CURRENT NEWS - BOOK FAIRS AND IMPORTANT ACQUISITIONS

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While exhibiting at the The 45th Annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Pasadena, Feb 10-12, 2012, an important item that we had on display at the fair, A noble fragment : being a leaf of The Gutenberg Bible 1450 - 55, was listed as a highlight of the fair by the LA Times.  Click here to read the article

We have acquired at auction the Cowling family collection of J. R. R. Tolkien. This remarkable gathering of material includes signed manuscript letters from Tolkien himself, his wife and daughter, to long time friend and Melbourne academic G. H. Cowling and his family. The highlight of this collection is an extraordinary presentation copy of the first edition of The Lord of The Rings, signed by Tolkien and inscribed in the Elvish language he created for the masterwork. It is a precious collection relating to one of the finest writers of the twentieth century and the father of the fantasy genre. 

Douglas has been invited to join to the Committee of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers in 2012, for the third consecutive year.

Douglas has been appointed as member to the Collections Management Committee of the State Library of Victoria for 2012 - 2015, following his term from 2009 - 2011.

In November we exhibited at the Australian Antiquarian Book Fair in the spendid galleries of the Mitchell Library, Sydney. We launched our major catalogue for 2011, 'Voyages to the Southern Hemisphere', showcasing 51 rare works from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which you can view in the Catalogues page.  

The stunning backdrop to our stand was the majestic Dufour wallpaper, 'Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique', dating from 1804. It dramatically depicts the native peoples of the Pacific, based on the accounts of Cook and La Perouse.

Monash University Library is hosting an exhibition of rare artists' books from 28th September to 26th November. We have in stock the well illustrated and substantial exhibition catalogue which accompanies the show, you can view details of this publication here : http://douglasstewart.com.au/objects/the-silent-scream/

Douglas Stewart has been granted membership of the Australian Antiques and Art Dealers Association, the peak national body for fine art and antiques, with membership of Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Oeuvres d'Art (CINOA).  

We recently exhibited at the Brisbane Antiquarian Book Fair at the State Library of Queensland from 16 - 18 September 2011 which was a great success. Further details are on the website www.librisfair.com. Our catalogue for the fair is on the Catalogues page. We look forward to returning to Brisbane in 2012.

The State Library of Victoria is hosting the exhibition Fine Impressions : Printmaking and artists' books in Melbourne 1999 - 2010. This exhibition takes plate from 26 August 2011 - 10 February 2012, more information is on the SLV website here. Many of the artists included in the exhibition such as Peter Lyssiotis and George Matoulas are represented by us, you can see works available for sale on our Artists' Books page. 

We recently exhibited at the London International Antiquarian Book Fair in Olympia 9 - 11 June, one of the world's major book fairs. You can find our catalogue for the fair online on the Catalogues page.

We are delighted to announce that the University of Melbourne has acquired from us a leaf of the Gutenberg Bible (printed c. 1455), the first Western book to be printed with moveable type and the most important book in the world. This acquisition was covered by an article in The Age newspaper on 9 April 2011. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-university-takes-a-leaf-out-of-a-very-old-book-20110408-1d7t5.html

In December we exhibited at the Hong Kong International Antiquarian Book Fair, the third year we have attended. Our catalogue of select internationally important books is available on the CATALOGUES page. For more details visit http://www.hongkongantiquarianbookfair.com. The Hong Kong Baptist University acquired a major archive of Presbyterian Missionary material by the Reverend Gordon Wilson from us at the Hong Kong International Book Fair.  This recently caught the eye of the Financial Review as part of the Saleroom feature article on offshore dealing, see article in Thursday 24th March 2011.

The State Library of New South Wales has acquired from us an unique and important jigsaw puzzle from 1774 displaying Captain Cook's first voyage around the world. This is the earliest jigsaw puzzle in Australia and the earliest anywhere relating to Cook. It was previously unrecorded, and featured in an article in the latest magazine from the State Library.

Two new catalogues are online, for the San Francisco and Hobart book fairs which we exhibited in during February.

