The American Book Collector

Chronicles the development of noted private and public black collectors and collections, and investigates the state of contemporary collecting. Also discusses black-related memorabilia as collectibles and material culture, and offers suggestions for establishing and preserving private collections. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

When best friends Aggie and Fiona drift apart in fifth grade, Aggie grows to understand that fading friendships are normal, and she makes a new friend who shares more of her interests.

The fascinating history of American bookishness as told through the sale of Charles Lamb's library in 1848 Charles Lamb's library--a heap of sixty scruffy old books singed with smoke, soaked with gin, sprinkled with crumbs, stripped of illustrations, and bescribbled by the essayist and his literary friends--caused a sensation when it was sold in New York in 1848. The transatlantic book world watched as the relics of a man revered as the patron saint of book collectors were dispersed. Following those books through the stories of the bibliophiles who shaped intellectual life in America--booksellers, publishers, journalists, editors, bibliographers, librarians, actors, antiquarians, philanthropists, politicians, poets, clergymen--Denise Gigante brings to life a lost world of letters at a time when Americans were busy assembling the country's major public, university, and society libraries. A human tale of loss, obsession, and spiritual survival, this book reveals the magical power books can have to bring people together and will be an absorbing read for anyone interested in what makes a book special.