Illustrated - Art, Photography, Architecture

The Illustrative Processes: Engraving

Engraving has suffered from an identity crisis, perhaps born from its ubiquity. Humans have used engraving as a tool for expression in every era and every place, from prehistoric cave… Read more

Literature, Moderns

Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged

“Who is John Galt?” With this question, Ayn Rand began her final novel, Atlas Shrugged, one of the most controversial, influential, and bestselling books of the 20th century. It’s a… Read More

Civil War, History

General Grant and Mark Twain: The Story Behind Grant’s Memoirs

As changes in fortune go, the swings experienced by Ulysses S. Grant during the final chapters of his life are somewhat legendary.   From an early age Grant was preoccupied… Read More

Children's Lit

Beatrix Potter: Nature, Love and Success

Ducks, mice, kittens, and of course, rabbits. A menagerie of small creatures inhabits the pages of Beatrix Potter’s books.   As a young girl, she loved nature, feeling more at… Read More

Religion

Rare Acquisitions to Remember the Papal Visit

Here in Philadelphia, Bauman Rare Books’ hometown, a lot of people are still celebrating Pope Francis’ visit, which capped his first trip to the United States. The open-air mass he… Read More

Rare Books

5 Great Books to See in Las Vegas

  Currently on display is a presentation copy of the limited deluxe first edition of Ernest Shackleton’s Heart of the Antarctic and The Antarctic Book: signed by him and all… Read More

Literature, Rare Books 101

Collecting Camelot: Rare Arthurian Books, Part 2

  Someday, I’d like to play King Arthur in a production of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot. I long ago memorized all of Arthur’s songs and a lot of his dialogue—including… Read More

Literature, Rare Books 101

Collecting Camelot: Rare Arthurian Books

When I visited Walt Disney World, one thing I really wanted to do was tug at the Sword in the Stone, right next to the Fantasyland carousel. I’d heard the… Read More

Rare Books 101

The Personal Library: Beach House

The Jersey Shore was my beach. If you can imagine New Jersey as a woman sitting with her legs crossed, I grew up where the calves are. We chased the… Read More

Literature, Moderns

Culture Beat: Highlights of the Harlem Renaissance

Looking to escape the summer heat? You can’t beat a blissfully cool day exploring MoMA’s current show, “One-Way Ticket: Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series and Other Works.”   Jacob Lawrence’s masterful… Read More

Literature, Moderns

Greater than Gatsby? Why Tender is the Night might be Fitzgerald’s “intended masterpiece.”

The sick and tired adages regarding the relationship between art and the artist are rarely more evident and appropriate than in the curious case of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his… Read More