comics, and crafting. Oh, and books.

My parents used to read to me every night before bed, so I guess I have them to thank (blame?) for my love of books.  I love to get lost in a good work of fiction, thumb through an illustrated volume, or just admire an old tome. Imagine my delight when I discovered what incredible books are on the shelves here.  Is it too cheesy to say that this place is like a treasure trove, full of incredible gems to discover? Well, if Gargoyles and Grotesques: Paganism in the Medieval Church isn’t a glittering diamond of a book, I don’t know what is.

James has very patiently taught me to take over his job as resident book wrangler, picture taker, and problem solver.  I’m excited to help share these books with you, to polish my photography skills, and hopefully pick up a thing or two about publishing. Not to mention the wealth of information to be absorbed from the pages surrounding me – I’m particularly fascinated by illustration, printing, and the art of bookbinding.

In conclusion, here is a stop motion video of myself being attacked by books. Be safe out there.

Goodbye to Danielle and Hello to James

It is with mixed emotions that I announce this Friday will be my last day at Oak Knoll Books and Press. I am sad to be leaving a group of people that has made this job a wonderful beginning for me, but I am also very excited to be soon moving to a new city and pursuing a new avenue in my career.

With just over two years at Oak Knoll under my belt, I can still remember my first day—the smell of books, the new faces, the curiosity as to how I would like my new job, the wonder of how I would remember all the titles and authors and all the other small details that would be required for my job. Many thoughts were flowing through my mind, and while it’s normal to be nervous on your first day at a new position, I distinctly remember everyone at Oak Knoll being so friendly and welcoming that I immediately felt at home at my new job.

I have certainly learned a lot in my time as Publishing and Marketing Assistant, and I cannot thank everyone at Oak Knoll enough for the experience, skills, guidance, and knowledge they have provided me. This bookshop will always hold a very special place in my heart, and I wish the best of luck to everyone, especially James who will be taking over my position. I know he will do a great job.

To all the authors, customers, journals, booksellers, and others I have worked with during my time at Oak Knoll, I have enjoyed getting to know you, and you have also made my experience at Oak Knoll enjoyable.

-Danielle

Well, my time here at Oak Knoll has been enjoyable. And I’m sure it will continue to be after I take on the mantle of Publishing and Marketing Assistant. I feel like I learned so much about the book world in my previous position, but I know there’s still so much to learn.

Obviously, since I’m starting in this new position, it means saying goodbye to Danielle. Word from those that have been here at Oak Knoll for a while is that she’s one of the best Publishing and Marketing Assistants to come through. I hope I can live up to that. The two of us will certainly be working to create as smooth a transition as possible.

I’m never really sure how to end these things, so I’ll finish with this. While it isn’t quite what I thought my mathematics degree would lead to, I’m glad this is how things have turned out for me so far.

-James

New Castle featured in The Washington Post

The beautiful and historic town of New Castle (also the home of Oak Knoll) was featured yesterday in the travel section of The Washington Post’s online news. Audrey Hoffer, a freelance writer in Washington, wrote an article about the buildings, scenery, smells, and homes all located in the small town of New Castle. As Hoffer’s day in the town was ending, a trip to Oak Knoll was in order to check out our selection of books and revel in the grandeur of our building that was once an Opera House.

“I’m suffused with a sudden sense of pride and nostalgia. I’d come to New Castle looking for a taste of pure Americana. And sure enough, I’d found it.”–A.H.

Click here to read the article.

Meet Amber, our new intern!

It’s funny that people always think an English degree will get you nowhere in life. As an English major, I have always felt that my career options were overwhelmingly broad. As several of my professors have said, “Everyone needs someone who can write well.” Through my studies as an English major in the University of Delaware’s professional writing concentration, I have met writing professionals from many different fields—technical writing, editing, blogging, journalism— all of whom do very different things day-to-day.

One of the most appealing paths to me has always been publishing. In the media portrayals I’ve seen, a publisher is like a god, deciding which books live or die—and who wouldn’t want to be a god? Before I came to Oak Knoll, I also took a publishing class where I learned that there is a lot that goes into editing and publishing a book, magazine, or other publication.

Through my internship here, I hope to learn as much as possible about editing and publishing and to determine whether or not I am suited to a career in either of these fields. I also want to practice my skills in editing and proofreading as well as to enhance my knowledge of InDesign, Photoshop, and other programs.

So far, I’ve enjoyed applying my editing skills to Oak Knoll’s manuscripts and catalogues. It’s exciting to have the chance to work with material that’s going to be published into a real book that people will actually buy and read. It’s great to feel you have helped to create something so concrete.

Hopefully I prove myself useful to the kind folks here at Oak Knoll, who have given me this wonderful opportunity.

-Amber