Warmly Inscribed: The New England Forger and Other Book Tales (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Nancy Goldstone (Author) "Almost from the moment we became interested in old books, we wanted to take a bibliophile's holiday to Washington, D.C..." (more)
Key Phrases: blind stamp, antiquarian booksellers, modern firsts, New York, Max Beerbohm, John Crichton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Goldstones, a husband-and-wife book collecting/writing team, follow two previous memoirs about their occupational adventures (Used and Rare, 1997; Slightly Chipped, 1999) with this entertaining offering. The title chapter recounts the saga of John Anderson, a Connecticut book dealer and forger, who inscribed many rare books with false signatures and then sold them to dealers and collectors. He was finally discovered when a copy of Passages from the Letters of John Butler Yeats, with forged signatures of Ezra Pound and William Butler Yeats, that he offered for sale was questioned by experts at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair. Through informed descriptions of the twists and turns this case took, the authors illuminate the conflicts within the world of the Antiquarian Bookseller's Association of America. The Goldstones write with flair and humor, exemplified by an account of a book meeting in Florida where they were invited to speak. On the way, Lawrence's front tooth broke in half, and, unable to find a dentist on Saturday, he glued the piece back on and successfully performed. Included also is a description of a trip they took with their daughter to the Library of Congress, a critical look at selling rare books online and anecdotes about book fairs and bookstores where the Goldstones continue to search for treasure. This is an undemanding and fun read for bibliophiles, whether antiquarian collectors or not.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The Goldstones (Used and Rare) have written another account of their love of and search for old books, again taking as their clever title a cataloging term used by booksellers. The text moves at a breezy pace, allowing readers to share vicariously the Goldstones' research, purchases, and various jaunts, including a personal tour of the rare books collection at the Library of Congress and a behind-the-scenes look at the Folger Shakespeare Library. After attending an event at the British Museum's Round Library in 1999 (to see if the protagonist of Max Beerbohm's "Enoch Soames" would show up from 1897 to look for his name in the catalog), the authors ponder Beerbohm's life and times and study his papers at Yale's Beinecke Library. Turning more serious, they investigate the ramifications of Kenneth Anderson's forgeries in the late 1990s, which are seen at large book fairs even today. Aside from this entry, the most serious chapter is devoted to what buying and selling online has come to mean to book commerce. An entertaining yet substantial read for young and old alike, though one is left wondering what Mrs. Goldstone reads and purchases (the text is written in a single voice). Highly recommended. Joseph Hewgley, Nashville P.L.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (June 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031226268X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312262686
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #511,570 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #34 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Books & Reading > Book Collecting
  #94 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Books & Reading > Antiquarian & Rare Books

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Books, books, books, July 7, 2001

By	www.bookshipper.blogspot.com/ "www.bookshippe... (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is the third book in the series written by Nancy and Lawrence Goldstone.

I just discovered this series and basically read all three within a 2 week period. I also ended up reading them out of order, starting with Slightly Chipped.

I loved the premise of these books. I loved reading about two people discovering their love of books and more specifically their love of collecting. Their writing style is funny, witty and entertaining.

Although I loved all three books, I thought that Warmly Inscribed was the weakest of the three books. The charm, for me, of the first two books was to read about the Goldstone's anecdotes about their constant search for yet another bookstore and, of course, another book that they could not possibly buy (but ended up buying anyway). The last book did not have the "friendly, fun, never know what you are going to discover next feeling" that the first two books had. The story was somewhat dry (the forger story was too long) and it felt as though they kept jumping from one story to another without really telling us anything.

By the way, I enjoy hearing about the meals they have during their book collecting trips. THAT's the kind of stuff that made the first two books fun!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Would be perfect, except..., January 7, 2002

By A Customer

"Warmly Inscribed" (Nancy and Lawrence Goldstone) is the third book by the Goldstones chronicling their experiences in the world of used and rare books. Just as "Slightly Chipped" was not quite as good as "Used and Rare", so "Warmly Inscribed" is just slightly more off the mark than either of the other two.

Which is not to say that it is not good.

What I loved most about "Used and Rare" was discovering the book trade along with the Goldstones - from the purchase of the first book (how to get a nice cheap hardcover edition of War and Peace) via falling for the temptation to spend way more that is sensible on a nice Dickens to starting to feel that they are finding their feet in this sometimes confusing trade.

In "Slightly Chipped" the focus shifted slightly from the Goldstones own experience to anecdotes of other people's adventures, and what they told us of themselves was more to do with book-signings and related events than with book-hunting along dusty shelves. Though still enjoyable, I could not but feel that part of the fun had gone out of the telling.

In "Warmly Inscribed" this shift away from actual book-hunting continues. A major part of the book is taken up with the history of the "New England Forger" - an interesting story, and certainly an instructive one for those of us interested in signed books, but from a secondary source. And a lot of the primary source stories have more to do with viewing books in libraries than with hunting for a copy for oneself.

As I said, this doesn't make it a bad book. The Goldstones are writing what is probably the most enjoyable series of books for bibliophiles at the moment. Their style is informal and very personal, and even events that are retold through several people gain a sort of immediacy. Their description of the Library of Congress certainly makes me want to visit the place more than
anything else I've read about it.

I do miss the bookstore stories, though. There are so relatively few books written about the actual buying and collecting of used and rare books from a personal point of view - there are manuals like "The ABC for Book Collectors", but so few "look what I found!" stories. I wish the next book would return to this viewpoint.

(Actually, what I really want to see is a "The Goldstones discover Hay-on-Wye, Wales" - now _that_ would be good!)

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed it up to a point...,, August 23, 2001

By	cyberpiglet "cyberpiglet" (Coudersport, PA USA) - See all my reviews

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but I have to agree with the reviewer who felt that the first two books in this series were more entertaining.

One of the best aspects of this series is the glimpse that it gives the reader into the world of serious book collecting and the Goldstones' adventures therein. That being said, nearly a quarter of this 215 page book is taken up by the story of the New England forger - which has very little bearing on the Goldstones and their collection. A semi-interesting aside, it hardly deserved to dominate the book.

On the other hand, I really did enjoy reading about the visits to the Library of Congress and the Folger Library, which offered a glimpse into collections that few of us will ever have the chance to visit. Their take on the influence of the internet on the book trade was also interesting, but should there be a fourth book in the series, I hope that they will return to what they do best - relating personal stories of chasing down treasures.