From 11 - 13 February 2011 we exhibited at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco, which was an outstanding success. Some of the more important items purchased from us at the fair were Matthew Flinders' Voyage to Terra Australis (1814), a rare set of Beaumont Souvenirs for the Russian Ballet (1918 - 21) and a wonderful collection of Pacific photographs c. 1860s - 1880s. More details on the fair at http://www.sfbookfair.com

We also exhibited at the Hobart Antiquarian Book Fair in Tasmania on 12 - 13, February 2011, where our historical Australiana specialist Jonathan Dickson exhibited rare books and photographs relating to Tasmania. You can view the catalogue online. This was a great opportunity to meet some of our Tasmanian collectors for the first time and showcase rare pictorial material, much of which was acquired by various public institutions. For further information visit http://www.hobartbookfair.com.au 

In 2011 Douglas is a member of the Collections Management Committee to the Board of the State Library of Victoria. This is the third year (of a three year term) he has been appointed to this Committee. Visit the State Library of Victoria at www.slv.vic.gov.au

Significant items charting imperial expansion in the eighteenth and nineteenth century have been acquired from us and are on display in the new exhibit The Age of Empire at the Queensland Art Gallery. A magnificent library globe by Cary, rare maps and cartographic objects are currently on display. Further details on their website The Age of Empire

In December we exhibited at the Hong Kong International Antiquarian Book Fair, the third year we have attended. Our catalogue of select internationally important books is available on the CATALOGUES page. For more details visit www.hongkongantiquarianbookfair.com 

The Hong Kong Baptist University acquired a major archive of Presbyterian Missionary material by the Reverend Gordon Wilson from us at the Hong Kong International Book Fair. 

We have just acquired for the State Library of New South Wales a highly important modern first edition, the first printing of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran (New York: Knopff, 1923). This book is on show in the exhibition Kahlil Gibran: The Prophet, The Artist, The Man (4 December 2010 - 20 February, 2011). For further details visit www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2010/kahlil_gibran/

Douglas Stewart has been appointed Committee Member of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers for 2011 (ANZAAB). This follows his involvement as Secretary during 2010. Details on ANZAAB here: ANZAAB

In November we co-ordinated and exhibited at the 37th Australian Antiquarian Book Fair in Melbourne, with 37 leading exhibitors participating. The event was hugely successful, with collectors and curators attending from across the nation. Visit the fair website http://www.rarebookfair.com to see images from the fair. Our major catalogue of rare Australian material, 'Australia Described', was launched at the fair, you can download a copy on our CATALOGUES page.

In September 2010 we were an official ANZAAB delegate to the 39th Congress of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers in Bologna, Italy, held in conjunction with the 23rd International Antiquarian Book Fair. This was an exceptional opportunity to discuss the state of the rare book trade with the world's leading librarians, dealers and collectors, as well as acquire important new material for our customers. We launched our catalogue Images and Ideas as the Congress, which you can view on our CATALOGUES page. For more information on ILAB, visit www.ilab.org

The State Library of Queensland has acquired an important Norman Lindsay drawing crafted for the front cover of the publication Vision (London: 1923) which we are honoured they have featured on the front cover of their exhibition catalogue for The Lindsays: Artists, Writers and Publishers. This exhibition is on show at the State Library of Queensland (August 14 - November 28, 2010) and the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery (February 18 - April 2, 2011).

In June we attended the London International Book Fair where we acquired several important items for private and institutional customers. We intend on exhibiting in 2011, visit the website www.olympiabookfair.com for details.

In 2010 the Mitchell Library celebrated their centenary with the exhibition ONE Hundred, with 100 treasured items curated for the exhibition from the collection. We were proud that the item number 1 in that exhibition, Eyewitness by Peter Lysiottis and Theo Strasser (Melbourne: Masterthief, 2008) was acquired from us and featured in the show. You can view the exhibition here  www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2010/onehundred and more artists books by these and other contemporary artists on our website here ARTISTS BOOKS

The State Library of New South Wales has acquired an important original painting by Adrian Feint which was a cover design for the highly significant Sydney publication The Home. This painting featured on the front cover of our November 2009 catalogue Australiana  which you can view here. CATALOGUES