GPLNE December Meeting
Massachusetts State Library – Boston, Massachusetts
Friday, December 5, 2008
Attendance
Naomi Allen, State Lib/MA
Deborah Angelo, Providence College
Betty Febo, Clapp Library/Wellesley College
Gail Fithian, Boston Public Library
Jacqueline Fitzpatrick, Clapp Library/Wellesley College
John Fobert, Roger Williams University
Pam Hays, Becker College
Nancy Godleski, LexisNexis
Vida Margaitis, Harvard University
Connie Reik, Tufts
Bette Siegel, State Lib/MA
Julia Tryon, Providence College
Jim Walsh, Readex/Newsbank
Kenneth Gloss, Proprietor/Brattle Book Shop, 9 West Street, Boston, MA 02111
GPLNE October Meeting Agenda
Twelve GPLNE members and Kenneth Gloss, our guest speaker, were greeted by Bette Siegel and Naomi Allen at the State House Library on Friday, December 5, 2008. After coffee and muffins, we were escorted to a legislative Committee Room for the presentation and business meeting. Senator Edward Augustus, Chairman of the State Library Board of Trustees made the arrangements for use of the room.
Jim Walsh introduced Ken. Gloss’s presentation, “Treasures in Your Attic: Old and Rare Books,” provided a history of the Brattle Book Shop, which his parents bought in 1949. The West Street location is the seventh spot since the book shop’s founding. Urban renewal projects in Boston necessitated the rather large number of moves. Ken told the group that he likes to keep his talks “light and anecdotal,” and he proceeded to entertain all of us in attendance. He imparted some interesting and factual information for anyone trying to determine if books they have collected over the years have any particular value. Any volumes dating back to the 1400s would obviously be considered collector’s items. However, after the 15th century, the content of a book becomes more important. First editions and signed copies of books are valueless unless the first editions are those of a famous author or if a book has been signed by someone like J.D. Salinger, who has, during his literary career, rarely signed any of his works. Though many have thought items like old Life magazine covers are valuable, they are not worth much. However, the wall of Life covers at the Brattle has always been popular with patrons.
A large part of running this business takes Ken to private homes where he appraises the book collections that people have amassed. He and his wife also attend and appraise books for about three Antique Road Show programs each year.
When he travels to private homes, it is not uncommon to pore over a three to five thousand book collection, but there may not be much of real value even with this number of titles. A three thousand book collection in Lexington, for instance, yielded only one valuable piece --- a circa 1600 map of the United States. He mentioned the state’s request for an appraisal of a 1777 handwritten and signed copy of the Declaration of Independence that had been done by John Hancock. Though it was not a 1776 version of the Declaration, it was valuable because it had been handwritten by Hancock. There were several amusing stories interspersed, and one of the most interesting was about an elderly Irish woman who told Ken she had slept with President Kennedy. She had been his nanny and he had napped with her when he was young. Jack sent her a number of letters over the years, and though Ken made an offer for them, she decided to keep the letters in the family. He also discussed what he considers to be some of his most exciting holdings --- a three page letter written by Tolkien, a 40 volume set by Edward Curtis, the famed American Indian expert, his personal collection of famous photographs, numbering over 700, and his wife’s collection of books on jazz.
Ken also discussed the demise of book stores and the reasons for their decline. He feels the high cost of living in Boston and the ever-increasing reliance on the Internet for information are two of the biggest reasons for the many closings.
Bette Siegel asked at the end of Gloss’s talk about the value of maps that have been cut of the GPO’s Serial sets. He said it is hard to put a value on them. Norman B. Levanthal, the Boston developer and map aficionado, has a large collection of maps. Could some of those rare pieces have been sliced out of library books? It is entirely possible. Ken alluded to the Yale Library thief, and the BC librarian and his girlfriend with a dummy book store. Thieves in this field can be very clever, though they often get overly cocky and are eventually caught.
Connie inquired about the value of family Bibles. Ken said that, in most cases, they would not be worth more than $100-$300. Old editions with detailed family histories are more valuable, particularly for local historical societies.
A few GPLNE members brought in books for Ken evaluate. No treasures were found, but it was interesting to see how quickly he could appraise the volumes. Jim thanked Gloss for his presentation, and the group spent the remaining time on business matters.
The Secretary’s reports for October and May were approved.
Julia Tryon, our Treasurer, announced that we currently have $575.00 in the GPLNE bank account.
Jim asked those in attendance to think of possible future speakers and locations to visit. At this point he does not have locations or agendas for meetings in March and May.
Several suggestions were made --- could we have someone from the U.S. Census Bureau discuss the government’s latest plans for the 2010 Census? Another member suggested a meeting and trip to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT. A visit to the Congressional Archives at Boston College and the Tip O’Neill office in the Bapst Library was mentioned, as well as the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Clark University’s map collection, and the Beinecke Library at Yale. Two suggested speakers were Michael Dukakis at Northeastern or an aide to John W. Olver, the Massachusetts Congressman from the 1st District.
If any members unable to be in attendance at the December meeting have further ideas, please send them to Jim @
As for future meeting locations, Rebecca Ohm has offered Williams College again as a destination in May. A meeting at the University of Maine at Orono was also mentioned. Nancy Godleski wondered if we could determine how far members are willing to travel to attend the meetings. Betty Febo announced that she has offered Wellesley College for the February GODIG session.
Minutes submitted by Jacqueline B. Fitzpatrick
December 10, 2008