This complimentary e-digest, now published bi-monthly, covers significant acquisitions and sales, manuscripts lost and found, rare books and ephemera, document conservation, and more news in this digest.
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They Hold These Truths
PhillyVoice, July 9, 2026
A rare Declaration of Independence broadside has sold for $3.6 million. It’s one of 11 from the famously flawed Exeter printing. And it’s the second Dec bought by the same family.
Exeter Broadsides Go up to 11
The Guardian, July 2, 2026
When the recently sold Exeter broadside hit the market, it was one of 10. Make that 11. Where did the extra copy come from? From the home office, so to speak.
• Declaration detectives: who printed this broadside?
How Tech Cracked the AI Training Case
Ars Technica, August 17, 2026
Booksellers sounded the alarm. Buyers were hoovering up books in bulk. Why? Turns out the books were AI training fodder. And finding where was as easy as tracking lost luggage.
• See how the Internet Archive scanned books
• Meet the bookseller using AI to thwart the churn
UCLA Book Thefts Just the Latest Chapter
USA Today, July 15, 2026
For years someone was stealing rare Chinese manuscripts from a UCLA library. How he did it and where the thefts fit into a history of pillage from the Beinecke, Carnegie, LOC…
• Missing codex pages turn up in…
NARA Said to Shutter Three Records Centers
Federal News Network, June 25, 2026
An internal memo reportedly lays out the plan: the National Archives aims to close centers in Chicago, the San Francisco area, and Seattle. What the closures mean for records access.
Reporter’s Nose Leads to a Bombshell Story
Breaking One | New York Times, August 6, 2026
Nosing around a bookfair, an erstwhile reporter came across a piece of history: the diary of the Hiroshima bombing copilot. He sniffed out a story. But not the one he expected.
SF Earthquake Survivor Surfaces
San Francisco Examiner | New York Times, June 1, 2026
A collector was searching the web when an old book caught his eye. It bore the stamps of a San Francisco library — and soot from the 1906 earthquake and fire. How had it survived?
• Book found in a fireplace, 150 years past due
The Odyssey Goes on Show in New York
Smithsonian Magazine, August 19, 2026
As a new Odyssey film plays on screen, one of the oldest copies of Homer’s epic is on display at the Met. The papyrus fragments hit a major plot point. And come with a twist.
Striker Snaps Up a Rare Viking Chronicle
My Modern Met, July 16, 2026
Last year Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland scored the last copy from the 1594 edition of Snorri Sturluson’s classic saga. Turns out the real winner is Haaland’s hometown library.
Was This Honus Wagner Card Looksmaxxing?
Sports Collectors Digest, August 2, 2026
Honus Wagners are the Holy Grail of baseball cards. But this one had seen a lot damage. And restoration. At auction, would it be a home run or a blooper? Click the links to find out.
• Sold! Baseball cards signed by every president since TR
