Colorado antiquarian book seminar
Encyclopedia
The Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar, founded in the late 1970s, provides training for dealers in out-of-print, used, and antiquarian books.
. The first session, held at the University in December 1977, was primarily intended for librarians who wished to improve their skills in buying used, out-of-print, and rare books. Twenty-five registrants heard lectures by Goggin, Jacob L. Chernofsky (Editor and Publisher of AB Bookman's Weekly
), Lee Ash, and Harry U. Mooney (Collection Development Coordinator, Denver Public Library
). The success of the venture encouraged Goggin and Chernofsky to offer an annual seminar beginning in 1979 on the out-of-print and antiquarian book market, "designed to help librarians throughout the country with a working knowledge of the out-of-print and antiquarian book trade and the role of that market in acquisitions procedures and collection development." Nearly 50 students attended the 1979 Seminar, which was oriented toward the needs of librarians; nevertheless, "a half dozen booksellers also registered — pointing up the need for such a course for booksellers as well as librarians.” Faculty members at the 1979 Seminar included the autograph dealer Mary A. Benjamin, Franklin Gilliam (Brick Row Book Shop, San Francisco), Edwin V. Glaser (a dealer specializing in rare medical books, based in Sausalito, CA), Katharine Kyes Leab (Editor of American Book Prices Current), Murray S. Martin (Penn State), Bernard M. Rosenthal (a San Francisco-based dealer specializing in early printed books), and Florian Shasky (Stanford University Libraries).
, Library of Congress
); Marcus A. McCorison (1987; Director and Librarian, American Antiquarian Society
); Robert Rosenthal (1989; head of special collections, University of Chicago
); and Louis Weinstein (1999; Heritage Book Shop, Los Angeles). By the late 1980s, the Seminar had established a tradition of asking a different specialist dealer to join the faculty each year: Diane deBlois in 1988 (aGatherin', Wynanskill, NY; printed ephemera); Patterson Smith in 1990 (Montclair, NJ; true crime); John Crichton in 1991 (Brick Row Book Shop, San Francisco: literature); Priscilla Juvelis in 1996 (Boston; artists' books); and so on.
, in Colorado Springs, Colorado
(where it has been, ever since). Chernofsky continued as sole director, but in the later 1990s his magazine, AB Bookman's Weekly
, was faltering, unable to cope with the rise of internet bookselling; AB ceased publication in 1999, and Chernofsky sold the Seminar to faculty members including Michael Ginsberg, Edwin Glaser, Lois Harvey, and Jennifer Larson. Attendance declined; in 2005, the average number of participants had fallen to well under 50.
, Thomas E. Congalton (Between the Covers Rare Books, Gloucester City, NJ), Daniel De Simone (Rosenwald Curator, Library of Congress), internet specialist Dan Gregory (Between the Covers), Kevin Johnson (Royal Books, Baltimore), and Robert Rulon-Miller, Jr. (Rulon-Miller Books, St Paul, MN) joining Seminar stalwarts Ginsberg and Glaser. Participant response was enthusiastic, , and attendance began to climb. The Seminar's title was given its present form: Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS) and a new website, and the proprietors relinquished their shares to a tax-exempt, not-for-profit corporation called the Antiquarian Book School Foundation. The current director of CABS is Kevin Johnson, and the current local coordinator at Colorado College
is Kathy Lindeman; the chairman of the Foundation's board is Robert Rulon-Miller, Jr. The ongoing faculty comprises bookseller Lorne W. Bair (Winchester, VA); Terry Belanger; Daniel De Simone; Dan Gregory; Nina Musinsky (Musinsky Rare Books, Inc., New York City); and Steven Escar Smith (Dean, University of Tennessee
Libraries).
Since 1980, more than 2000 persons have attended the Seminar, which throughout its existence has had the strong support of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
(ABAA): CABS faculty members over the years have included ABAA Presidents Thomas E. Congalton, Edwin V. Glaser, Michael Ginsberg, Bernard M. Rosenthal, Robert Rulon-Miller Jr, and others. In recent years, scholarships to CABS have been provided not only by ABAA (Woodburn Scholarships) but also by Alibris
(Weatherford Scholarships), AbeBooks
, Barnes & Noble
, Biblio.com
, Bibliopolis, the Book Club of California, Foreseeing Solutions, and the Independent Online Booksellers Association
, the Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association (RMABA). Most of the current attendees are booksellers (or prospective booksellers), but librarians and book collectors sometimes attend, as well.
