They Did It! Rare Book Dealer Interviews

The outlook for the book biz in general… well… let’s say if it were weather, you’d want thermal underwear and a flashlight with extra batteries. (As a writer that doesn’t phase me in the least, in case you were wondering, for I live in my very own ever-sunlit and toasty-cavernous imaginal crystal igloo! Dear writerly reader, I can recommend it! Write on!) Nonetheless one bright spot just might sparkle: certain niches of the rare book business. It has occurred to me, rare book aficionada that I am, to go into this business, but whenever the urge strikes, I make a cup of camomile tea, do some Pranayama… and reread Greg Gibson’s “Don’t Do It.”

The best of the rare book purveyors are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA). Over the past few months I’ve been watching some interviews with these fine folks on the ABAA website. Herewith some of the especially interesting ones, starting with Larisa Cassell:

Nicholas Potter:

Peter Burnett:

John Reznikoff:

Priscilla Juvelis:

Penelope Daly:

P.S. Check out Greg Gibson’s Ten Pound Island Book Company blog here. (He’s a splendid writer, too. My favorite of his books is Demon of the Waters, one of the strangest true stories I have ever read.)

What Is Writing (Really)? Plus A New Video of Yours Truly Talking About Four Exceedingly Rare Books Essential for Scholars of the Mexican Revolution

From the Archives: “Una Ventana al Mundo Invisible (A Window to the Invisible World): Master Amajur and the Smoking Signatures”

Oscar Wilde in West Point, Honey & Wax in Brooklyn

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Tip Jar? Not Exactly… But you can buy my books!

Patreon and PayPal are oftentimes used by bloggers and podcasters as a “tip jar,” however, for reasons too lengthy to go into here, I do not use either of these services for Madam Mayo blog or my podcasts.

I write Madam Mayo blog and podcast for whomever might happen to find it of interest, whether they be long-time readers, my workshop students, friends, family, or chance visitors. (For more about the idea of creative work as gift, see Lewis Hyde’s The Gift.)

And of course, I hope the writing and podcasts here may entice you to also read my books. You can always buy my books here. If you buy the book new, I earn royalties. If the book is in-print and you buy a used copy, however, Krampus will fart on you. Either way, if you encounter me in meatspace and ask nicely, I shall be delighted to inscribe it for you!

By the way, you can now also find some of my longform essays not-yet-in-print on Kindle, among them: “Dispatch from the Sister Republic or, Papelito Habla” and “From Mexico to Miramar or, Across the Lake of Oblivion.”

On a tight budget? It is also possible that you can find some of my books in your local or university library. If not, don’t be shy, ask the librarian to consider ordering it for the library. Guess what, sometimes they do!

Official disclosure: Madam Mayo blog is an affiliate seller for amazon.com, which means that if you click on a given link and then purchase that book on amazon, I receive a sliver-thin commission. Dear writerly reader, know that these modest sums go not towards additional polar bear fur upholstery for the narwahl-tusk armchairs in the mahogany-paneled library of my trans-Arctic yacht (where all naughty children may slurp hot chocolate whilst fingering the first editions) but rather, towards covering the costs of this blog and the podcasts.

Any links to amazon.com are for books I sincerely recommend and/or by request of many of the authors who appear here in the monthly by-invitation-only Q & As. (That is to say, many of the authors I interview specifically request that I provide a link to buy their book on amazon.com; as a courtesy to them, I do so.)

I am well aware of the problematic nature of Amazon’s outsize market power. If you wish to make your book purchases directly from independent bookstores and small publishers, I would celebrate your doing so by your going to their webpages, which links I provide on occasion, and when not, dear writerly reader, Google or duckduckgo and ye shall find.