Archive
Congratulations Tom Congalton
Tom Congalton of Between the Covers Rare Books, one of the two bookshops that make up The Bookshop in Old New Castle, has been unanimously elected president of ILAB. Read more courtesy of Fine Books & Collections.
A unanimous vote: At the Ordinary General Meeting on 23rd September 2012 in Lucerne the presidents of the 22 national member associations of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers elected Tom Congalton (United States) as new ILAB President. He succeeds Arnoud Gerits (Netherlands) who served as President from 2010 to 2012. Arnoud Gerits honoured his successor:
“Tom Congalton, over a long period of time, has shown his great commitment to the League and his concise, short but always accurate comments on various topics, his impartial but clever and clear judgements, and his capacity to quickly see and understand the essence of a problem, make him the perfect new President of ILAB. He has been a wonderful Vice- President and I owe him a lot of thanks for his unfailing commitment, support and intelligent contributions to our discussions. To continue the metaphor coined by Adrian Harrington in 2010: the Ship of ILAB is safe in the good hands of Tom.”
Tom Congalton, owner of Between the Covers Rare Books, joined the ILAB Committee in 2006. He is the former editor of the ILAB Newsletter. As chair of the ILAB IT Committee he had been responsible for the launch of the new ILAB website including the ILAB Metasearch in 2009/2010, before he became Vice-President in autumn 2010. With Between the Covers Rare Books, founded in 1985, Tom Congalton is regarded as one of the leading experts in 20th century literature and modern first editions who owns one of the largest rare book inventories in the world comprising over 230.000 books and including 150.000 first editions. The American dealer became a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) in 1990. After terms on the Board of Governors, as Secretary, and as Vice-President of the ABAA, he served as ABAA President from the year 2000 to 2002. For 16 years he also was a member of the Committee of the New York Antiquarian Book Fair. From 2005 to 2010 he lectured at the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar, since 2008 he has been teaching at the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. Tom Congalton is author of numerous excellent articles on book collecting and the antiquarian book trade.
Pictures of the New Castle Exhibition!
Check out pictures of our new exhibition on the historic town of New Castle. All publications in the exhibition are available to view and purchase.
Click here to see a list of all books in the exhibition.
A successful mini-fair
This past Saturday, The Bookshop in Old New Castle hosted a mini-book fair sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the ABAA. Thirteen booksellers participated in the fair, and author Joel Silver signed copies of his new publication Dr. Rosenbach and Mr. Lilly. The day was very successful, and we were excited to see those involved enjoying the opportunity to sell and purchase books. One participating bookseller, George Krzyminski from Certain Books, had wonderful words to say about the event:
“Speaking only for myself, I did very well, in buying as well as selling – better than some all-day or all weekend events I’ve exhibited at in the recent past. I met at least 3 new customers, quoted them some other material afterwards and met several dealers with which I’d had no previous contact – all to the good. I believe others at the show had similar experiences. We also had the opportunity to purchase & have Joel Silver sign his newest book, “Dr. Rosenbach & Mr. Lilly.” And of course, we all dipped into shopping the shelves at Oak Knoll the entire time…
I repeat Penny’s compliments and thanks to Bob & Millie & Rob Fleck and their staff, to all the other Bookshop in Old New Castle dealers – Bordentown, Kelmscott, Between the Covers- for their willingness to ‘share the space’ and custom with us all – and to all the dealers and their partners and staff that showed up for the workshop & show, who fully participated and had a good, profitably-spent time!”
Thank you, George for your kind words. We are happy you had such a great experience, and we hope all the rest of the booksellers had a great time as well! We look forward to participating in other similar events in the future.
Click here to view more pictures on facebook.
Saturday Book Fair!
Come out to The Bookshop in Old New Castle this Saturday between 10am and 2pm to check out the mini-book fair and sale held by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the ABAA. With thirteen booksellers showcasing their finest materials, you are sure to find some excellent books, all which will be available for purchase.
The event will also feature a book signing by Joel Silver of his new publication, Dr. Rosenbach and Mr. Lilly: Book Collecting in a Golden Age. This book is a microcosm of a great age of book collecting, in which choices were made by booksellers and collectors alike that shaped the contents of some of the greatest research libraries of today.
In addition to Oak Knoll, Antipodean Books, Between the Covers Rare Books, Black Swan Books, Brian Cassidy Bookseller, Certain Books, Hammer Mountain Book Hall, The Kelmscott Bookshop, Bruce McKittrick Rare Books, the Old Bookshop of Bordentown, Willis Monie Books, Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts, and Wellread Books will be participating in the fair.
