Warmly Inscribed: The New England Forger and Other Book Tales

Like their other books, Used & Rare and Slightly Chipped, this book describes the search for books for their collection, often odd choices (Max Beerbohm?) at various library sales, book fares and by visiting a wide variety of bookstores.. Interesting to me are the often detailed descriptions of dealers' shops, stock and personalities. Can be a bit cloying sometimes when they overdue the aw shucks, we art just learning posture. Includes a long discussion of the New England forger, with coverage of some of the forgeries and, to me, the devisive effects on bookdealers on whether to pursue or even report the bogus books purchased and resold to customers. the embarrassment and the potential money loss in doing the right thing. Just a small show more contribution to the memoir bibliography, but a candid look inside the twists and turns of small business and businessmen in the world of books. show less

Third in this delightful series ([book:Used and Rare], and [book:Slightly Chipped]) for bibliophiles, Warmly Inscribed has the Goldstones becoming more sophisticated as they delve into the world of used and rare books. If you haven' discovered the Goldstones -- for you really seem to get to know them well reading these books -- you are in for a treat. Each of the books has a different " signing from Hell" story, and this one is no exception. They tell of George Green, author of the excellently reviewed Caveman' Valentine, who was excited to be invited to a signing in Boston by his publisher during the middle of the winter. Please remember that publishers rarely pay for travel or lodging at these signings, so Mr. Green, thrilled at being show more asked, hopped in his car, only to have the heater break shortly after he left. Not wanting to miss the big event, he continued on, freezing in the horrible weather. He arrived after the four-hour drive at a large, very empty hall, with only one attendee, who proceeded to announce that she was only there because her buildings furnace across the street had quit working, but she loved his talk and would be sure to purchase his book when it came out in paperback. Then he had to return to New York, the heater still unrepaired.

The Goldstones themselves were invited to speak in Florida at a library (great news, their way was paid) only to have Larry break off a tooth shortly before they were to speak. Unable to find a dentist on a Saturday, they called their own dentist back home (who did work on the weekend) and he recommended Superglue. It worked. The Goldstones treat us to a great tour of the Library of Congress Rare Book Section. They arrange a tour from one of the library' rare book specialists (for LC "" means before 1800 unless it' Americana and then the date is circa 1826. The library' collection was purchased — not without some controversy because Jefferson was such a universalist — from Thomas Jefferson following the destruction by fire of the original collection in the War of 1812. The library was almost destroyed by fire again in 1851 when two-thirds of Jefferson' collection was lost. The library has embarked on the difficult task of recreating those lost books. That means if Jefferson owned the fourth edition of a particular book, that' the one they try to locate and purchase. A daunting task.

One interesting note. There is gilding all through the Great Hall except in the highest areas where it looks to be silver. It turns out the metal used was aluminum, at the time, 1897, when the building was restored, much more precious and rare than gold. Their style is witty, self-deprecating and informative. It' just great to watch their love of books grow and have them learn more about the intricacies and peccadilloes of the rare book business. You' have to discover for yourself what signatures may or may not be authentic and how many dealers were rather gullible in the story of the New England forger. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed the first chapter on the Library of Congress. Not only were the facts interesting to a book lover, but the enthusiasm of the 'tour guide' was infectous and made me want to hop in my car and drive right there.

The New England Forger however reminded me of The man who loved books too much by Allison Bartlett in which "Ken Sanders, a rare-books dealer-turned-amateur detective" sounds just like ABAA member John Crichton who uncovered forger Ken Anderson. The stories were nearly identical, so either it is the same case with the identities disguised or there is a great deal of crime afoot in the book business.

It was enjoyable to read their foraging into book bins across the country and talk of meeting book dealers. A good show more real. show less

This is a great read. The tales about the Library of Congress and the New England Forger are the best. This husband and wife team of book collectors and authors of books about books have such interesting tales to tell. The people they've met and the books they've encountered make for such great stories. I look forward to reading other books by this team. Some of the parts are funny, all are informative, and all are a must read for any bibliophile. I am not an antiquarian book collector, but I can appreciate the tales nonetheless.

Moi recommends. Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone know how to write books about book collecting. In this book, they give us a tour of the Library of Congress and the Folger Library, spend a chapter on Max Beerbohm, a chapter on a New England forger, and several chapters on their ventures in the book collecting world. In their chapter on Max Beerbohm, they detail when they met with the Max Beerbohm collector, Mark Samuels Lasner, at the Regency Hotel restaurant in New York. And they describe him to a t:

". . . We walked past a dark-haired man who seemed to be in his early forties waiting at the door and asked for Mr. Lasner in the Library. They didn't know Mr. Lasner so we walked out past the same man and checked out the lobby. Finally, when

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we noticed that the man at the door of the restaurant didn't seem to be going anywhere, we walked up and asked if he was Mark Samuels Lasner.
'Yes, he said smiling. 'I thought the clothes would give me away.' He was wearing a gray suit and tie and a Burberry-type raincoat and carrying a fedora or a homburg or something. He was indeed very Max-like, which we had entirely failed to notice.

Unfortunately, the Goldstones have drifted off to writing mysteries and biographies. Good for them; bad for those wanting more books about book collecting from them –– although I do say I have to recommend Lawrence Goldstone's latest book,Lefty: An American Odyssey, a book he coauthored with Verona Gomez. show less

Book 3 in the ongoing memoir adventures of Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone. This time they travel to many book fairs, learn about the New England Forger, delve into the world of internet book selling, and eat at a bunch of good places.

I really enjoy these books, they not only provide a ton of information on book collecting, and dealing with first editions, but also provide descriptions and titles for many books I would love to read. I will have to admit that as the book series progresses it almost seems as if they are begining to take on an elitist view on book collecting but this could just be me.

Although lacking the personal charms of witnessing new bibliophiles learn their avocation, this book, the third in the authors' series, still offers a pleasurable read. Most of the chapters speak less about their own book hunts, and more about the institutional face of the book trade.