Montana Festival of the Book 2011

I'm excited. I got my letter today from Humanities Montana officially inviting me to participate in the Montana Festival of the Book in October. It seems they've never had much from collectors, the people who celebrate books as objects, but more on texts, from the writer's and reader's perspectives. They've requested a Book Collecting 101 session/ workshop. More details to follow as we get a little closer to the conference and they figure out if I'm fish or foul. I wasn't able to attend last year since I had another event at the same time and it's on the other side of the state, and well, Montana's big. From where I live in northeast Montana to Missoula (site of the MT Festival of the book) is something like 600 miles. One way. About the same distance as driving to Minneapolis. But, it'll be worth it.

Cross Border Raid for Books

Every bibliophile wants to hunt at Larry McMurtry's Booked Up in Archer City, Texas. At least you should. It was my pleasure to organize such a trip for the toddling Bibliophiles of Oklahoma back in January.

If you've not heard of Booked Up, it is a world class book mine in an unlikely place. McMurtry has bought and sold books for decades. Sure, he's a Pulitzer Prize/ Oscar winning writer, but in interviews and his recent memoir Books , he's just another bibliophile bookseller. McMurtry's purpose relocating to his ancestral home was to establish an American book town (without a festival, which, “is the last thing I want”, according McMurtry). A fantastic interview spelling out his motivations and ideas on Nigel Beale's Biblio File is here.
For most book collectors, Archer City may as well be on the moon, but for we few book lovers shouting in the hinterlands, it is our Shangri La. We don't have a Strand, a Powell's, or a CODEX book fair. Having journeyed to Booked Up a few times before, I served as the bibliosherpa, along with Lynn Wienck of Chisholm Trail Bookstore, who is more familiar with the environs of the Red River country.

For the Bibliophiles of Oklahoma, this was our most well attended event, so we will certainly go again, perhaps in early autumn. North Texas can be merciless in the summer. For our trip, at the end of January, the weather was pleasant, though crisp. It looks chilly in the photos, right? All of our members found additions for their collections. Not too hard when a dozen ravenous bibliophiles decend on 400-500,000 quality books. Everyone also saw items that surprised them. For me, it was a very nice (bargain!) copy of The Great Gatsby for my Modern Library collection. The Mrs. was surprised how such a large number of books could be so well organized, well lit and clean. Her one complaint was that the 10' shelves were too tall for her. An example is below. This is where I spent more than half my day, the Books About Books section. Yes, nearly that entire run visible, all 10' high, are babs.

When it comes to surprises, you don't have to take my word for it. John C. Roberts, a member of the esteemed Caxton Club of Chicago, published a fantastic article in the January issue of the Caxtonian about his own southern sojourn from Chicago. Even this more established collector of modern firsts found surprises.

There are a few practical considerations weighing a trip to Booked Up.

You won't go there "passing through" to somewhere else. For many collectors, Archer City can be a destination. Really.
Virtually none of the inventory, which is hand selected by McMurtry for quality, is online. None.
Perhaps as many as 500,000 books, no junk. None.
Wear layers. There is little/no heating or air-conditioning in the four buildings, and north Texas can have erratic weather. The buildings are a little spread out.
According to the signs posted about, books are organized Erratically/ Impressionistically/ Whimsically/ Open to Interpretation. Moby Dick could be in American Fiction, Animals, Nautical, Fishing & Hunting, Travel, etc.
As of this writing, they still accept major credit cards and cash.
If you go with a group, bring water and synchronize watches. Cell service is spotty at best.

For those of you who went, leave a comment below to make everyone jealous to go with us next time!

Fame!

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I was regretting a late supper at IHOP, out of town with work and feeling a little low. You know what I mean? It isn't fun staying in a strange town and not feeling well. I remembered I left my phone on the charger while at supper and noticed I had a new message. That is when fame found me, in the Marriott Courtyard in Santa Fe. My friend and fellow bibliophile Dr. RB called to congratulate me on my new found fame and appearing in print. Apparently the Exile Bibliophile blog is mentioned in the current issue of Rare Book Review! I had no idea, but couldn't be more pleased. Well, maybe if they sent me a subscription...

Confession: I read every new issue of this magazine cover-to-cover, but very rarely buy it. Published in the UK and flown to the US in Dom Perignon powered golden airplanes, this is a pricey magazine at $78 per annum for 6 issues. Don't misunderstand me, this is a fabulous magazine, but I can't afford it. So, when you're sitting in Barnes and Noble, drinking the free water and leaving sweaty, smudgy fingerprints all over Rare Book Review, you're not alone. I do it too.

Christopher Morley is my Hero

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There. I've said it. Hold it against me if you wish, but I can't change. I won't. Christopher Morley is one of my heroes. Not only for the Parnassus on Wheels and Haunted Bookshop, which are fantastic, nor merely for his insight into the return of a book. I keep thinking if I could get it small enough, it would make a fine bookplate. With a tasteful border, of course.