Oak Knoll Books will be open all day Saturday from 9am to 5pm.
Click here for more information.
May Exhibit at The Bookshop in Old New Castle
During the month of May, The Kelmscott Bookshop is presenting an exhibition of original art work by two noted illustrators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition will be on display at The Bookshop in Old New Castle.
The collection consists of artwork from illustrators Louis Rhead and Harry Furniss. Louis Rhead became a prominent poster artist in the early 1890s. He illustrated numerous children’s books including Heidi, Robinson Crusoe, Hans Brinker, and Swiss Family Robinson. Harry Furniss wrote and illustrated 29 books of his own, and illustrated over 30 books by other authors. Part of the collection contains 31 original pen and ink drawings illustrated for Furniss’s last book.
Stop by the Bookshop to view this historical presentation. Click here for more information on the exhibit.
April’s Exhibition of Association Copies from Oak Knoll Books
April’s exhibition at the Bookshop in Old New Castle features association copies from Oak Knoll Books.
Association copies are truly unique books because they have been signed and/or presented by the author, editor, or someone closely related. The books on display cover a broad range of topics including bookbinding, poetry, bibliography, libraries, publishing, and others. Some of the books are inscribed to bibliophiles Henry Stevens and Frank Altshul, while others contain presentations with letters and presentations written by the editor. Stop by the bookshop to see the rare inscriptions on these books. All books are available for purchase. Click here to see the complete list of exhibition books.
Tennessee Williams Exhibition from Between the Covers Rare Books at The Bookshop in Old New Castle
A Streetcar Named Desire
During the month of March, Between the Covers Rare Books is presenting an exhibition of rare Tennessee Williams books, play scripts, and assorted memorabilia at The Bookshop in Old New Castle in honor of the playwright’s 100th birthday. Tennessee Williams, who would be 100 on March 26th, is considered the greatest Southern playwright and one of the most important of the 20th Century, with a body of work that still resonates with American audiences today in revival after revival. Among the notable and rare items included in the exhibition are original scripts for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire bearing its original title, The Poker Night, and a beautiful copy of Weird Tales magazine from 1928, which contains Williams’ first published story.
Be sure to stop by The Bookshop in Old New Castle to view this collection. Click here to read even more about the exhibition.
The Bookshop in Old New Castle’s first exhibition: Ann Baker material from Oak Knoll
Ann Baker Exhibition
Starting February 1, The Bookshop in Old New Castle will host its first exhibition on the stage of the historic opera house at 308 Delaware Street.
Oak Knoll will be the first of the four booksellers associated with the Bookshop to showcase its material. During the month of February, four display cases located on the stage of the bookshop will be filled with a sampling of various works from Ann Baker, a twentieth-century painter from Rhode Island revered for her vibrant depictions of American country life. The entire collection consists of 700
Designs by Ann Baker
items relating to Baker’s work as a country painter, tin ware artist, and gold-leaf painter and teacher. The designs are on glazed cardboard or acetate and architect’s linen, and range in size from very small to elaborate, multicolored works. The archive illustrates the original designs and colors and identifies the source of many works. All materials on exhibit and in the collection are available for purchase as a collection.
The exhibition will continue in March as Between the Covers Rare Books displays its Tennessee Williams exhibition including original early typescripts of The Poker Night (A Streetcar Named Desire), The Gentleman Caller (The Glass Menagerie), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and other first editions and rare items.
As The Bookshop in Old New Castle is a combination store between Oak Knoll Books, Between the Covers Rare Books, The Kelmscott Bookshop, and the Old Bookshop of Bordentown, the exhibitions will alternate monthly with each store taking turns showcasing different collections of their finest material.
Click here to learn more about the Ann Baker collection and click here to see a slideshow of exhibition material.
Book Signing Wrap Up
Hello my collected group of Oak Knoll readers. I hope you’re enjoying the dreary, rainy weather here on the east coast as much as I am.
As you may already know, Oak Knoll had a book signing by Delaware history authors on the 2nd floor of the Opera House in New Castle, Delaware (otherwise known as The Bookshop in Old New Castle). Some of you actually had the time to make it out and support our important cause of helping out local authors. Overall, the event was a success. Being my first, it certainly set a foundation of standards for similar events that we will do in the future. Seeing so many familiar faces, as well as some unfamiliar ones, made the signing that much more enjoyable. Some visitors even made the two hour commute from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to New Castle (Thank You!).
So I would really like to know what you guys thought. Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? What can we do in the future to make these events even better?
Delaware History Book Authors
Thanks y’all, and stay dry when you’re walking outside.
-Rob Fleck
The Oak Knoll Biblio-Blog 