The Book Collector

Last updated

The Book Collector is a London-based journal that deals with all aspects of the book.

Contents

It is published quarterly and exists in both paper and digital form. It prints independent opinions on subjects ranging from typography to national heritage policy, from medieval libraries to modern first editions. It has run series on Unfamiliar Libraries, Literary and Scientific Autographs, Author Societies, Bookbinding, Contemporary Collectors, Bibliophiles, and many other subjects.

History

An earlier series that preceded the Book Collector was the Book Handbook. [1] The Book Collector was launched by the novelist Ian Fleming [2] in the same year, 1952, that he wrote the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale . [3] This has been discussed at the TLS. [4]

The journal has had only four editors since it was founded. After the death in 1965 of John Davy Hayward, the friend and muse of T.S. Eliot, it was edited for fifty years by Nicolas Barker, sometime publisher and first head of conservation at the British Library. He gave a presentation on the history of The Book Collector at the Caxton Club in 1998. [5] In 2015 he stepped down and James Fergusson, founding obituaries editor of The Independent , 1986–2007, took his place. [6] Essays about book collecting by Geoffrey Keynes in the Book Collector have been published in a compilation volume. [7]

Highlights

Some articles of particular interest include "Our Literary Banquet," a fantasy banquet for bibliophiles with place settings (2021); [8] "National Trust Libraries"(2005); [9] "In Search of Missing Copies of Shakespeare's First Folio"(1994); [10] “The Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana”(1989); [11] "Russian Bookbinding from the 11th to the Middle of the 17th Century;" [12] and a series on the Biblotheca Thuana. [13]

In 2023 the winter issue was devoted to the history of Printing and the Mind of Man. [14]

Publication

The Book Collector publishes four times a year in March, June, September and December. Each issue consists of 192pp and is sent to subscribers by airmail, where appropriate. Subscribers also have digital access to every issue of The Book Collector, as printed, since its first appearance in 1952 and to its predecessor Book Handbook, which was published in twenty-eight numbers between 1947 and 1951. There is no restriction for libraries and other institutions on the number of digital users. The Book Collector's website holds its complete archive, indexed. [15]

Podcasts

The Book Collector produces Podcasts at Soundcloud. [16] Episodes include: "Ian Fleming: A Personal Memoir" by P.H. Muir, read by Rupert Vansittart; "Portrait Of A Bibliophile XVI: John Ruskin 1819–1900" by James S. Dearden; and 'Scribes in Ice and Darkness' by Fergus Fleming.

Publication details

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Book collecting</span> Activity of collecting books

Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given collector. The love of books is bibliophilia, and someone who loves to read, admire, and a person who collects books is often called a bibliophile but can also be known as an bibliolater, meaning being overly devoted to books, or a bookman which is another term for a person who has a love of books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Auguste de Thou</span> French historian (1553–1617)

Jacques Auguste de Thou (Thuanus) was a French historian, book collector and president of the Parliament of Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliophilia</span> Love of books

Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffrey Keynes</span> English surgeon and bibliophile (1887–1982)

Sir Geoffrey Langdon Keynes was a British surgeon and author. He began his career as a physician in World War I, before becoming a doctor at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, where he made notable innovations in the fields of blood transfusion and breast cancer surgery. Keynes was also a publishing scholar and bibliographer of English literature and English medical history, focusing primarily on William Blake and William Harvey.

Ian Fleming Publications is the production company formerly known as both Glidrose Productions Limited and Glidrose Publications Limited, named after its founders John Gliddon and Norman Rose. In 1952, author Ian Fleming bought it after completing his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale; he assigned most of his rights in Casino Royale, and the works which followed it to Glidrose.

The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. The Association also promotes crime writing of fiction and non-fiction by holding annual competitions, publicising literary festivals and establishing links with libraries, booksellers and other writer organisations, both in the UK such as the Society of Authors, and overseas. The CWA enables members to network at its annual conference and through its regional chapters as well as through dedicated social media channels and private website. Members' events and general news items are published on the CWA website, which also features Find An Author, where CWA members are listed and information provided about themselves, their books and their awards.

Michael Sadleir, born Michael Thomas Harvey Sadler, was a British publisher, novelist, book collector, and bibliographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bookmark</span> Marking Tool

A bookmark is a thin marking tool, commonly made of card, leather, or fabric, used to keep track of a reader's progress in a book and allow the reader to easily return to where the previous reading session ended. Alternate materials for bookmarks are paper, metals like silver and brass, silk, wood, cord (sewing), and plastic. Some books may have one or more bookmarks made of woven ribbon sewn into the binding. Furthermore, other bookmarks incorporate a page-flap that enables them to be clipped on a page.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grolier Club</span> Bibliophilic club in Manhattan, New York

The Grolier Club is a private club and society of bibliophiles in New York City. Founded in January 1884, it is the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, Treasurer General of France, whose library was famous; his motto, "Io. Grolierii et amicorum" [of or belonging to Jean Grolier and his friends], suggested his generosity in sharing books. The Club's stated objective is "the literary study of the arts pertaining to the production of books, including the occasional publication of books designed to illustrate, promote and encourage these arts; and the acquisition, furnishing and maintenance of a suitable club building for the safekeeping of its property, wherein meetings, lectures and exhibitions shall take place from time to time ..."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dropmore Press</span>

The Dropmore Press was a British private press founded in 1945 by the newspaper-owner Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bookbinding</span> Process of assembling a book

Bookbinding is the process of building a book, usually in codex format, from an ordered stack of paper sheets with one's hands and tools, or in modern publishing, by automated processes. Firstly, one binds the sheets of papers along an edge with a thick needle and strong thread. One can also use loose-leaf rings, binding posts, twin-loop spine coils, plastic spiral coils, and plastic spine combs, but they last for a shorter time. Next, one encloses the bound stack of paper in a cover. Finally, one places an attractive cover onto the boards, and features the publisher's information and artistic decorations.

