At the Store:
At Tavistock Books we are experiencing a problem that many booksellers before us have seen and many after will encounter. Space. Similar to the phrase “there is not enough time in the day,” there are not enough shelves in our store! We have filled every nook and cranny with books, with dogs, or with Giants bobbleheads. As it stands, in early December we are planning on doing some re-vamping in our store. Mainly, we will be building UP! Come check out our new, organized & feng shui-ed brick-and-mortar in the new year!
Book Fairs to Watch Out For:
In the Golden State in January & February 2015? Don’t miss out on the 48th California International Antiquarian Book Fair to be held in Oakland, CA February 6th to 8th, and the Pasadena Fair January 31st & February 1st – both of which, you’ll be pleased to know, will sport a Tavistock Books booth!
A Recent Acquisition:
“Men and Memories of SF”
Barry, T[heodore]. A[ugustus. 1825 – 1881]. Patten, B[enjamin]. A[dam. 1825 – 1877]. Phelan, James Duval [1861 – 1930] – Former Owner. MEN And MEMORIES Of SAN FRANCISCO, in the “Spring of ’50.” San Francisco: A. L. Bancroft & Company, 1873. 12mo. 7-5/8″ x 4-7/8″. Green cloth binding with gilt stamped title lettering to spine & front board. Green eps. Gilt bright. Slight lean, small abrasion to cloth at top of front joint. Foxing to edges. Bookplate of James D. Phelan [former mayor of San Francisco, 1897 – 1902] to front paste-down. Period ownership signature of Mrs M. G. Willson. Withal, a VG+ copy with a nice, associated provenance. $275.
1st edition (Cowan II, 36; Graff 197; Howes B-192; Kurutz 38a; Rocq 8248; Wheat 12). Per Cowan I, “a most brilliant panorama of the times…”, and per Wheat, “Informative and engaging gossip respecting old-time personalities and events.” The authors arrived in their adopted state before January 1, 1850 & proudly answer to the moniker, “pioneer”. This book gives those that came later, and without such status, “a detailed picture of the city as it existed a few months before California statehood. They describe the streets and the residences and business that lined each thoroughfare and alley as well as the men and women who owned those homes, boarding-houses, hotels, restaurants, saloons, stores, offices, and shops. They also chronicle the fire of May 1851 which destroyed so many of the structures they describe. While they focus on the city as it was in early 1850, their sketches of its residents extend further, often forming capsule biographies of their subjects.” [OCLC].
Lists & Blogs on the Horizon:
Next Tuesday, the 18th, will see our annual “Holiday List” once more filling your inbox with goodies. Definitely won’t want to miss this one – the pictures are spectacular, as usual! Our next blog will be sent out on November 26th, all about Children and the Christmas Spirit. Be sure to sign up for our mailing list if you would like to be informed of each new blog post from Tavistock Books. Email msp@tavbooks.com here.
