“For books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them.”
― John Milton, Areopagitica
The great English poet and polemicist John Milton was born on December 9, 1608. His work was informed by the turbulent age in which he lived, in which Kings were overthrown, Republics rose and fell, and the relations between church and state were fiercely debated. (Doubtless, he'd recognize much in early 21st-century politics.) Although his work is little-taught and has generally fallen out of public consciousness, a cursory glance at the popular novels, television shows, comics, and films of today reaveals the enduring influence of Paradise Lost, his great mythologizing of the fall from Paradise. When he wrote Areopagitica, he was likely thinking that it was the artist's own books that would endure. Today, readers who retain an interest in the great works of the past (such as academics and book collectors) realize that while individual books may fall out of fashion, the ideas in those books endure and can be found in the work of subsequent generations of authors, if you know what you're looking for.
On that note, here are the latest catalogs of old, rare, and collectable books, pamphlets, documents, and ephemera from ABAA members. We hope you find many books that contain the vitality and potency of their authors.
Recent Acquisitions -- list only available to mailing list subscribers. Sign up here...
Boston Book Fair Catalog (.pdf download link)
Americana: Books, Periodicals, Maps & Views -- November, 2016
- Espionage! Conspiracy! Subversion!
- Anti-Fascist Movements
- A Short List on Resistance to Sexual Assault and Harassment
- Black Panthers (plus 50 years)
- The Alt-Right (and Some Direct Ancestors)
ANDREW CAHAN, BOOKSELLER, LTD.
- Don't Think of an Elephant
- Beat Literature
- E-List: (Mostly) Safe for Work - Sex & Sexuality
- Go Ask Alice (and Ted) -- 16 works by, from, or about New York School poets Alice Notley and Ted Berrigan
- E-list No. 32 Miscellany: FreeThinkers, Hair Book, Women's Work & Of Course, the Children
- Miscellany -- Publisher’s Promotion, Politics, a Dunce & of Course, the Children
THOMAS A. GOLDWASSER RARE BOOKS
- Gastronomy
- Science
- List December 2016 -- Bibliography, Art of Memory, Education
- Printed Americana -- from the 17th through 19th centuries.
- December Miscellany
- Rare Books & Manuscripts, December 2016
- Science and Medicine
JONATHAN A. HILL, BOOKSELLER, INC.
- Continental Quartos
- Catalogue 218
- A Selection from the Charles C. Tandy Collection of Anesthesiology
Catalogue 71: American Women Writers, Reformers and Achievers
Catalog 14 -- Artists' Books, Private Press, 19th Century Literature, Original Art, and more.
- Architecture
- 20th & 21th Century Art and Photography
- Poetry, Drama, Fiction and Non-fiction
- Books on Business
E-catalog -- 34-item miscellany
DAVID M. LESSER, FINE ANTIQUARIAN BOOKS
- Catalogue 153, Rare Americana (December, 2016)
- Catalog 152, Rare Americana (September-October, 2016)
LIBER ANTIQUUS, EARLY PRINTED BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS
- Art, Photography, & Design
- Religious Pamphlets (Part 3)...
- Women, Culture, Art & Social History Arts and Letters, War and Women, Science and Sermons
- 19th C. Religious Pamphlets - Quaker, Baptist, Reform, Anglican, Catholic..
- Religious Pamphlets (Part 2)...
- E-list #127: Somewhat Seasonal
- E-list #126: The Aughts
- E-list #125: American Women
- E-list #124: Blue Books
J.& J. LUBRANO MUSIC ANTIQUARIANS
- THE COLLECTION OF DR. STEPHEN S. WALLACE: 19TH- AND EARLY 20TH-CENTURY OPERA
- AUTOGRAPH LETTERS OF COMPOSERS, SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHS, ETC. -- Part II: M-Z
- AUTOGRAPH LETTERS OF COMPOSERS, SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHS, ETC. -- Part I: A-L
- THE PAUL J. JACKSON OPERA COLLECTION -- Part VIII: T-Z
Catalog 56 -- Autumn 2016
BRUCE MCKITTRICK RARE BOOKS, INC.
- SIXTY FIVE YEARS OF AMERICAN HOMES: House Plan Catalogs 1900-1965
- PRODUCTS FOR THE HOME: Manufacturers’ Catalogs 1900s - 1950s
December 2016: Western Americana -- by subscription only. Contact oldwestbooks@earthlink.net for details about obtaining a copy.
R & A PETRILLA, ANTIQUARIAN BOOKSELLERS
PHILADELPHIA RARE BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS
RICHARD C. RAMER, OLD & RARE BOOKS
- Special List 255: Thirty-Five Items Recently Catalogued -- Thirty-five items on Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Asia, etc., with color illustrations.
- Special List 254, Eça de Queiroz
- Special List 253, Western Pacific
- Special List 252, Thirteen Recent Acquisitions
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- Something for Everyone – A Christmas Related Miscellany of Americana
- Cuba
- Americana Bulletin 5: Natural History
- Boston Antiquarian Book Fair
B&L ROOTENBERG RARE BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS
- INK LDN -- October 2016 -- a unique new international antiquarian book and art fair with an emphasis on luxury and quality.
- Rare Book Week - April 2016
- From the Library of Henry Roth
- Catalog #199D: Illustrated Books
- Catalog # 199C: Books & Autographs -- 299 Rare books and Autographs including some US Presidents, Charles Darwin and others
Catalogue 201, Part II -- 67 items: Children's, Antiquarian, Fine Press (including The Palace Press and Taller Martín Pescado) and, of course, Arthuriana.
"Occasional List" -- please request a copy directly from jwrb@comcast.net...
Catalogue 4: Americana & Travel, Including Manuscripts, Photos, Ephemera
View last month's rare book catalogs...
ABAA members list new books every day. Browse this week's new listings...
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Remember, you can always browse and download the latest catalogs published by ABAA members on ABAA.org by visiting the following link: https://www.abaa.org/catalog/... (You can also access this page by selecting 'Booksellers' from the top menu, scroll to the bottom of the page to 'Member Catalogs', and click on 'View All'.)