Origins
The Seminar was the brainchild of Margaret Knox Goggin, on the faculty (and formerly dean) of the School of Librarianship at the University of DenverUniversity of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
. The first session, held at the University in December 1977, was primarily intended for librarians who wished to improve their skills in buying used, out-of-print, and rare books. Twenty-five registrants heard lectures by Goggin, Jacob L. Chernofsky (Editor and Publisher of AB Bookman's Weekly
AB Bookman's Weekly
AB Bookman's Weekly was a weekly trade publication begun in 1948 by Sol. M. Malkin as a publication of the R. R. Bowker Company, publisher of Books in Print and other book trade and library periodicals...
), Lee Ash, and Harry U. Mooney (Collection Development Coordinator, Denver Public Library
Denver Public Library
The Denver Public Library is the public library of the city of Denver, Colorado in the United States. Its administrative headquarters is on the 7th floor of the Central Library in Downtown Denver. , the library system had 2,519,977 items in its collection, and a library card base of 417,616 local...
). The success of the venture encouraged Goggin and Chernofsky to offer an annual seminar beginning in 1979 on the out-of-print and antiquarian book market, "designed to help librarians throughout the country with a working knowledge of the out-of-print and antiquarian book trade and the role of that market in acquisitions procedures and collection development." Nearly 50 students attended the 1979 Seminar, which was oriented toward the needs of librarians; nevertheless, "a half dozen booksellers also registered — pointing up the need for such a course for booksellers as well as librarians.” Faculty members at the 1979 Seminar included the autograph dealer Mary A. Benjamin, Franklin Gilliam (Brick Row Book Shop, San Francisco), Edwin V. Glaser (a dealer specializing in rare medical books, based in Sausalito, CA), Katharine Kyes Leab (Editor of American Book Prices Current), Murray S. Martin (Penn State), Bernard M. Rosenthal (a San Francisco-based dealer specializing in early printed books), and Florian Shasky (Stanford University Libraries).
Early Years
The Seminar became an annual event held in August at the University of Denver under the co-directorship of Goggin and Chernofsky, its title settling down as "A Workshop-Seminar on the Out-of-Print and Antiquarian Book Market for Booksellers and Librarians," designed "to meet the needs of acquisitions librarians, those responsible for developing collections, rare book librarians, as well as booksellers and prospective booksellers." . The Seminar lecturers varied somewhat from year to year, but a core faculty emerged that included, besides Jake Chernofsky and Margaret Goggin, Michael Ginsberg (an Americana dealer based in Sharon, MA), Ed Glaser, Robert W. Topp (Hermitage Book Shop, Denver), and Jake Zeitlin (Zeitlin & Ver Brugge, Los Angeles). Other stalwart faculty members were to include Mary Francis Ciletti, Lois Harvey, Jennifer Larson, Jean Parmer, and Richard Weatherford. Though there were always a few librarians in attendance, by the mid-1980s, the typical Seminar student was a used, out-of-print, or rare bookseller (or someone who wished to become one).Success
The Seminar was soon attracting nearly 100 registrants annually. It ran extra sessions at the University of Florida in March 1988 and March 1994, in addition to the annual sessions in Colorado each August. Its success was chronicled in a series of annual articles by AB Bookman's Weeklys Associate Editor, Rebecca Myers, often titled with some variant of "Book is a four-letter word." Beginning in 1985, a keynote speaker began the proceedings on Sunday night. Notable keynoters included John Y. Cole (1985; Center for the BookCenter for the Book
The Center for the Book was founded in 1977 by Daniel J. Boorstin, the Librarian of Congress, in order to use the Library of Congress to promote literacy, libraries, and reading in general, as well as an understanding of the history and heritage of American literature...
, Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
); Marcus A. McCorison (1987; Director and Librarian, American Antiquarian Society
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society , located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and national research library of pre-twentieth century American History and culture. Its main building, known also as Antiquarian Hall, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark...
); Robert Rosenthal (1989; head of special collections, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
); and Louis Weinstein (1999; Heritage Book Shop, Los Angeles). By the late 1980s, the Seminar had established a tradition of asking a different specialist dealer to join the faculty each year: Diane deBlois in 1988 (aGatherin', Wynanskill, NY; printed ephemera); Patterson Smith in 1990 (Montclair, NJ; true crime); John Crichton in 1991 (Brick Row Book Shop, San Francisco: literature); Priscilla Juvelis in 1996 (Boston; artists' books); and so on.
