Books Tell You Why is proud to introduce David Bruce Smith. He specializes in creating, designing, and writing limited-edition books on a variety of subjects: authors, historic figures, artists, and leaders. You’ll find his books Tennessee: Three Plays by Tennessee Williams and Thirteen Miles from Providence: A Tale of Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiers’ Home featured on our website. David recently sat down with us to discuss his inspiration, working with his mom, and even his thoughts on e-books.
Q:How long have you been creating your own books?
Smith: For over twenty years. I started out in the family real estate business, but all the while I had a magazine, wrote book reviews, and even published several books. After the family business was sold, I was delighted to devote myself fully to writing and publishing.
Q: Why fine press books? Why not more traditional authorship and publishing?
Smith: These books are more works of art. It’s different than just going to the bookstore and buying a paperback. Especially now, these kinds of books are less common. I wanted to create an experience, where someone could actually feel, touch, and learn something about the craft as they read. It’s about so much more than simply creating a book. This is what I think people lose when they go to e-readers—there’s no record of the actual experience. You read, and then you’re done. People are being desensitized to the true experience of reading.
Q: What inspired Three Miles from Providence?
Smith: My parents are involved in the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and I went with them to visit the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. This was Fall, 2006, and the Lincoln cottage was about to be re-inaugurated. This was where Lincoln wrote the third draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, so it’s an important but little-known landmark. I wanted to create a book to commemorate and publicize this event. Meanwhile it dovetails nicely with the 151st anniversary of the Civil War.
That book really is an experience, especially a tactile experience. I wanted the book itself to look like something a soldier would carry, so I did quite a bit of research on that, too.
Q: What inspired you to create Tennessee?
Smith: Back in 2004, there was a true revival of Tennessee Williams’ works across the country, including here in DC. I approached Michael Kahn, Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theater Company, about collaborating on a new edition of Tennessee’s plays, and he was very supportive. This year would be Tennessee Williams’ 101st birthday, and as Michael says, Tennessee Williams “is the American Shakespeare.”
Q: Your mom, Clarice Smith, illustrated Thirteen Miles from Providence and Tennessee. Tell us a little about that collaboration.
Smith: We’ve been working together for 20 years, and she’s by far my favorite illustrator to work with. In the beginning, there was a bit of that mother-son dynamic. But now it’s just two people who happen to be mother and son. There really isn’t anybody I’d rather work with.
Q: How has Clarice influenced your work?
Smith: She does a variety of genres, and whatever she paints, draws, whatever, you want to be in that place. Her art has this warmth, and I always try to translate that warmth into my prose. I try to keep the language simple and memorable, without lots of fancy words.
Look for more articles by David soon on our blog! Have questions for him? Post them here or visit him online.
Last night America reveled in an evening of glamour and excitement. The annual Academy Awards ceremony honored the best cinematic achievements of the year. Book-to-movie adaptations featured prominently this year, and a few really won big.
One favorite: Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” was nominated for eleven Oscars and won five, mostly in technical categories like technical design and cinematography. The film tied “The Artist” for most wins last night.
“Hugo” is an elaborate 3D fantasy film based on Brian Selznick’s award-winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The book earned the Caldecott Award in 2008 for Selznick’s innovative blend of elements of picture books and graphic novels.
Another literary darling of the Academy Awards was “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” a truly charming animated short film that uses multiple animation techniques. Watch the entire movie below.
Today we celebrate President’s Day, a holiday dedicated to our country’s great governmental leaders. But today also marks the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s first orbit around the earth. That accomplishment reawakened a nation’s hope and patriotism.
The Cold War and the Space Race
In 1962, America remained locked in the Cold War with Communist countries, most importantly Russia. With Russia’s successful launch of Sputnik in October, 1957, a new kind of competition began. President John F Kennedy officially made the space race a national priority in 1961, when he vowed that the US would send a man to the Moon by the end of the decade. Yet the US lagged behind Russia, managing only a few short suborbital flights—while Russia sent a dog, and then a man, into space.
John Glenn Makes History
Enter the man whom Tom Wolfe once called “the last true national hero America has ever had.” That man was John Glenn, a Marine corps fighter pilot from New Concord, Ohio. Glenn had dropped out of college after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and enlisted in the Army. When he wasn’t called to duty, Glenn entered the Navy. During advanced training he was transferred to the Marines, where he would later serve alongside Ted Williams, legendary Hall of Fame baseball player for the Boston Red Sox.
In 1959 Glenn was selected as one of the original seven astronauts for Project Mercury. Three years later, Glenn assured his place in history as the first person to orbit Earth.
Glenn orbited the earth three times, and the flight lasted only 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds. He would later go on to be part of the first mission to the Moon.
The entire city of Perth, Australia turned on houselights and streetlights as Glenn passed overhead, earning it the nickname “City of Lights.”
Upon his return, Glenn received a ticker-tape parade in his honor. His accomplishment also won the admiration of the Kennedy family, and he became a friend of the Kennedy clan.
Though Glenn testified to Congress in 1962 to support excluding women from going into space, he eventually reversed his view. He supported Judith Resnik in her career.
