Rebecca Romney's Blog

In a chaotic year unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, books have remained a stabilizing force in my life: they can both calm and intrigue, bring challenge and joy. Here are 15 of my favorite rare books I sold at my company Type Punch Matrix amid the ups and downs of a difficult year.

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Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, 1817

This is the 1817 third edition of Austen’s best loved novel, the first edition printed in two volumes (as opposed to the three volumes of previous editions) ...

As a rare book dealer, my job is to place books and related artifacts into the hands of long-term custodians, like collectors or institutions. But some books linger in my mind long after they have sold. This list collects 10 favorite books sold in 2019 that I still think about: half from my time at Honey & Wax Booksellers, and half from my new company Type Punch Matrix.

1. Raymond Chandler’s Copy of 1984 [image error]

In the late 1940s, Chandler was a conflicted admirer of Orwell, writing to the critic...

I am finally founding my own rare book company. It’s called Type Punch Matrix — a name which nods to the historical innovations of Gutenberg, but brings a modern sensibility to our work.

My co-founder is Brian Cassidy, a rare book dealer based in the Washington DC area. He is a faculty member at the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar, and is currently developing a course on modern duplicating technologies for Rare Book School. We are working to launch a gallery in downtown DC in spring 2020.

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Our work on the Honey & Wax Prize continues to shape our thinking about book collecting: how we talk about it, and why that matters.

This article shares a few of the upcoming events related to our book collecting prize from the post my colleague Heather O’Donnell published today on the H&W blog. First:

The Book Collecting Prize

We’re still accepting applications for the 2019 Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize, and can’t wait to be surprised by what we discover this year. Learn about our 2017...

In my day job at Honey & Wax Booksellers, we’ve made a specialty out of handling the unexpected, and especially unfamiliar books that illuminate more familiar ones. Here are ten of my favorites that we sold in 2018.

1.

An Alphabet of T.O.T.: Train Omnibus Tram,illustrated by Charles Pears, London, 1915

[image error]Image: Honey & Wax Booksellers

This scarce publicity pamphlet for the Underground Electric Railways Company was designed by poster artist Charles Pears, whose style helped define English mass...

 

The natural reaction to the cover art of Black Orpheus is: “What is THAT, and how can I get one?”

This Nigeria-based little magazine kindled an enormously influential anglophone African literature movement that became the primary force for the discovery of new talent on the continent during the 1950s and 1960s. In its time, Black Orpheus was one of the most important literary magazines in the world.

Black Orpheus began when Nigeria was still an English colony, and continued into the country...

I am pleased to announce a weekly newsletter called Book Curious, which pulls together discoveries, news, & entertainments I run across as a rare book dealer.

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In the newsletter, I will:

Fill you in on major rare book events Alert you to especially incredible dealer catalogs and rare books Tell you about my favorite discoveries, rare, new, or otherwise bookish Link to noteworthy or quirky articles on books Recommend blogs, interviews, or social media accounts of interesting literary people M...

If you’ve been looking for a signed copy of Printer’s Error, I am offering to custom inscribe a copy – for this holiday season only.

This is the perfect gift for the book lover in your life: a book on books, specially inscribed to the recipient – and a first edition to boot.

I’m happy to flat sign, inscribe with name or date, or add any additional note (within reason!) to these copies.

I will be accepting requests only through December 31, 2017 – if you’ve wanted a signed copy, or know someon...

Updates on the latest events, publications, and more.

 

“12 Tips from a Rare Books Expert to Keep Your Books Looking Great.” [image error]

Mental Floss, 28 November 2017
For Mental Floss, I describe a few tips on handling and storing your books – including the public service announcement that you are all pulling your books off the shelf wrong. 

[image error] “13 Secrets of Rare Book Dealers.”

Mental Floss, 1 November 2017
In which I offer a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a rare book dealer. Opinions on white glo...

A New Book Collecting Prize for Young Women We at Honey & Wax Booksellers are pleased to announce the foundation of a new book collecting prize aimed specifically at young women collectors. Read the full announcement at LitHub. Details can be found at the Honey & Wax website, or continue reading below. Honey & Wax... Read More