Category: Fine Books and Collections Friday Books Blog

I Work Like a Gardener: A New Translation of Joan Miró’s Art Philosophy

Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist Joan Miró (1893-1983) is perhaps best known for his Surrealist sculptures and activity with the anarchic Dada art movement. Miró catapulted into the art world stratosphere, ending up on many contemporary art collectors’ wishlists.

In 1958, the artist spoke to Parisian critic Yvon Taillandier about his life and work, and that conversation was published in a French limited edition of seventy-five copies in 1964. Now, Princeton Architectural Press is releasing a new English translation of the book on October 10.  Read all about it on the Fine Books Blog  .

Trump’s Summer Reading

Thomas Jefferson said, “I cannot live without books.” Find out what Trump has to say about them, @finebooks blog: Trump’s Summer Reading http://bit.ly/2fxIWD2 @POTUS @realDonaldTrump @vineyardgazette @DavidMcCullogh #reading

Moby Dick Marathon Reading Session Aboard a Whaleship Celebrates Melville’s Birthday

From noon July 31 through noon August 1, the Mystic Seaport Maritime Museum in Mystic, CT, held its 32nd annual Moby Dick reading marathon. Visitors were invited aboard the 19th century whaleship (and now teaching vessel) Charles W. Morgan and read Herman Melville‘s (1819-1891) nautical adventure. Read all about it here, on the Fine Books Blog.

The Godmersham Lost Sheep Society Needs Your Help! Austen-related bookplates out on the lamb!

The Godmersham Lost Sheep Society is on the hunt for wayward books out on the lamb that once belonged to Jane Austen’s brother, Edward Austen Knight and has put out the call for help. Read the details on the Fine Books Blog. 

Lawrence of Arabia Exhibit at Maggs Bros. New Bloomsbury Location

On July 6, 1917, the disparate Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Peninsula joined forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Aqaba, made famous by the 1962 motion picture Lawrence of Arabia. The battle represented a turning point in the war in the Middle East, and the story and images of Lawrence on camelback with Bedouin cavalry charging across the desert have captivated the public imagination ever since.

Thursday marked the centennial of the Battle of Aqaba, and antiquarian bookseller Maggs Bros. Ltd. is exhibiting material relating to Lawrence and his exploits while also celebrating the firm’s move to 48 Bedford Square, a stone’s throw away from the British Museum. Read all about it on the Fine Books Blog.