All hail the questers! In this episode we celebrate those humble individuals who had the curiosity and courage to write to famous people with intriguing questions... often leading to intriguing answers. We also explore a curious photobook on innovative packaging, and admire a man who bought his freedom with a cure for poison. 

Questions or comments? As usual, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at: [email protected]

Enjoy the show!

George Washington sticking to his morals and Winston Churchill in love! Jeremy and Michael discuss two important letters currently on the market and use them as a springboard to explore some urgent issues in the world of rare books. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments. You can email us at: [email protected]

And, most importantly, enjoy the show!

"My Diary - Please respect it": So wrote the photographer Margaret Bourke-White at the beginning of her hand-written diary. And respect it we do! We cover a lot of ground in this episode exploring diaries, notes, and documents written without an eye to a future audience. Through the diary of a Revolutionary War soldier to the journals of an Apple Executive, we explore the strange accidental nature of these witnesses to history. And of course we have to discuss the diaries of Samuel Pepys - but more for their strong influence on Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and modernism. 

Special guest: Rick Stattler, of Swann Galleries. 

As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments at: [email protected]

Enjoy the show! 

Join us as we talk with special guest Adam Douglas of Peter Harrington Rare Books about collecting Shakespeare and specifically about that Holy Grail of collecting, the 1623 Shakespeare First Folio. It is a rare event when one becomes available and Peter Harrington is currently offering a copy. We pick Adam's brain about the specifics of their copy, the history of the creation of the Folio, why Shakespeare and his fellow actors didn't want to publish their texts, why copies are so rare, why each copy is different, and so much more... 

Enjoy the episode! And, as always, please don't hesitate to send questions or comments our way at: [email protected]

In 1940, the year of Fitzgerald’s death, there were only 7 copies of The Great Gatsby sold. Fitzgerald complained to both Zelda and Max Perkins that he was a forgotten man and that clearly there was no demand for his book. He was crushed, and died thinking Gatsby was a failure. Then, a year later 155,000 copies were printed…. What happened? 

We dive in into the strange afterlife of The Great Gatsby, trace Fitzgerald’s feelings about his masterpiece through inscribed copies, and compare it to the fates of other books – Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Fortnight in September – published around the same time. 

Is a classic destined to be a classic or does it need a healthy dose of luck? As always, email us and let us know what you think at [email protected]

Enjoy the episode!

When is a George Orwell signature not a George Orwell signature? Is it safe to be around a person who collects true crime artifacts? Also - there was a world record set last week and it involved the Book of Mormon... Join Jeremy and Michael as they debate the big questions in the rare book world. As always, we welcome your questions or comments at: "[email protected]".

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This episode is all about maniacs! Bibliomaniacs, that is.... They may be extreme, they may be passionate, and, ignoring some unsavory criminal activity, they may even have served to preserve culture over the years. 

If you have a story about a bibliomaniac - or perhaps you are a bibliomaniac! - please drop us a note at [email protected]

Enjoy!

Special guest! Hélène Golay of Capitol Hill Books joins Jeremy and Michael to discuss post-war diplomacy through fine dining, Jeremy's hungry cat leads to an impulsive purchase of an early manifesto on the personal computer, and Michael and Jeremy realize they are often competing with themselves for the price of a book. Enjoy the show! Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments at: [email protected].

Whose Bible would be more fun at a dinner party, Mick Jagger's or Harry Houdini's? And what about that curious Wodehouse manuscript coming up for auction? So much to think about, including Michael's feeling that there is an alarming lack of respect for comic literature in the rare book market. 

Thank you for listening! Do you have any ideas for us? Email us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear about your rare book adventures, ideas for new episodes, observations, questions... whatever it is, we want to hear from you!

All about a book that was not inscribed by Calvin Coolidge to Ernest Hemingway, the gloves Lincoln wore the fateful night of the assassination, and a marvelous Harry Potter curiosity... Enjoy!