Manuscript Digest –September 2019– This complimentary e-digest, launched in 2012, covers significant acquisitions and sales, manuscripts lost and found, rare books and ephemera, document conservation, and more.

In the News

The Sleuth Squad
Atlas Obscura, August 16, 2019
He haunts the major manuscript shows, always on the prowl for missing treasures. Meet NARA’s investigative archivist, the man who’s out to put the repo into replevin.

Creative Writing
Sports Collectors Daily, August 2, 2019
Authenticators are seeing more forgeries slip into what was once sort of a safety zone. The upswing in fakes could mean a whole new ballgame for sports memorabilia collectors.

On the Defense
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 22, 2019
Attorneys for defendants in the Carnegie Library theft are asking for a date — a specific date for each item allegedly stolen over a period of years. That could be 320-some dates.

Convictionary
ABC News (Australia), August 24, 2019
Next time you say you’re taking a snooze or finding a place to stash your stuff, thank an Australian convict. A new release of an old dictionary captures early convict slang.

LA Lit
Los Angeles Magazine, August 19, 2019
When Hollywood’s A-list hunts for rare books, they head for Mystery Pier Books. Who collects Winston Churchill? Who goes for Irish lit? The owner talks shop.
Why a UK dealer likes the Brooklyn Book Festival
• RIP, Richard Booth, “King Richard Coeur de Livre”

Typo? Presto!
CNN, August 1, 2019
A Harry Potter first edition just went for £28,500 at auction. Not a bad return on a £1 rummage sale find. The two telltale typos that make this Harry’s holy grail.

A Map Collector’s Journey
JStor Daily, August 19, 2019
It started with a few good maps. But those are pricey. So the collection took a detour into “cartographic curiosities.” Where that led — and where the collection has landed.
• Mexican maps made for a king

Old DC’s New Digs
Washington Post, August 26, 2019
After years of setbacks (mold woes, AC meltdowns), it’s a new day for old Washingtoniana. The Historical Society of Washington library is back in business. Check it out!

Jamestown, 1620
The Virginian-Pilot, August 17, 2019
In 1620 Jamestown took a census. The original records are in the UK. To researchers, just seeing the scans was “awe-inspiring.” But touching the manuscripts from those early days?

Learning Longhand
WYSX/WTTE, August 28, 2019
In Ohio cursive is back in the classroom. For teachers, that means new training. How do students feel about it? One teacher took a poll, and the results leaned one way.

Early Edition: When manuscripts met print, Now at the Getty Center, LA  > Take a look

Modern Lit: Highlights from collector Annette Campbell-White > Get the story