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 #132 - Old Time Travel Pics

Today in the studio we have an album of vacation photos from the 1890’s, taken by an anonymous but well traveled amateur photographer. Interest in collecting these sorts of vernacular photos has been increasing, in part because the work of well known photographers has become prohibitively expensive, but also because of their unstaged quality and fascinating candor. With these pictures we travel around the world, but also back in time, catching glimpses of everyday life at the edges of scenic vistas and tourist attractions. Come with us, on today’s #brattlecast.

Brattlecast #123 - Who is Jimmy Cagney?

Remember Jimmy Cagney? Of course some do, but it’s fewer and fewer people every year. For those of you who don’t remember, Cagney was one of the biggest stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, who won acclaim for his performances in films like White Heat, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and The Public Enemy. Even fewer people remember him as a talented amateur painter, but in his autobiography he claimed that he might have been happier as a painter than as a movie star. We have one of his paintings in the studio with us today, a floral still life that usually hangs in Ken’s office. We’ll use it as a jumping off point into a sprawling conversation about the way that fashions in collecting change over time. Interest in Jimmy Cagney and his show business contemporaries is slowly fading away, while, for example, among younger collectors a new interest in 19th century women writers is blossoming.

Brattlecast #105 - Book of Friends

Today we’re talking about two autograph albums from the shop, and about autograph collecting in general. Autograph albums used to be a popular way to collect signatures, not only from celebrities and public figures, but from friends and family members as well. Sometimes these snippets were accompanied by brief messages or bits of poetry. The value and desirability of specific autographs can fluctuate over time; recently Alexander Hamilton’s has skyrocketed, while Robert E. Lee’s has plummeted. We’ll also talk about the best way to care for and preserve these albums.

Speaking of messages from friends—we want to hear from you! Feel free to submit questions, topic ideas, or photographs of items you’d like appraised to info@brattlebookshop.com.

Brattlecast #101 - Last Men of the Revolution

One of Ken’s favorite books, The Last Men of the Revolution brings American history vividly to life. During the Civil War, Reverend Elias Hillard tracked down, photographed, and interviewed six surviving veterans of the American Revolution. The men, who had fought in the Revolution as teenagers, were all over 100 years old by that time, although some come across as remarkably witty and spry. Photography itself was only about 30 years old at that time. Their portraits were published along with short biographies in a book intended to promote patriotism at a time when the country had turned on itself. Hillard wrote in his introduction that “History lives only in the persons who created it… As we look upon their faces, as we learn the stories of their lives, it will live again before us, and we shall stand as witnesses of its great actions.”