Early June has long been an important spot on the calendars of bibliophiles around the world. The original source of interest came from the fact that it always marked a unique concentration of opportunities to buy and sell books during a busy schedule of London book fairs and auctions. Those events alone were enough to lead a diverse flock of booksellers, collectors and other bibliophiles to converge annually on London, like swallows to Capistrano.

Recent years, however, have seen a greatly expanded scope and duration for what has now become known as Rare Books London. An impressive cohort of libraries and other bibliophilic groups have now joined their bookselling friends to organise an 18 day “fesitval of old and rare books” running from May 24 to June 10. In addition to the well-known book fairs and auctions, their schedule of events now includes 18 talks, 10 tours, and a special performance based on the writings of Samuel Johnson. More events will likely be added as the dates approach.

Information about everything that will be happening can be found on the RARE BOOKS LONDON website. Nearly all the events are free, but for many of them an advance ticket is required and spaces may be limited. It will be smart to reserve your places soon. Links for booking all the activities will be found on the website.

Rare Books London is a great idea and we are happy to be able to support it. If you think so too then you can also help support it and contribute to its success by posting, tweeting, pinning or just plain writing about it anywhere you can. After that I hope I will see you there.

A substantial theft of early and rare books has recently been reported by the Antiquarian Booksellers Association.  Over 170 books from three booksellers are missing after an audacious roof-top break-in at a storage depot in suburban London.  The books had been consigned for shipment to the California Book Fair scheduled for next week.

A list of missing books has been posted to the stolen books section of the ILAB website.  Anyone being offered valuable early books under suspicious circumstances should check there before making any purchases.  Contact details are also provided.

If you are a wandering bibliophile who will happen to be in New York City at the end of the month you should count yourself fortunate.  Bibliography Week 2017  will be taking place there from January 23 to 28 and a there is a full schedule of events that you should find of interest.  Lectures, exhibits and receptions are all on the list. The event does not appear to have its own website, but a full program of events will be found on the Grolier Club website.

We would love to be there ourselves, but that week we instead find ourselves in Stuttgart instead, where two major and long-lived book fairs will again be taking place.

It does not sound like it will be aweek for staying home.

R.I.P.

Brilliant and Legendary Book Scout

Superb Musician

Sweet and Gentle Friend

Adieu

We learned this morning that our colleague and friend Bob Fleck passed away yesterday.  It is news whose sadness will be felt by a large number of the people that I know. In many ways he stood alone. I am quite sure that there is no one I have met who has made a greater practical contribution to the study of books in all their many aspects.  The world of bibliophiles is greatly in his debt, myself among them.

Bob was the founder and determined force behind Oak Knoll Books, the world’s most important specialist in the broad subject generally referred to as “books on books.” He served his customers both as an expert in old and rare books and as a publisher and distributor of new ones. The publishing house he built became the first and last resort for bibliographic publications of all sorts.  There are many important titles that would never have reached a printing press without Bob’s backing and help.

There can be few serious bibliophiles or booksellers whose reference shelves do not include numerous books that have passed through Bob’s office or shop in some form or another.

But the contributions to his colleagues were far from limited to the books he sold. He was continuously giving his time to the bookselling organisations he belonged to and supported.  He served both the ABAA and the ILAB with terms as treasurer and president.  It is interesting to note that, even though his speciality was focused almost entirely on items related to the printed book, Bob also oversaw the creation of three ILAB websites. He was instrumental in establishing the first ILAB book search engine and then was later active in helping establish the current metasearch which later replaced it. That was a project we worked on together and which might not have succeeded without his insights and support.

Beyond that, he also gave early and much appreciated help to viaLibri, becoming the first of our users to try advertising on our site.  It was a very characteristic thing for him to do: looking to the future and supporting a colleague.

Bob’s accomplishments and generosity of spirit were appreciated across the full spectrum of bibliophiles, including librarians, scholars, collectors and, of course, his fellow booksellers.  I expect to see a stream of tributes over the next days and weeks.  As they are brought to my attention I will link to them here.  For now, the first tribute appears, appropriately, on the ILAB website he did so much to create and sustain.  You can read it below.

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are now with Bob’s wife Millie and son Rob.

Bob Fleck – Book of Condolence