The Caxton Club is a private social club and bibliophilic society founded in Chicago in 1895 to promote the book arts and the history of the book. To further its goals, the club holds monthly dinner meetings and luncheons, sponsors bibliophile events and exhibitions, and publishes books, exhibition catalogs, and a monthly journal, The Caxtonian. The Caxton Club is a member club of the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies.

This list of books published by Rupert Hart-Davis comprises titles reviewed in The Times Literary Supplement, plus reprints in the Mariners Library and Reynard Library series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas James Wise</span>

Thomas James Wise was a bibliophile and thief who collected the Ashley Library, now housed by the British Library, and later became known for the literary forgeries he printed and sold.

The Queen Anne Press is a small publisher.

Jon Gilbert is an English bibliophile, historian and the official bibliographer of Ian Fleming, creator of the fictional character James Bond. He is also an authority on J. K. Rowling first editions. He was educated at Caterham School and Roehampton Institute London. According to Fleming-family publisher Queen Anne Press, Gilbert is perhaps the foremost expert on the works of Ian Fleming and the literary history of James Bond. Through Adrian Harrington booksellers, he has become an internationally renowned dealer in rare Fleming material, and acts as a consultant to the US registered charity, The Ian Fleming Foundation. Ian Fleming: The Bibliography, which was published in October 2012, is the result of both a career immersed in the writings of Ian Fleming, and four years intensive research following Fleming’s centenary year in 2008. The book was the winner of the 16th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography, awarded in 2014. Gilbert has appeared on radio and television discussing his subject, and in various Bond-related publications including 007 Magazine, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and MI6 Confidential. In May 2017, Gilbert gave the lecture Ian Fleming: The Author as Collector at the University of London. In July 2021, Gilbert moderated the specialist webinar 007: The Transatlantic Appeal of James Bond.

Frances Wilson is an English author, academic, and critic.

The Sandars Readership in Bibliography is an annual lecture series given at Cambridge University. Instituted in 1895 at the behest of Mr Samuel Sandars of Trinity College (1837–1894), who left a £2000 bequest to the University, the series has continued down to the present day. Together with the Panizzi Lectures at the British Library and the Lyell Lectures at Oxford University, it is considered one of the major British bibliographical lecture series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana</span> Collection at the University of California, Los Angeles

The Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana is a special collection at the University of California, Los Angeles which focuses on Leonardo da Vinci – life, art, thought, and enduring cultural influence. It is the most extensive research collection concerning Leonardo in the United States. It was donated to UCLA in several installments between 1961 and 1966 by Dr. Elmer Belt (1893-1980), an internationally recognized urologist; a pioneer in gender-affirming surgery; a strong supporter in the founding of the UCLA School of Medicine; an important public health advocate; and a lifelong bibliophile and book collector.

References

  1. ↑ Horrox, Reginald, (ed.) (1951), Book handbook: an illustrated guide to old and rare books, Berks, retrieved 23 November 2017{{citation}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ Fergusson, James. 2017. "Ian Fleming & Book Collecting [Special Issue]". The Book Collector 66 (1): 11–214.
  3. ↑ British Library (2003), The pleasures of Bibliophily: Fifty Years of The book Collector: An Anthology, British Library ; New Castle, Del. : Oak Knoll Press, ISBN   978-1-58456-097-5
  4. ↑ J.C."The Agent's Secret". TLS. Times Literary Supplement no. 5946 (2017): 36.
  5. ↑ "Nicolas Barker at the Caxton Club," Chicago. 1998.
  6. ↑ The Book Collector Changes Hands Antiques News.
  7. ↑ Keynes, Geoffrey Sir, 1887–1982 (1972), "To Geoffrey Keynes: articles contributed to "The Book Collector" to commemorate his eighty-fifth birthday", The Book Collector, ISBN   978-0-903482-00-4 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Fleming,James. 2021. "Our Literary Banquet." The Book Collector 70, No.2 (summer): 210–213.
  9. ↑ Purcell, Mark and Caroline Shenton.2005."National Trust Libraries."The Book Collector 54, no.4 (spring): 53–59
  10. ↑ West, James Anthony (1994). "In Search of Missing Copies of Shakespeare's First Folio" The Book Collector 43, no.3 (autumn): 396–407
  11. ↑ Marmor, Max. "The Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana" The Book Collector, 38, no. 3 (Autumn 1989): 1–23
  12. ↑ Klepikov, S.A. (1961). "Russian Bookbinding from the 11th to the Middle of the 17th Century. The Book Collector 10 4 (autumn): 408–422.
  13. ↑ Lloyd, L.J.(1947). "Books from the Library of Jacques-Auguste de Thou." Book Handbook: 1–2; Kinser, Samuel (1966). "The Sunderland Copy of Jacques-Auguste de Thou's History of His TimeThe Book Collector 15 no 4 (winter): 446–453; Kinser, Samuel (1968). "An Unknown Manuscript Catalogue of J.A. De Thou." The Book Collector 17 no 2 (summer): 168–176.
  14. ↑ Fleming, James. (2023). "Printing and the Mind of Man." The Book Collector 72 no.4 (winter): 619-623.
  15. ↑ The Book Collector Launches Complete Digital Archive Fine Books and Collections. 25 February 2020).
  16. ↑ The Book Collector. Soundcloud
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.