His fairy tale changed our world -Did you know how he came up with the name "OZ"? They were the letters on the last draw of his filing cabinet; O - Z.Here are 5 collectible Wizard of OZ items; a game, a map and three books including one signed by the cast of the film, currently available through our friends at Biblio.comWONDERFUL GAME OF OZ. Salem: Parker Bros. (board copyrighted 1921). This is the original Oz board game in the cardboard box. The box has a gorgeous chromolithographed color plate on the cover showing Dorothy standing in front of the Tin Man and...
Digital Backlash: World Records for Poetry Manuscripts at Auction
Christina Rossetti, ‘Remember me when I am gone’, Estimate £4,000-6,000 Sold for £33,650. Highest price ever paid for a Rossetti manuscript.If we need any further proof that the art of writing is endangered have a look at the astounding results of the recent auction of poetry manuscripts held at Bonham's. The collection, amassed over 40 years, belonged to poet and scholar Roy Davids who admits “it would now be impossible for the present collection to be even approximately replicated.”The auction was the third and final part of Davids collection and brought in a staggering £750,000.Here are some prime examples with prices realized. Wow!Oscar...
Book Collecting Heaven: First Editions Second Thoughts
Roald Dahl's Matilda Extra-illustrated by Quentin Blake with eight pen and ink vignettes on front free endpaper (entitled 'The Reader of Books'), signed and dated 'Quentin Blake 25.2.2013'First Editions Second Thoughts is a fundraising auction for English Pen curated by noted bookseller Rick Gekoski.Gekoski invited authors to:"scribble second thoughts, marginalia or drawings throughout the work in whatever fashion moves you, thus singling out this particular first edition and making it even more desirable for a reader or collector to want to own."Kazuo Ishiguro sketch in The Remains of the DayThe result was "some authors annotated on many pages of the...
Sticky fingers force Polish mobile library to go digital
The initial idea was simple:Acknowledging that Poland is not one of the "European nations which read a great deal" the mayor of the Polish city of Gdansk Pawel Adamowicz took part in a plan to outfit a fleet of 35 brand-new trams with books from local libraries in an effort to promote reading.Special nets were placed on the back of the seats and librarians worked hard in selecting the 5000 books that would stock these new mobile libraries. The program launched in January of this year.By April all 5,000 books had been stolen!So, what next?A digital approach.Now all trams are replete...
Libraries: Putting the Home in Homeless
Asleep at the Seattle Public Library. Image via "Librarians are the most committed community activists I know." - Caroline Kennedy at ALA Midwinter Meeting 2012 It was billed as a Day of Caring. As part of the American Library Association's Midwinter meeting in Seattle this weekend about 75 librarians from all over the country gathered on Friday to "provide aid to local homeless organizations and offer librarian volunteers the opportunity to gain insights into best practice skills in serving the homeless." The night before happened to be the 33rd annual One Night Count where social service agencies and volunteers attempt to physically count the people...