One of the things that makes being a bookseller fascinating is the unexpected links you find when cataloging books. I'm cataloging auction catalogs this week, for our next edition of "
Going Once, Going Twice...", and with single-owner sales I usually Google the collector, if I don't already recognize the name, to see if there is any interesting information about them. Today I was cataloging the collection of Myron C. Taylor, a nice two-part sale of fantastic English and Continental furniture and accesories. I'd never heard of him (how fleeting, fame...). Turns out he was not only the Chairman and CEO of US Steel in the 1930s (hey, lots of high-rollers in industry had their collections auctioned), but he was also the American envoy to the Vatican from 1939 to 1950, during which time he apparently made an attempt to warn the Pope of what America knew about the Holocaust. Who knew...
I spent part of this afternoon a few miles from here at the Whately Antiquarian Book Center on Rte 5. They are having their twice-a-year Sale, where all the booksellers mark their books down 20-50%. If you are in the Northampton/Amherst area for the next week or so, it's worth checking out. The sale runs through next weekend.
This picture comes from our former digs in Cambridge, but Freckles still helps me with the cataloging on a daily basis. She is
so helpful.
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