Brattlecast: A Firsthand Look at Secondhand Books

He voyaged with Captain Cook, escaped from college via canoe, and attempted to walk across Russia. But, most importantly for our purposes, he also wrote a plain looking, easily discarded book, some volumes of which contain an extremely valuable map. He's John Ledyard, the most interesting New England character you've never heard of and the author of Captain Cook's Voyages, the book we should all be scouring yard sales for!

Founded in 1635, Boston Latin School is the oldest public school in the United States, and boasts many famous graduates, including Benjamin Franklin, Henry David Thoreau, and Leonard Bernstein. One could build a collection consisting entirely of works by and about its illustrious alumni, as Ken suggests to one of his former Boston Latin classmates during a seemingly fairly raucous high school reunion. Plus, some tips on insuring your own rare book collection.

Ken goes over a variety of unusual items from his unique and lovely book shop, and reviews recent finds and adventures from his never ending book treasure hunt. We'll talk old-time turkey recipes, Victorian social media platforms, and a book that escaped from Alcatraz! Plus, The Brattle Book Shop has been featured in Architectural Digest; check it out here: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/most-beautiful-independent-stores-in-america

What makes a book valuable? Is it age? Scarcity? How old is an old book? Which souvenir reprints consistently trick people into thinking they've got a million dollar antique on their hands? Are public libraries good? What unassuming volume does Ken ravenously hunger and thirst for? If I spill a glass of fruit punch on my book, is it cool to dry it off in the microwave? Answers to most of these questions and more, from Ken and a little pamphlet called 'Your Old Books'.

Go a few rounds with Ken as he discusses some of the champions from a large collection of boxing books and magazine. It's a knock out exploration of the history of the sport, from the bare knuckles and unitards of the early 1800's to Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. We'll also look at boxing in popular culture, including 'On the Waterfront' and (of course) 'Rocky'.

It was a year of violent upheaval and exuberant social change: 1968. Ken takes us there through a unique collection of books, letters, photographs, magazines, newspapers, and more, all to do with this tumultuous time in American history. It's a great example of an unusual collecting style but also an eerie and inspiring mirror of our present moment.

They took advantage of improved communications technology to sell a plethora of affordable goods to consumers across the United States, put local merchants out of business, and opened scores of enormous distribution centers. Sound familiar? It's not who you think, unless you’re thinking of Sears and Roebuck. We've got their old catalogs, which today serve as a nostalgic time capsule and a beautifully illustrated guide to the economic history of the average American.

Watch history unfold through some rare and collectible maps. Join Ken as he guides us on a journey through Boston's past, from George Washington's arrival on Washington Street to real estate sales in a trendy new neighborhood called the Back Bay. Find yourself in this week's Brattlecast.

Ken talks handwritten journals and letters: what makes them valuable and how his team at the shop goes about researching them. We'll delve into a Caribbean voyage with a magical conclusion and a utopian community in bucolic West Roxbury, with a side trip to a certain famously far out festival of the late 1960's. Learn whether your journal might also have the 'write' stuff on this week's #brattlecast, an episode to write home about!

What goes through Ken's mind while he's doing his favorite thing (buying books)? This episode is all about the Brattle's buying process, from the first phone call to the packing and hauling. Learn why it's not very helpful to describe your collection as 'both fiction and nonfiction' and why flights of stairs are the bookseller's natural enemy. Also, for any Boston accent aficionados who may be listening, we have a delightful discussion of parking.