The Rare Book as Curio.
“These days, it’s easier to sell a $2000 book than a $20 one.” An Interesting article.
Some Good Press For BiblioPulp
A nice review of our BiblioPulp designs from Booktryst.
A Lurid Story of Book Dope And Lives Twisted By Mad Desire!
Yup…We’re Back !
We’ve returned with a new blogging team and a fresh commitment to proving our readers with the most entertaining and informative evocations of the Rare Book Trade possible. Your comments are always encouraged and appreciated.
It’s A Dirty Business
Images celebrating the underbelly of Rare Bookselling and Collecting. Click through for more.
Colts and Saints To Play In 1st Biblio Bowl
(Associated Press – Miami – February 7, 2010) – In what is certain to be regarded as one of the strangest and most controversial rulings in the History of athletic competition, the NFL has decreed that the 2010 Superbowl will be played with books instead of balls.The startling announcement came on the eve of America’s supreme sporting event, with an anticipated viewing audience of more than 100 million people. At an early morning press conference in Miami, Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a brief statement. ” As a result of an internal investigation into the possibilities of ball tampering, it has been decided that use of the standard football will be suspended in today’s game. We have determined that rare leather bound books of the same approximate dimensions as our regulation ball will be substituted. Our investigation is ongoing and results will be reported upon its completion.” The Commissioner took no questions from the stunned gathering of the worldwide press. Reaction from fans, players and coaching staffs of both teams was swift ,with one Colt’s fan basically summing the whole situation up. ” Hey, I don’t care if they’re playing with hog heads, long as there’s some hard hitting, good commercials and a whole lotta brewskies – we’re gonna party down !”
It’s Not All About Selling.
Nope…selling Fine and Rare books is only half of what we do. Much of our time is spent appraising and buying books which, for one reason or another, people wish to part with.We’ve been doing this for more than two decades so our rep is pretty well established. If you’ve got some old books and need to free up some space…need to top up the checking account…or are just plain tired of looking at them, contact us and we’ll make you an offer. Have a look at this vid and you’ll get the idea.
Ghost of Literary God Browses Rare Books
Strange but true.The night of his death…a dark and stormy one it was…the ghostly apparition of literary giant J.D. Salinger was seen drifting along the shelves of the Heldfond Book Gallery, Ltd.
This image of the event was captured by a cataloguer who had been diligently working into the wee hours.She reports she beseeched the vision to inscribe our First Edition Catcher In The Rye but, received only a reverberating moan in reply. After several minutes of “browsing”, the specter vanished through a heating vent, no doubt on its way to the gates of immortality.
Pope Surprises HBG With A Visit
A slow and lazy Saturday here at the HBG,Ltd. briefly shifted into high gear with the arrival of the His Holiness, The Pope, who stopped in for a quick browse and to use our restroom. Although pressed for time due to his demanding schedule,the Pontiff did find several items of interest and after some price haggling, left with a small box of goodies for his collection. As an added bonus, His Holiness blessed both the Rare Literature and Science sections, as well as a special blessing of our cash register. For obvious reasons, the sprinkling of Holy Water was dispensed with.
The Pontiff haggles with HBG Associate for a Cleric's discount.
“Well, his visit certainly added a bit of spark to a pretty dull day,” Chief Cataloguer, Basil Ganglia, remarked.” He’s a very nice man with a surprising interest in rare Japanese Pillow Books !”
Rare Bookstore In Big Trouble
From The Marin Times January 22,2010
( San Anselmo, Ca) The Marin County District Attorney’s office is considering a multitude of potential charges today, following the display of a shocking promotional stunt conducted by one of the County’s oldest and most esteemed local businesses. The bizarre case began yesterday afternoon when San Anselmo police were alerted to reports of an as yet unidentified man walking up San Anselmo Avenue clothed only in a light blue shirt. Officers arriving on the scene were horrified to discover the man appeared to have a book implanted in the top of his head. “We’d never seen anything like it.” Officer Mel Aprop told reporters, “This naked, bald guy was just wandering up and down the avenue with this book sticking out the top of his head. Frankly, we didn’t know whether to arrest him or read him.”
The man was immediately transported to Marin General Hospital, where ER staff scurried to evaluate his condition. Trauma team leader, Dr. Bram Stoker, later described the scene. “The gentleman apparently had been subjected to some sort of biblio-implantation where by the spine heel of a book had been surgically inserted nearly 9 centimeters through the top of his cranium .My whole team was amazed to discover he was in no pain and that the procedure to insert the book had been carried out very proficiently.” Police sources said the man told investigators he had initially responded to an ad appearing on Craig’s List, soliciting individuals to participate in a promotional campaign. He identified the company as The Heldfond Book Gallery, a long established Rare Bookstore in downtown San Anselmo. According to the man, he was interviewed at the bookstore early last week and it was during this meeting that he was served a tall mug of tea, which caused him to very quickly pass out. Upon regaining consciousness, he discovered a book had been implanted in his head. He, allegedly, was told by the bookstore owners that removing the book, which prominently displayed the bookstore’s name, would be a simple matter and was then instructed him to “strip down and start walking”. It is unknown what remuneration was to be received for the job. The District Attorney’s Office is currently considering charges against the owners of the Heldfond Book Gallery,Ltd. including, conspiracy, unlawful detainment, unlicensed medical practice and improper signage without a permit. A decision is pending upon completion of the police investigation.
HBG Prepares For Yet Another Flood
5 years after a devastating flood ravaged Downtown San Anselmo to the tune of 30 million dollars, shops along the normally quaint Main Street of this idyllic Marin County village are confronted with another disaster. The storms which have hammered the San Francisco area this week have inundated San Anselmo with day after day …of punishing rainfall, engorging the local creek to its limits. This morning, the now rushing torrent was 1 solitary foot below cresting. Further storms are expected to continue through week’s end. Sandbagging, flood gating, removal of merchandise, sealing of walls and windows, etc. are the main occupation of most store owners along the avenue. Local T.V. crews prowl the area for stories of fear and terror. Here at the HBG…we’ve done ’bout everything we can do and the staff are now resigned to sitting back with a large supply of cheap jug wine and just watching the skies. Some along the Avenue have suggested our sandbagging is a bit extreme and indicates the presence of severe neurosis. Well…yeah…so ? We’re Rare Booksellers…does THAT sound like we’re fundamentally normal in the first place ?
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