Today we’re leafing through the August 1942 issue of Ladies’ Home Journal. Although it’s just one magazine, it contains a wealth of information about women’s lives in World War II-era America: from hot fashion trends to newly available manufacturing jobs. There are beautifully illustrated soap advertisements, fiction by Pearl Buck, and a column in which First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt answers readers’ questions about why she never changes her hairstyle. Some of the content reads as humorously archaic today, while other sections could fit right into this month’s Vogue. Join us for a deep dive into homemaking on the home front in this victorious new #brattlecast.
Brattlecast #194 - Boston Book Fair 2024
We’re so excited for the 46th annual Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, a great opportunity to rub elbows with book dealers—and enthusiasts—from all over the world. This year’s fair takes place at the Hynes Convention Center on the weekend of November 8–10. Admission is free on Saturday and Sunday—but we know a guy who can get you free passes for Friday night, too (it’s Ken; reach out to the shop if you’re interested).
The book fair truly has something for everyone, from medieval manuscripts to modern first editions—and it’s fun to hold these rare items in your hands and discuss them with their knowledgeable and enthusiastic dealers. Plus, there’ll be a full lineup of speakers, a city-wide week of auxiliary events, and the Brattle’s famous jars of plain and peanut M&Ms.
For more information visit abaa.org/bostonbookfair; we hope to see you there!
Brattlecast #188 - The Southern Workman
Today we’re looking at an issue of The Southern Workman, a monthly journal published from 1812–1939 by Virginia’s Hampton Institute Press. Founded shortly after the Civil War as the Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, the Hampton Institute trained Black and Indigenous students to become teachers and community leaders, as well as offering vocational skills that would enable them to support themselves in the impoverished South. One of their most famous alumni was Booker T. Washington, who returned to teach at the school before moving on to the Tuskegee Institute. Interest in Black history-related books and ephemera is growing, and items like this—undervalued for too long—are waiting to be archived, studied, and discovered by collectors.
Brattlecast #173 - Trends in Collecting
Today we’re talking about trends in book collecting and the ways that they reflect larger cultural changes. Newly nostalgic millennials aren’t shopping for their parents’ rare books—Horatio Alger is out, and Harry Potter is in. Books on science and space exploration have seen their prices skyrocket thanks to an influx of tech-money collectors. Works of LGBTQ+ history, poetry by Black authors, and environmentalist classics like Silent Spring are becoming more valuable, while the prices of Confederacy-adjacent collectables plummet. Join us for a trendy #brattlecast on what’s new in novels.
Brattlecast #167 - Historic Photo Albums
Today we’re talking about another surprising Brattle find: a fairly nondescript album that turned out to contain photos of prominent 1800s abolitionists. The collection includes small, sepia-toned portraits of Charles Sumner, Phillips Brooks, and even Sojourner Truth. We’ll also discuss other historical photos that have arrived at the shop, and the way that studio photography democratized image-making during the Civil War era, offering life-like portraits for a fraction of the cost of a commissioned painting. It all comes into focus on a flashy new #brattlecast.