Bibliophemera

In May of 1961, British journalist and author, George Bilainkin, sent an inscribed copy of his 1947 book, Second Diary of a Diplomatic Correspondent  to  the new First Lady of the United States, Jacqueline Kennedy.  He also included a typed, signed letter on his letterhead and indicated a few pages of interest to the First Lady and perhaps the new President, whom he had known and met with on several occasions in 1945 at the close of World War II. The book and letter were sent to Mrs. Kennedy in advance of an upcoming trip to London, in which the author hoped to meet with both, or at least the First Lady, and revisit a few sites pertinent to his meetings, as a journalist, with a young Jack Kennedy in 1945. He also knew the President’s father, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., when he was the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Bilainkin also expresses his wish to take Mrs. Kennedy to lunch and, as if that weren't enough, further requests she bring photo...

Here's the most recent addition to my collection of bookish ephemera, an ad mailer for the 11th Annual Houston Book Fair at the Museum of Printing History , Saturday, November 9, 2013.

Regarding a recent acquisition of ephemera   collected and preserved by the Rasmussens of California , here is another sampling of what that sight-unseen purchase contained. This is the very first issue of the  Newsletter of the IMBS , published by the International Miniature Book Society in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, August 1984.  It was edited by Dr. Martin  Žnideršič and designed by Kazimir Rapo ša. The editor starts the newsletter with the following: Dear Lovers of miniature books,   In front of you is the newsletter of the new international organisation which wants to bring together the interests of lovers of miniature books from all over the world.   The stated goal is for a quarterly issue for the months of August, November, February, and May. The editor states that this first issue is an experimental one and that the final shape of the newsletter, with member collaboration, will gradually become clear.  For anyone interested in mi...

This copy of Ship of the Line , by C.S. Forester contains a Naples Library bookplate that triggered an instant memory of being on a ship in Naples, Italy about this time last year (see A Napoli Bookseller's Postcard ). Now, which Naples was this library in? I knew it wasn't in Italy, given the English printing on the label, but how many towns in the US are named Naples? Naples, Florida seemed the most likely choice, but as I looked through the book for clues, I found a sticker on the endpapers in the back of the book that stated this book came from Naples,  Maine . I've been to Maine a number of times, but never heard of a town named after Old Napoli. If you hug the coast in your Maine travels, you'll miss Naples. Although inland about 30 miles or so northwest of Portland, it does boast of a waterfront location--freshwater instead of salt water like its namesake in the Mediterranean. Naples, Maine is a resort town on Long Lake. From the library's Faceb...

This is the book in question: Michigan and the Cleveland Era,  edited by Earl D. Babst and Lewis G. Bander Velde (University of Michigan Press, 1948).   The title page adds a subtitle, which offers a clue to the answer to the question in the title of this post: Sketches of University of Michigan Staff Members and Alumni Who Served the Cleveland Administrations 1885-89, 1893-97. At first glance, though, no question arises as to why the book was written. But just inside the front cover, a printed answer is provided anyway on a 5 X 7-inch card from the Michigan Historical Collections, University of Michigan. This card was previously featured in another post I wrote about three years ago on ephemera concerning rare books and collections at the University of Michigan . I came across this card again and thought it deserved its own post because it's a bit unusual. Looks like a good number of University of Michigan alumni and faculty members served in numerous ca...

I recently acquired a box of ephemera related to books and booksellers--mostly catalogs and mostly addressed to either Lucille Rasmussen, W.E.H. Rasmussen, or both. More on them in a moment. Apart from the bulk of nondescript, stapled sheets of cheap paper passing as catalogs of books for sale, are a handful of interesting pieces, such as this one from Kitemaug Press in Spartanburg, South Carolina--their Handlist of Miniature Books in Print . A folded 6 X 7-inch paper becomes a printed brochure or prospectus or bibliography. It's actually a bit of all three with a promotional card inside for their 1982 offering,  A Book of Many Things . The Kitemaug Press was started by Frank J. Anderson during his tenure as librarian at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where his papers are archived. As the biographical note from the preceding link states, Anderson developed an interest in printing, publishing, and miniature books while serving as librarian at Wofford C...

This bookmark was created for the 1955 Book Fair, or Feria del Libro, in Puerto Rico. Just shy of five inches in length, it's made of plastic and the print announces the date and place of the fair: Allen Esq.,San Jose-San Juan. The book fair ran for nearly a week that year--October 21-27 San Jose refers to Plaza de San Jose, one of several plazas in San Juan, which I believe is an old section of San Juan still popular with the arts community. Libreria Campos was a San Juan publisher and bookseller for whom I can find publications dating from the 1930s to 1950s. They must have either sponsored or hosted the 1955 fair. Their history before and after the date range above is unknown to me. "Allen Esq" offers a clue to the history of the fair also, but I can't, as yet, connect it to anything specific. So, for now, this little bookmark is the only relic I can find online of that book fair nearly 60 years ago in San Juan, Puerto Rico.