Rare Book Chat

Bonhams Auctions dedicated a sale this week to a "curated selection" of items owned by the great Diane Keaton and one item in particular caught the eyes of Jeremy and Michael. Her own copy of the Annie Hall script? Pretty cool, we thought. But how much is it worth? We had our own guesses, but (at least) two bidders had very different ideas. All of which led to the big question: What do prices really mean in our wonderful world of rare books and manuscripts? 
We'd love to hear your thoughts! As always, please direct any questions or comments to hello@rarebookchat.com
Enjoy the show!

Jeremy discovers great letters at auction by David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Francis Bacon, and Henry Moore, but ends up learning more about the recipient of all the letters, Vera Russell, than about the writers of the letters. So many great artists wrote to her with profound admiration and respect. What does that say about her? Who was this Vera Russell, who seemed to be at the nexus of the 20th-century art world? And now that the collection has been dispersed, what have we lost? Can we put Humpty Dumpty back together again?
As usual, please feel free to reach out to us at: hello@rarebookchat.com
Enjoy the show!

Ah, the hi-jinks of Gregory Corso! This New York Tale has everything: stealing from friends, mob bosses, broken record collections, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs (sort of), and what must have been the great charm of the Beat poet Gregory Corso. All of this leads to some (semi-) profound questions on authenticity in the book world.
If you have a Corso tale, we'd love to hear it! Drop us a note at: hello@rarebookchat.com
Enjoy the show!

Condition is one of the most confusing topics in the rare book world and we're here to help you solve.... nothing, actually. But we do explore the thorny issues involved in evaluating condition and hopefully offer a framework that may be a useful guide as you contemplate the next addition to your library.
We'd love to know your thoughts! How do you evaluate condition? Please reach out to us on Instagram or email us at hello@rarebookchat.com 
Enjoy the show!

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: hello@rarebookchat.com
Enjoy the show!