Glenn resigned from NASA six weeks after President Kennedy was assassinated. He returned to Ohio to run for political office.
When Glenn retired from the Marines in 1965, he sought a new role as an executive at Royal Crown Cola.
Now 90 years old, Glenn is still married to his high school sweetheart, Anne. Today he’ll be honored again at the Cape Canaveral reunion of the Mercury team. Meanwhile, the promise and mystery of space travel continue to enthrall us.
As a collector of rare books, your goal is to keep your collection in optimum shape. You’re careful with dust jackets and protect fragile books with clamshell cases. Even the way you shelve your rare books can impact their condition. It’s important that your home library provides the support and protection that rare books need.
Umberto Eco could use a few of these tips in his personal library!
Building Your Library from the Ground Up
Serious collectors know not to let their rare books come into contact with just any old paper, as paper can contain harmful chemicals and acids. But what about the shelves themselves? We often assume that any bookshelf is fine for our books, but choosing the right shelving materials will help you preserve your books even more effectively:
Institutional libraries don’t use metal shelves because they’re less expensive. The ideal material for shelves themselves is actually metal, coated with a baked enamel finish.
If metal shelves aren’t an option, coat your wooden shelves with a proper sealant to prevent acids from seeping into your books from the wood. The best options are a water-based aliphatic urethane or a clear two-coat epoxy finish.
Wood dries out as it ages, and the chemicals often used to treat wood also dissipate over time. If your books are housed in an extremely old wooden bookcase, they’re likely safe from damage.
In locations with high humidity, consider ventilated shelving. The additional air circulation can help prevent the growth of mold and mildew.
Storing Rare Books Properly
It’s important to store rare books with care; rubbing, pulling, and pushing can all cause unnecessary damage and decrease the value of rare books and manuscripts. It’s easy to simply place books on the shelves straight up and down, but that isn’t always the best position for your books.
Avoid letting books slouch on the shelf. Any book with a spine wider than three inches, or taller than 18 inches, should be laid flat. The bindings of these books sometimes cannot support the spine, weakening the spine, warping the covers, and damaging the pages.
Do not stack these books more than three volumes high. Too much weight can warp the covers of the lower books.
Give your books a little space to breathe on the shelf. They should be close enough to support each other, but not packed so tightly that the bindings are abraded when you remove a book.
If you use bookends, make sure they are tall enough that your books don’t lean over the top of the bookends. The weight of the book against the bookend can cause damage to the cover.
Tall books that are shelved next to short books tend to get warped and deformed over time. Shelve books by size whenever possible.
Using the right materials and shelving techniques can make all the difference in maintaining the value of your rare book collection.
On February 20, 2012, people across America will celebrate Presidents Day, a holiday commemorating the leaders who have built the country. Though the day honors all presidents, it was originally intended to recognize George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Presidents as Authors
Presidents are famously men of letters: educated, erudite, and charismatic. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and other founding fathers established their reputation by contributing to beautifully written documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Modern presidents have followed that literary tradition, writing books that capture not only their own experiences, but also the evolution of a nation.
Herbert Hoover completely eschewed writing about his life as president, opting instead to write about his favorite pastime in Fishing for Fun and to Wash Your Soul.
Gerald Ford is the author of the most diverse works; he not only wrote the autobiography A Time to Heal, but also the much lighter fare, Humor and the Presidency.
Bill Clinton took up the pen to write My Life and Giving¸ both of which have remained popular.
President Barack Obama has already joined the ranks of presidential authors with The Audacity of Hope and Of Thee I Sing.
Numerous other luminaries, including first ladies and world leaders, have contributed to our understanding of US presidents and our country. These books make exceptional additions to the personal library.
When Pope Gelasius established Saint Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, he certainly had no idea that the holiday would persist for centuries. The holiday was first associated with romance and love during the High Middle Ages, thanks to the burgeoning tradition of courtly love in Geoffrey Chaucer’s day. And nothing says “love” like giving the perfect book! Here’s a look at some favorite Valentine’s Day gift ideas for the bibliophile and rare book collector.
Classic Tales of Love
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to embrace classic tales of romance and love.
Coleen McCollough’s The Thorn Birds traces more than a family’s struggles on the Australian outback. The novel chronicles the unlikely love between a young woman and her family’s priest.
True romance isn’t all fiction! Share the romantic inspiration of the right biography with your Valentine this year. I Love You, Ronnie documents the extraordinary relationship of Nancy and Ronald Reagan. In My Delicious Life with Paula Deen, Michael “Captain” Groover shares stories of his life with wife and celebrity chef Paula Deen.
Everyone Loves a Little Fine Press
Fine press books are exceptionally beautiful and created in small numbers, making them an original and special gift.
The works of Charles van Sandwyk, such as Affairs of the Heart, are impeccably illustrated.
Samuel M Johnson’s “Two Lovers on a Bench,” an excerpt from the opera Einstein on the Beach, is available in limited editions from the renowned Heavenly Monkey press.
Lovers of John Updike will appreciate the fine press edition of “Couples,” by the Halty Ferguson press, of which only 250 copies were printed.
