Dispatches

Early Dust Jackets - An Annotated Bibliography

Like many booksellers and collectors, I have been interested in the origin and history of the dust jacket. For some years, I have been collecting contemporary references to jackets. I'll use this space to catalog them.

"Tanselle" Book-Jackets: Their History, Forms, and Use (Charlottesville: Bibliographical Society of the University of...

In a Narrow Grave by Larry McMurtry - First Edition Identification

The printing history and legend behind the first edition of one of the great 20th century Texas books has been the subject of myth and misinformation for years. I try to set the record straight and identify the various printings and issues for this most collectible book.

Thanks to booksellers...

Jorge (George) Godoy, Early Mexican American Poet

a work in progress

George, also known as Jorge, Godoy, was born in San Francisco on February 22 of either 1891 or 1892, depending on whether you believe his World War I draft card or his entry in Who's Who in America.

His parents were José Francisco Godoy and...

José F. Godoy - A Rediscovered Mexican American Writer

a work in progress

José Francisco Godoy (1851–1930) was the most prolific Mexican American author of books in the late 19th and early 20th century. Yet other than a brief entry on Wikipedia, he seems to be virtually unknown among the scholars working to recover the US Hispanic literary history

...

Autopen and Real Signed Copies of Brian Wilson's I Am

A collector recently asked me about an autopen signed copy of Brian Wilson's memoir I Am that I was offering. Some copies of the book came with a "signed" sticker on the cover, which was very exciting for fans of the Beach Boys. But excitement quickly turned to disappointment when...

Cuban Artist's Book TV

As part of the preparation for Catalog 15: Handmade Cuban Books, we made some videos to show off the work of Ediciones Vigía, Cuadernos Papiro, and Ediciones El Fortín.