Categories for Rare Books

Detail face image from the Copper engraving from the expanded second edition of Hanmer's illustrated Works of Shakespeare

Illustrated - Art, Photography, Architecture, Rare Books

The Illustrative Processes: Etching

Etching falls under the intaglio and engraving category of printmaking, where the printing press applies great force to push ink into lines. Though an etching is an engraving, not all… Read More

Antonio Clavé—Carmen poster

Illustrated - Art, Photography, Architecture, Rare Books

The Weird and the Wonderful: Metropolitan Opera Fine Art

Less a book than a portfolio of rare art prints, this collection of limited edition poster prints–each one of just 25–displays the innovative poster art created for the Metropolitan Opera…. Read More

Cover of They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Literature, Moderns, Rare Books

The Weird and the Wonderful: Horace McCoy’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

To be clear, Horace McCoy’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? isn’t weird. It does, however, concern a period in American history in which something extremely weird captured the public imagination:… Read More

First edition of Kay Thompson's Eloise at Christmastime

Rare Books

The Holidays at Bauman Rare Books

Christmas is a holiday steeped in tradition. Christmas trees, advent calendars, and mincemeat pies all go back at least a century. At Bauman Rare Books, we have our own Christmas… Read More

Stephen King's Signature

Rare Books

Collecting Stephen King: Six Early Books

When asked why he wrote, Stephen King responded, “There is nothing else I was made to do.” With a growing bibliography of 63 novels, roughly 200 short stories, and a… Read More

silver and ivory hornbook

Rare Books

The Weird and The Wonderful:
The Silver and Ivory Hornbook

This week, “The Weird and the Wonderful” is taking a look at one of my favorite Bauman items: our ivory and silver hornbook. While most hornbooks were educational devices–functional, utilitarian–this… Read More

cowles atlas

Rare Books

Preserving Rare Books: Paper Repair and Reinforcement

As we’ve discussed in previous blog posts, books have it rough. The price of reading–no matter how careful you are–is a certain amount of wear and tear. It’s no wonder… Read More

A rebacked copy of Locke's Works with bright gilt

Rare Books

Preserving Rare Books: Rebacking and Respining

To paraphrase The Velveteen Rabbit, “[Rare] isn’t how you are made… It’s a thing that happens to you.” Before rare books become rare, they’re just books. Books are left haphazardly… Read More

Detail from the Funeral Procession Plate

Rare Books

The Weird and the Wonderful:
Isaac Titsingh’s Illustrations of Japan

Today, it’s hard to imagine an inaccessible land–a place entirely removed from trade, travel, illustration, photography, and film. In the early 1800s, it was easy to imagine such a place…. Read More

Orpheus Mosaic at Woodchester

Rare Books

The Weird and the Wonderful:
Lysons’ An Account Of Roman Antiquities Discovered At Woodchester In The County Of Gloucester

Samuel Lysons’ An Account of Roman Antiquities Discovered at Woodchester in the County of Gloucester suffers from an unusual problem: excessive specificity of title. The excitement of Roman antiquities gets… Read More