Transition Years
Margaret Knox Goggin stepped down as co-director of the Seminar after the 1994 Gainesville and Colorado Seminars. The 1993 Seminar was hosted by the Colorado School of Mines in Golden; in 1995 the Seminar moved to Colorado CollegeColorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
, in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
(where it has been, ever since). Chernofsky continued as sole director, but in the later 1990s his magazine, AB Bookman's Weekly
AB Bookman's Weekly
AB Bookman's Weekly was a weekly trade publication begun in 1948 by Sol. M. Malkin as a publication of the R. R. Bowker Company, publisher of Books in Print and other book trade and library periodicals...
, was faltering, unable to cope with the rise of internet bookselling; AB ceased publication in 1999, and Chernofsky sold the Seminar to faculty members including Michael Ginsberg, Edwin Glaser, Lois Harvey, and Jennifer Larson. Attendance declined; in 2005, the average number of participants had fallen to well under 50.
CABS Becomes a 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Corporation
The Seminar reinvigorated itself in the mid-2000s, with faculty additions Terry BelangerTerry Belanger
Terry Belanger is the founding director of Rare Book School , an institute concerned with education for the history of books and printing, and with rare books and special collections librarianship. He is University Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia , where RBS has its home base...
, Thomas E. Congalton (Between the Covers Rare Books, Gloucester City, NJ), Daniel De Simone (Rosenwald Curator, Library of Congress), internet specialist Dan Gregory (Between the Covers), Kevin Johnson (Royal Books, Baltimore), and Robert Rulon-Miller, Jr. (Rulon-Miller Books, St Paul, MN) joining Seminar stalwarts Ginsberg and Glaser. Participant response was enthusiastic, , and attendance began to climb. The Seminar's title was given its present form: Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS) and a new website, and the proprietors relinquished their shares to a tax-exempt, not-for-profit corporation called the Antiquarian Book School Foundation. The current director of CABS is Kevin Johnson, and the current local coordinator at Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
is Kathy Lindeman; the chairman of the Foundation's board is Robert Rulon-Miller, Jr. The ongoing faculty comprises bookseller Lorne W. Bair (Winchester, VA); Terry Belanger; Daniel De Simone; Dan Gregory; Nina Musinsky (Musinsky Rare Books, Inc., New York City); and Steven Escar Smith (Dean, University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
Libraries).
Since 1980, more than 2000 persons have attended the Seminar, which throughout its existence has had the strong support of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America is an organization of rare and antiquarian book dealers.-History:Founded in 1949, the ABAA is the benchmark for professionalism and ethics in the rare book trade in the US...
(ABAA): CABS faculty members over the years have included ABAA Presidents Thomas E. Congalton, Edwin V. Glaser, Michael Ginsberg, Bernard M. Rosenthal, Robert Rulon-Miller Jr, and others. In recent years, scholarships to CABS have been provided not only by ABAA (Woodburn Scholarships) but also by Alibris
Alibris
Alibris is an online store that sells new books, used books, out-of-print books, rare books, and other media through an online network of independent booksellers....
(Weatherford Scholarships), AbeBooks
Abebooks
AbeBooks is an online marketplace for books. Most books listed are used, many are rare or out-of-print, and a growing number are new books. The company is based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with offices in Düsseldorf, Germany, and in the US. It was incorporated in 1995 and launched its...
, Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
, Biblio.com
Biblio.com
Biblio.com is the third largest used book marketplaces in the US. Established in 2003 in Asheville, NC, Biblio.com has grown to become one of the largest global book marketplaces, with over 50 million books for sale from over 5,000 booksellers in countries around the world.-A used book...
, Bibliopolis, the Book Club of California, Foreseeing Solutions, and the Independent Online Booksellers Association
Independent Online Booksellers Association
Independent Online Booksellers Association is a trade association of independent used and rare booksellers who sell online.-History:IOBA was founded in 1999 by a group of independent booksellers to address the special opportunities and challenges of the emerging online book selling market...
, the Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association (RMABA). Most of the current attendees are booksellers (or prospective booksellers), but librarians and book collectors sometimes attend, as well.