Catalogues

The Odds Of March

The Odds Of March

The Ides of March is the 15th.  Today, when I post this new catalogue, it is the 5th of March, which we here at Tavistock Books have designated The Odds of March, in recognition that a number of odd volumes have crossed my desk in the last couple of weeks… not odd in the sense of an ‘odd’ volume from a set, but ‘odd’ in the meaning of "happening or occurring infrequently and irregularly”, in other words, books you don’t see very often.  In fact, one Dickens item in the list is known only in this copy, termed “Not seen” by Dickens bibliographer, Walter Smith.  This book embodies one of our business goals, i.e., having ’the only copy available’ [and with apologies to Bill Reese, it is, then, by definition, the best, and cheapest, copy].  In any case, we hope you find the one ‘odd’ volume you’ve been seeking.

February Finds

February Finds

Well, I think Punxsutawney Phil got it wrong…  from the look outside my living room window, winter is still here, and plans to stay longer than Hans Christian Anderson at Gads Hill.  During this cold spell, we here at Tavistock Books have hunkered down, and are using the time inside to both unpack, and catalogue, more books.  

This week’s  list is comprised of 20 items that caught my eye as they passed over my desk enroute to their new shelf location at 220 S. Rock Blvd.  These twenty items include a very early [1875] Adventist children’s publication printed at the White’s Oakland home, a scarce 1920s view book of Upper Egypt, the 3 vol set of Henry Crabb Robinson’s Diaries & Reminiscences, a late 18th C Quaker work, an 18th book on conjuring, a Hardy Boys title in jacket, a title discussing our fairer sex [from an, ahem, unbiased male perspective], etc., etc.
Old Friends & New Acquaintances

Old Friends & New Acquaintances

Hello 2024!  I trust everyone a lovely holidays & that this new year is starting off in a propitious fashion.  With this email we offer our first FS list of 2024, and reminiscent of times past, it’s a melange of recently unpacked gems and newly catalogued acquisitions, including scarce booster publications for Watsonville & San Diego, a scarce 1871 Yale publication, a children’s book retaining its original 1880 dust jacket, a loverly 1st edition, 1st state of The Chimes, a nice 1905 Missouri Pacific Railway advertising broadside, etc., etc.

Farewell to 2023 - A FS List to Close Out the Year

Farewell to 2023 - A FS List to Close Out the Year

2023 is coming to a close, and with this list we offer you our last FS list of the year, which is a baker’s dozen of divers offerings, primarily new acquisitions.  From those, you’ll find a nice civil war volume owned by a noted Rhode Islander, a rare Rock Island Railway broadside, a couple Dickens items, etc., etc.

And I’ll take this opportunity to thank all who have, over the last year, read these lists, as I very much appreciate your time and attention. 

My best wishes to all for the coming holidays.

Kind regards,

V.

No Place Like Home (Cooking)!

No Place Like Home (Cooking)!

One of the best parts about the holidays (in my not so humble opinion) is the food! Warming comfort food abounds around this time of year - the cold of winter mixed with large family gatherings somehow makes stews and roasts taste even more delicious! In honor of how wonderful the meals of the holidays are, here we offer 15 food-related items. These cookery books and menus have us salivating for more!

Cheers to all of us having a safe, warm, comforting holiday season... complete with full bellies!

M

Fall Miscellany, Chapter II

Fall Miscellany, Chapter II

It's that time again for our latest list of offering…  seems just the other day I was wearing shorts & bemoaning the Reno heat.  Not today!  Fall is definitely upon us, and before you know it the holidays will be with us.  I confess, I have yet do do any gift shopping, but here’s your opportunity to start for that bibliophile in your life!  
As per our practice, we offer a variety of items, from 19th C true crime, to a period CDV of that scandalous couple- Menken & Dumas, a scarce mid-19th C US legal work, a pamphlet on Billy the Kid, and much, much more.  Again, price points that fit most pocketbooks.
Happy to answer any questions, or take any orders.
Enjoy.
New Old Stock (NOS), A FS List

New Old Stock (NOS), A FS List

Many of you reading this know I have an affinity for sports cars, owning 2, one from 1982, and the 2nd from 1994.  Scrounging parts for these vintage automobiles can sometimes be challenging, but occasionally one is rewarded by finding such labeled as NOS….  New Old Stock.  As I was compiling the items for this week’s FS list, that acronym came to mind, albeit in a somewhat different context…   a New[ly] unpacked Old book added to my active Stock.   

The NOS items recently uploaded to tavbooks.com include a small archive documenting Babe Egan & Her Hollywood Redheads, a 19th C ‘how-to’ for aspiring Butlers, a velvet covered Blook, a ca 1900 Buffalo Bill penny dreadful, a 1st edition of HISTOIRE De La PROSTITUTION [ExLibris the Bohemian Club], &c, &c.
We thank you for your time & attention, and welcome your queries and/or orders, both of which will be promptly addressed.
Slipping Out of Summer

Slipping Out of Summer

Song - slips…?  Broadside ballads…?   I wasn’t sure what to call this genre of street literature, and all my references on this subject, such as Shepard’s HISTORY Of STREET LITERATURE [1973], are still in boxes.  In either case, given their ephemeral nature, in my experience, they are somewhat uncommon.  As I was unpacking a box the other day, I came across 19, a number of which were printed in San Francisco, ca the 1870s.
Enjoy.