" I give hearty and humble thanks for the safe return of this book, which having endured the perils of my friend's bookcase and the bookcases of my friend's friends, now returns to me in reasonably good condition. I give my hearty and humble thanks that my friend did not see fit to give this book to his infant for a plaything, nor use it as an ash tray for his burning cigar, nor as a teething-ring for his mastiff. When I loaned this book, I deemed it as lost; I was resigned to the business of a long parting; I never thought to look upon its pages again. But now that my book has come back to me, I rejoice and am exceedingly glad! Bring hither the fatted morocco and let us rebind the volume and set it on the shelf of honor, for this my book was lent and it is returned again. Presently, therefore, I may return some of the books I myself have borrowed."

I truly admire the man for projects like The Book Detektive. The Book Detektive is a book shaped kit that could sit camouflaged in your bookcase and spring into action if a book were to be swept away in the moment of fool-hardy good hostmanship. That may not be a word. This is something I've had to learn how to deal with. I for one make it a point to say good-bye to books I "lend". In my experience (like Morley's), I *know* book borrowers have good intentions. Often have good intentions. Ok, it's rare... and they are deluding themselves. To the point, I've never seen one of these little kits until one crossed the counter at ebay. Well, the opening bid was somewhere around $70.00. If it had included more than one foil Book Detektive label, I would have faltered and bid to my ruin. However, I couldn't chase it past its closing price of $153 and change. Heartbroken, I browsed the venerable Bookfinder.com for a consolation copy. There seem to be two listed online. Both over $100. Only one lists the contents, and it doesn't sound as complete as the one on ebay.

Now I'll have to start that Morley collection, or start a collection of book reclamation systems. I wonder if there are others? Maybe I should market my own... Hmmm... THE EXILE BIBLIOPHILE PRESENTS....


The text of the auction for your benefit:.

THE BOOK DETEKTIVE A satirical item poking fun a people who borrow books and don’t return them!
Planned by Beach Cooke
With an admonition from Christopher Morley
Published by William Morrow & Co, NY copyright 1938. First Edition, 1st Printing.

Book shaped, folding box in a paper dust jacket with red and black decorations and titles. The box is made of hard cardboard with a pebbled finish. The box size is 6 by 7 inches. Advertised as "A trusty one-volume book police force that will pay for itself over and over again in a few months". An unusual publication indeed. Consists of a multiple folding box with pockets for various items to help track and secure the return of loaned books.

Contains:
1) an 8 page booklet "The Little Black Book" with "a most important admonition by Christopher Morley being the hitherto unpublished transcript of the Criminal Trial of Pandowdy V. Librovore";
2) A card "Confidential Instructions for using The Book Detektive";
3) A card on "luring your books back diplomatically";
4) Cards for recording loaned books (3 red & 3 green);
5) Cards with sample letters to entice borrowers to return books (11 different);
6) bookmarks (22) with Christopher Morley quote.
7) one unused pencil
8) one unused foil ‘The Book Detektive’ Book Plate (label)

Condition: The box is in Near Fine condition in a Good dust jacket. The book covers are bright and clean; with only slight edge wear. The binding is tight, one of the foldable hinges beginning to crack all others hinges are firm with no cracks. The inside items above are in like new condition. There is a neat bookstore stamp on the front cover. There are no names, markings, tears or folds. The dust jacket is bright and clean with edge wear and small closed tears.

Bibliophiles of Oklahoma Report

No. 6 with carved angel face
Originally uploaded by ◄Kentigern►

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Meeting 2: We're growing! We had 6 in attendance! For those who missed the last after-action report, that is double what we had last time. At this rate, every human in Oklahoma will belong in about a year and a half! That is certainly exciting. If dues were only $1, we'd have a budget of over $3M! Three million dollars would buy a lot of book fun. Well, not for 3 million people though.

As long as I'm dishing out some reality, I'm also not being wholly honest. The 6 attendees includes my wife who just got off work and needed a bite. But it's not like she's a book *hater*, so she counts too.

The original 3 were joined by two more members. M collects modern firsts. From our chat I would classify him as a late-stage protocollector. Our other new member, JB, is a life long collector who collects books related to his record collection and antique audio equipment. He is perhaps an early-stage protocollector.

One thing I have learned trying to start a collector's society is that many people are reluctant to refer to themselves as collectors. Why is that? It seems some believe book collectors have to spend thousands of dollars on every leather-bound purchase. Some collectors do, but for most of us, that just isn't the case. I've started referring to people who accumulate books along with a general idea or nucleus as protocollectors. Can you tell I once pursued archaeology as a career? Perhaps I need to work up a scale, or evolutionary chart of progression... hmmmm. Stay tuned.

The meeting was fun and even a little productive. We hashed out some ideas to promote BoOK and also set dates for future meetings. So, if you'd care to join us, check out the website for details. The next two meetings will be 4/24 and 5/22, 7-9 pm. Those times are -ish.

