Brattlecast: A Firsthand Look at Secondhand Books Brattle Book Shop

In today’s episode we’re talking about a first edition copy of Nathanial Hawthorne’s 'Famous Old People,' a book for young readers about American historical figures. The book was published in 1841 on Boston’s West Street—just a few doors down from where the Brattle stands today—by Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, a fascinating historical figure in her own right. The first woman publisher in the United States and an early champion of Hawthorne’s work, Peabody ran a book shop and lending library at 13 West Street, where her salons became an important meeting place for the transcendentalist and early feminist movements. Although it tells the stories of New England puritans and political leaders, 'Famous Old People' is also a reminder of Boston’s rich literary history, in which the Brattle is honored to play a small ongoing role.

Today in the studio we have some unusual pre-postcard souvenirs: panoramic photographs of various cities and tourist sites, each folded into a booklike decorative binding. Published in the late 1800s—and in exceptionally good condition—these albums offer detailed bird’s-eye views of Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, and Salt Lake City, among other destinations. They’d make a great starting point for a larger collection, or a thoughtful gift for someone interested in one of these places, or in early photography. We’ll also reveal the one type of collection that Ken absolutely will not buy for the shop, plus the somewhat kitschy souvenir that he can’t seem to stop collecting.

Today we’re talking about one of the shop’s biggest recent book buys: about 30,000 volumes from Albany, New York. Motivated by a fear of missing out, we made the long trip and were rewarded by a house (including the kitchen cabinets) packed with vintage pulp paperbacks, art books, comics, and even some racier adult material. When you move so many books there are a lot of logistics—ten 6:00 am drives, hundreds of flights of stairs, snow management, and boxes stacked to the ceiling of the Brattle’s capacious basement—but we’re happy to bring this especially fun collection to our customers. Pop by and browse it for yourself if you plan to be in Boston any time over the next few years.

They say that in life, change is the only constant, and this is true of LIFE Magazine collecting as well. While older readers collected specific issues for personal nostalgia reasons, their children and grandchildren find the magazines to be fascinating time capsules of mid-century American design, fashion, and culture. We’ll talk about the decline and unexpected resurgence of the LIFE secondhand market, part of the same wave of interest in vintage styles that repopularized the vinyl record and the Eames lounge chair—both of which you might find stylish, copy-heavy advertisements for in an old LIFE Magazine.

Care to join us for a drink? Today in the studio we’re taking a look at one of the very first books on cocktails, punches, and—of course—nogs. Considered the father of American mixology, Jerry Thomas published his 'Bar-Tender's Guide' in 1862. Thomas’s libations range from the familiar (a nice mint julep) to the antiquated (you never see White Tiger’s Milk on the menu anymore) to the alarmingly flammable (if you must mix yourself a Blue Blazer, please make it your first drink of the night); he also includes general bartending advice and recipes for temperance drinks (mocktails today). We’ll discuss Thomas’s flashy, fascinating career, other collectable cocktail guides, and a little bit of ice history on this intoxicating new #brattlecast.

It’s the first book ever printed, and the most commonly printed book in the world: today we’re talking about the Bible. Because there are so many copies out there, older Bibles command a wide range of prices—from nicely bound Victorian volumes with mostly sentimental value to the famous Gutenberg Bible, a single page of which can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. There are also pre-printing press Bibles, worth millions but historically priceless, as well as copies that collectors want because they belonged to famous figures like JFK or Elvis. We’ll even talk about where old Bibles go to retire (because nobody wants to just throw them out).