Out of Our Coma: Catching Up

OK, I may have spoken too soon when almost a year ago I said I wasn’t dead yet. Not dead perhaps, but at least in a coma. Well, I have officially awoken from my extended sleep.

So, in order to get the ball re-rolling here at Biblioblography, allow me to bring readers up-to-date with the going-on here at Brian Cassidy, Bookseller.

First, for reasons known only to them, this past September The Washington Post ran a profile of me and my business for their Sunday magazine’s First Person Singular column. The cheesy staged photo and a few small misquotes aside (“In a room full of established book dealers, I’m always the youngest by at least 20 years” … Um, “often” perhaps. But not “always.” And not by 20 years), it was fun to do and I was (largely) pleased with results.

It’s also been a great year for book fairs. For the second year in a row I exhibited at the Baltimore Summer Book and Antiques Fair. And for a second year it was a solid event. I’ll be back again in my regular booth (#908) come August (the 25th-28th to be exact). I also exhibited at our first Boston Antiquarian Book Fair, which was exceptional. As I do elsewhere, I shared a booth with Lux Mentis and a grand time was had by all. Indeed, Ian has a good wrap-up (with images from our booth, including this charming one of yours truly) here. Again, I’ll be back come fall.

And of course, there was the New York Antiquarian Book Fair. Easily our best fair ever on all fronts. As I spent almost all my time there with Ian anyway, I will simply point you again to his excellent summaries here, here, here, and here. Good reading, good pix.

I also finally have a Facebook page. Go ahead and “like” me. No really. Go now. Go. Now. And don’t forget I also tweet.

More recently, I issued our fifth catalogue (which you can also browse on our website). There’s been some nice coverage in the blogosphere and elsewhere online:

Fine Books and Collections
Americana Exchange (who found an embarrassing mistake)
Booktryst I
Booktryst II

And finally, I’d also like to announce that I recently took over the editorship of The Standard, the online newsletter of the Independent Online Booksellers Association. Our first issue in more than two years is just out:

http://www.ioba.org/standard/

So that should bring the handful of readers still with me up to speed. Much more to come though. Book reviews, scouting reports, cool items from stock, and other assorted bookish scribblings and opinings.