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Inauguration Day for BoOK

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First, thank you to everyone who sent well-wishes and positive vibes for the inaugural meeting of the Bibliophiles of Oklahoma. We had a wonderful first meeting. We could have used some better luck though. By Thursday morning, we had 7 or 8 coming "for sure" and 3 or 4 "I'll try or maybe". So, potentially up to 12. I expected six and thought that was realistic. We actually only had... three. Including me. At the end of last week, an official flu epidemic was in its last throes in Oklahoma. That knocked out 2. After that, our luck ran downhill.

If three of anything is a collection, then three bibliophiles can make a society. You, dear reader, know my interests. I won't bore you with more on that. The two other first members of BoOK are fascinating gents. Dr. RB collects books on archaeology related to his specialty. A born collector and one of the good guys. Dr. KH insists he is not a collector (RB argued "If you have a room just for books in your house, you're a collector") but has written 22 books with the latest due soon from Oxford Univ. Press. It is a literary biography of Thomas Jefferson. I wonder if I can score a review copy (hint, hint)? He has also published bibliographies of the libraries of two major American figures. We passed a wonderful evening with loads of bookly talk. No, bookly is not a word, but I'm not too uppity to use it. At one point I relished hearing "Now, did the 1787 Paris edition have the map...?" Amongst us, we had the answer. Well, the bibliographer did. Beautiful. I supplied the evening's show-and-tell, but I may hold it in reserve and re-run it when we have more people. It is an object that has stumped me and the rest of the Bibliophiles of Oklahoma. Both of them.

So, come see this thing, and meet some delightful people, and me. Our next meeting will be 7 pm, Thursday March 27th. I appreciate it if you let me know if you can come, so we can plan ahead (chairs, tables, etc.), but it's OK to just show up!

Photo found on flickr: Uploaded on July 9, 2006 by zen.

Bibliophiles of Oklahoma

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TOMORROW NIGHT!!

The Inaugural Meeting of the Bibliophiles of Oklahoma. Huzzah! I'm an excited dork and huzzah is what we say. If you think you waited too long to get the secret location and secret password to join us, you have not. You can still email me (it's in my profile) and get the info. If meeting me is not enough, I've heard from several interesting people I can't wait to meet who will be attending. For those only able to join us in spirit and well-wishes, I'll provide an after action report later this week. Got a lot on the docket.

Book Sale on the Horizen

To the best of my knowledge, the biggest local booksale is coming fast! I'm already excited, eyeing my calendar for time I can sneak away from work and slink out to the Oklahoma City fair grounds.

I officially dropped the ball on re-uping my membership in the Metro Library Friends group. I'll have to get down to the sale early Friday afternoon to renew and get my tickets for the Friends sale Friday evening. That is really the key to getting the first semi-public whack at the books. Friday night is when all the dealers come out. Last year was nice. People were mostly well behaved. There were a lot of pros in the ranks and several ISBN (I sell by numbers) sellers as well. Prices were good, people were nice, the event was well organized. What else could a bibliophile hope for? I love a good book sale.

Last year I tried to figure out how to attract local bibliophiles to a book collecting club. Since I knew no one then, I made up these little slips of paper with my email on the front and a little blurb on the back and the url for the little website I threw together. I would toss these little slips on the tables, especially in the better books room of the sale. I'd also stick them inside the front cover of books I had looked at but passed on. About one quarter of all books at the sale are in the better books area, so it's huge.

Did it work? No. But, it wasn't a total loss. I did get a spike in traffic on the little website. Over the course of a few months I would take some of the slips of paper to book stores in the area and do the same.

This year I've put this one together and will try and print some up. On the back would be a short blurb and the url. I'm also using this on Flickr, posting it around hoping to drum up some interest. What do you think?

For those who want to know, the inaugural meeting of the Bibliophiles of Oklahoma will take place Thursday, March 13th 2008. Please contact me for time and place. All you need is a love of books.

The Bibliophiles of Oklahoma

A big THANK YOU to Mr. Lewis Jaffe of Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie for mentioning the Bibliophiles of Oklahoma. I've certainly noticed that Lewis's blog is read not only by bookplate collectors, but bibliophiles of all stripes. I hope those residents of Oklahoma would come on over and help me found The Bibliophiles of Oklahoma. It has been about a year since I decided to put myself out there to start a book collector club. Of course, I need other book collectors. The problem is, I haven't met any. I do have the name of a university librarian who is willing to join once things get off the ground. I've also had an in-state bookseller offer lots of... feedback on the place holder website I threw up. If you've used your eyes at my blog (rather than on google reader or such) or ventured over to the BoOK site, you'll see right away that I'm not very web savvy. Suggestions on improving the BoOK website, or my blog are welcome. Anyone know how to widen the usable area in the middle?

Thanks Lewis!