Brattlecast #153 - An Impressive Walk-In

One of the great things about working at the Brattle is that you never know what’s going to walk through that door. Recently, a customer surprised us by bringing in a copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle, one of the earliest printed books to feature illustrations. As if that wasn’t interesting enough, he also had a copy of the Kelmscott Chaucer, as well as a handful of volumes inscribed by their publisher (William Morris) to their illustrator (Edward Burne-Jones) for good measure. In this episode, we’ll talk about how we put a value on such a rare collection and the importance of avoiding ethical conflicts of interest when buying and appraising books.

If you have something you’re curious about—and it doesn't have to be the Nuremberg Chronicle—you can always drop us a line at info@brattlebookshop.com.

Brattlecast #121 - The Shakespeare Pages

In 2020 a complete copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio sold at auction for almost 10 million dollars, a world-record price for any work of literature. Unfortunately we do not have that First Folio in the studio with us today, but we do have one single, original page from each of the Four Folios; a little Shakespearean variety pack. These pages were collected from defective copies of the Folios and assembled into a leaf book, with an original introductory essay by Edwin Elliott Willoughby. Only 73 of these leaf books were published by the Grabhorn Press in 1935. In this episode we’ll talk about these particular four pages, leaf books in general, and the persistent mysteries surrounding Shakespeare’s life and works.

Brattlecast #12 - Asked & Answered, Part 1

This book is so old. How old is it? Listen to Ken Gloss address this and other gems in part 1 of our series answering frequently asked questions. You'll learn about tips for proper book care, Ken's uncredited Jeopardy cameo, and how a well-made book from the 1490's could very well outlive us all. Fact.


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