In my hands I held a copy of “Les Fleurs du Mal,” by Charles Baudelaire, certainly one of the most famous books of French poetry. And it was not just a copy, it was a first edition, signed by Baudelaire himself, with an inscription thanking the recipient for his patience...

TOMES features a look at 25 artist books from the 1970s and 1980s, emphasizing the works’ poetic and emotional message.

These unique works challenge the notion of the book beyond its conventional definitions. As vehicles for exploration in the realms of fantasy, personal, collective, past and present, artist books continue...

May 18, Saturday, 3-4 p.m., Vroman’s Bookstore, courtyard

Great independent bookstores deserve our admiration—and our money. They host readings with famous and up-and-coming authors, provide a space to meet and discuss ideas, and fiercely reflect the soul of the communities they serve. Join booksellers from Vroman’s Bookstore, Skylight Books, Flintridge...

Podcast: 

Rockwell Kent was on my mind owing to our new spring issue’s feature story about the time when Rockwell Kent, Rex Stout, and Egmont Arens teamed up to publish Casanova’s memoir in the states, where it was still banned. So I was perhaps pre-disposed to notice Ken Lopez’s display of a Rockwell Kent...

We interviewed Annie Locke Scherer '08, Mackenzie Sikora '13, and Dan Whitmore '99, to learn more about the rewards and challenges of their work, as well as how they are willing to help mentor and support fellow Panthers. Connect with Annie, Mackenzie, Dan, and nearly 400 other alumni on the PolyConnect...

Every year, the arrival of the Armory Show sets New York City buzzing with satellite fairs, art parties, events, and more. Among the shows not to miss is the New York Antiquarian Book Fair, a celebration where bibliophiles and avid collectors can browse a vast selection of rare books, photographs, maps...

How is a bibliophile made? How is it that a seemingly reasonable person decides to surround himself/herself with books, beautiful books that clutter whatever space is available as though it’s reasonable to hoard books because of, what really? That books might vanish...

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Recently, a new trend has emerged, with the five ABAA members below opening new stores or significantly expanding their existing ones. 

Whitmore Rare Books (Pasadena, CA)

Whitmore Rare Books recently moved from a second-floor walk-up space to a ground-level showroom on a much more heavily trafficked street in...

Written 10 years before the book that defined the Beat Generation, appeal for a $25 sub is now on sale in California for $22,500

He may have been the godfather of the Beat Generation, a self-styled crazy hobo mystic who hit the US’s highways looking for himself, but Jack Kerouac wasn’t above...

Beyond teaching us how to produce an impressive coq au vin or how to pair the right wine with the right oyster, culinary books and manuscripts provide insight into the economic, political, and educational factors that have shaped communities over time. By considering a series of antique European and American...

After four years as an assistant professor of Shakespeare studies, Miranda Garno Nesler left the tenure track and leveraged her advanced degree to participate in a wide variety of fields. At this event, she speaks to graduate students about how her work as an art critic, a collection development manager...

Steps from the crowds of holiday shoppers streaming into Forever 21 and the Apple Store in Pasadena, in a second-floor walk-up, a trove of unique offerings waits for book lovers with very special gift lists.

At Whitmore Rare Books, which specializes in literary first editions and antiquarian books, Dan Whitmore...

It's hard to Dan Whitmore L'08 to pick his favorite sale as a rare books dealer.

But when pressed, he'll tell you about his biggest transaction - copy number six of one hundred signed copies of James Joyce's Ulysses, which netted $125,000 - or the sale of a signed, first...

Antiquarian book collector and dealer, Dan Whitmore, isn't your average rare bookseller. As a young, dashing 30-something, he brings a novel approach on what it really takes to make it in his field.

Story by Sara Smola  // Photo by MOWRY 

In the dark economic times of 2009, Dan Whitmore decided to give up being a lawyer in downtown Los Angeles to sell antiquarian books. "People in the firm thought I was nuts," he says.

This month we received our first catalogue from Whitmore Rare Books of Pasadena, California. Whitmore Rare Books is operated by Dan Whitmore, one of many in the trade who made the transition from collector to bookseller. It explains why booksellers generally appreciate the goods they sell in ways not often...

When I visited the Manhattan Vintage Book & Ephemera Fair two weeks ago (recap here), I met young bookseller Daniel Whitmore of Whitmore Rare Books, Pasadena, CA. I was glad to see his very elegantly produced color catalogue in an age when many booksellers have done away with printed catalogues...