Book Collecting Guide
Book Collecting Topics and Focuses
If you're looking for some ideas to jump start your book collection, or just want to browse some collections of fantastic books, you've found the place to start!
Michael Bond - the man behind Paddington Bear
“All the same… it’s a very important name. And I don’t expect there are many bears in the world called Paddington!” It was a lonely toy bear on an otherwise empty shop shelf on Christmas Eve in 1956 that first captured the attention of Michael Bond. Enamored, the BBC employee brought the stuffed bear home to his wife. They named the bear Paddington after the station near their home in London, and thus inspired, Bond…
Michael McClure - a poet of the Beat Generation
Michael McClure was only 22 years old when he read a poem one fateful night at an auto repair shop turned art gallery on October 7, 1955. His poem, “For the Death of 100 Whales,” went over well, but Michael and the other readers (Philip Lamantia, Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and host Kenneth Rexroth) were nearly forgotten after the final reader of the night, Allen Ginsberg, stood to read an early version of “Howl” and…
PT Barnum
If you love clowns or hate them, you probably have this man to thank: Phineas Taylor Barnum, otherwise know as P.T. Barnum. Barnum was the brains behind the most well-known circus in the world, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, but he was much more than just the ringleader. A shrewd businessman and daring entrepreneur, Barnum brought hoaxes and sideshow curiosities out into the mainstream through bold marketing techniques and other unique business strategies…
The American Total Eclipse - August 2017
Image credit to seller Orpheus Books for the listing “James Turrell Eclipse.” Biblio’s headquarters are in the beautiful Appalachian mountains of Western North Carolina, specifically in Asheville. We are lucky to be in one of the areas in the United States that has a chance to see a total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. This is the first time since 1979 that a total solar eclipse will be seen within the continental U.S. While…
The Beat Generation
Born out of the horror and discontent of World War Two, the Beat Generation was a community of writers, poets, and authors that became highly influential in American society. Among the best-known Beat writers were Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg, but there were many others as well. William S. Burroughs, the author of the highly controversial work Naked Lunch, was a particularly interesting and, quite frankly, morbid, member of the Beat Generation. Burroughs accidentally killed…
Walt Disney
Almost every child in the world is at least a little familiar with the work of Walt Disney. From Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to the Lion King to Splash Mountain at Disney World, Walt Disney has had an undeniable impact on Western culture. Disney’s work has certainly evolved since Steamboat Willie opened at the Colon Theatre in New York in 1928, but his most interesting, provocative, and controversial work was produced during his…
1939 New York World's Fair
It is difficult to overestimate the impact of the 1939 World’s Fair. The concept was born in the middle of the Great Depression, and it was truly a mark of sincere perseverance and hope that the Fair actually came to fruition and was such a massive success. Millions of people from all over the world travelled to Queens, New York to bear witness to the dreams and aspirations of the global community, and almost $160…