Today we celebrate the birthday of John Updike, whose uncanny ability to write beauty into the mundane earned him numerous literary accolades and a position as one of America's legendary authors. Updike drew influence from a wide variety of authors, but it is perhaps Vladimir Nabokov who most profoundly impacted Updike's work. Though the two authors never met, they openly admired one another's work.
This year Alan Noel Latimer "Tim" Munby would be 100 years old and the ABAA recently blogged about an upcoming conference at King's College to mark Munby's centenary year. Bibliophiles and rare book collectors around the world are anticipating the event, and it's the perfect time to explore Munby's contributions to bibliography, collecting, and authorship.
If you collect rare books, identifying first editions is an important skill. Each publisher has developed its own own conventions for denoting first editions/first printings. Alfred A Knopf, Inc is an excellent example of a publishing house whose style of indicating first editions has stayed relatively consistent over the years, which isn't always the case.
March has arrived, and with it some seriously chilly weather; the "snowquester" looms on the mid-Atlantic, and Northern states are still digging their way out of the latest storms. Thus March has truly lived up to the adage "In like a lion, out like a lamb"! A few rare books that would be perfect for this month...
Today is the birthday of both John Irving and Tom Wolfe. These two legendary authors have made incredible contributions to American literature. They also launched one of the best known feuds of modern times.
Today we celebrate the birthday of Daniel Handler, who is perhaps better known by his pseudonym, Lemony Snicket. The American author became an international sensation thanks to his 13-book Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.Handler was born on February 28, 1970 in San Francisco, California.
Tonight marks the 85th Annual Academy Awards, lovingly known as the Oscars. The awards recognize the year's best in film, acting, and production. This year's nominees for the honor of best film include Life of Pi, the charming and innovative novel by Yann Martel. Movie adaptations of books are frequent contenders at the Oscars, and if Life of Pi wins Best Picture, the movie will join an illustrious list of films that started as books. Find it and many other first editions in our Movie Tie-Ins category.
Today we celebrate the birthday of extraordinary author Anaïs Nin. Born and raised in France, Nin was of Cuban descent.
She spent time in Spain and Cuba before settling in the United States and building her reputation as a writer. Nin faithfully kept a journal and also wrote numerous novels, essays, short stories, and erotica.
Randolph Caldecott, the namesake of the Caldecott Medal, started his career as a banker. Yet he was always sketching the buildings and landscapes that surrounded him. In 1861, Caldecott had his first drawing published in the Illustrated London News. After more of his work appeared in both local and London publications, Caldecott finally took the plunge and moved to London to make a life for himself as an artist.
Today we celebrate the birthday of Charles Dickens, a beloved author whose works defined the Victorian era. It's the perfect time to introduce our colleague and friend, the inimitable Vic Zoschak. Vic is the proprietor of Tavistock Books in Alameda, CA.
