Introducing the Cornstalk Gang

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Email from Paul Hong Kong Bookfair

I just got an excited email from Paul. He has been doing publicity for Hong Kong International Antiquarian Bookfair all week. Below are some of the images and text that Paul sent me.

The first bunch of pics are taken at Yves Azamar's Indosiam Rare Books shop. Its less than half the size of our front room and we had about 15 people in there.

The photos are the film crew for La Dolce Vita show being made on rare books and the bookfair.

Thats Yves with Anitta who is my minder this time round.

There are more Star Ferry and Harbour shots.

The next lot of pics are at Picture This Gallery where I was interviewed by the journalist from Hong Kong popular music magazine who were fascinated by the original programme from Woodstock. This comes from Lucius Books and is signed by Jimmi Hendrix.

The other interview at Picture this was by China Daily and the journalist loved The Punishments of China book as well as the original gouache paintings done in Canton in the 1830s..

Then the fruit market in Kowloon with pics of fruits or vegetables some of which I did not know what they were and no one spoke English to tell me.

There is a Taylor working from a very tiny space - smaller than under our staircase and the sewing machine looked older than me so it was definitely ancient.

The animal head and feet were laid out like they were a delicacy. Wei Jing might be able to tell you what the animal is called. My Cantonese was not good enough to get an answer

Then there are the street meat and fish markets.

I met Cynthia today and tomorrow am lunching with Chris Li and Cynthia before an interview with I think the China Economic Daily or some such paper

Paul

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Lights Camera Action - Hong Kong International Antiquarian Bookfair 2010

Streets of Hong Kong

If you didn’t already know, The Cornstalk Bookshop is one of three companies (Yushodo and Swindons Books are the others) that organise the Hong Kong International Antiquarian Bookfair.

This week Paul travelled to Hong Kong to publicize the fair and he came back with a surprising amount of energy. I asked him how it went.

All gussied up for the press.

It seems that he had a grueling schedule with one interview after another. He even did a live radio interview and is also part of a documentary about antiquarian books made for the local life style channel. Quite the celebrity!

I ask him what the Press found most interesting and he said, “Oh, the press loved the Pillowbook. There were lots of oos and ahs.”

The Pillowbook

[EROTICA].

Chinese Pillowbook Album

Erotic album featuring 6 full page colour printed leaves with Chinese text opposite, untitled cloth covered album. Leaves a little soiled and browned, cloth a little browned with minor wear.

(circa 1936).

Pillowbooks such as this were very popular in China and were often given to sons as part of their sex education on the occasion of their marriage and in turn the albums were often shared by the son with his new bride on their wedding night. Although erotic art has been popular in China for well over 1000 years unfortunately there has been a considerable destruction of Chinese Pillowbooks due, in part, to the influence of European missionaries and to Confucian influences so they are not as commonly found as may be expected.

A$975.00 [supplied by Sally Burdon of Asia Bookroom]

Busy days with Hong Kong Skyscrapers in the background.
Television reporter and Virginia

Another object that the press were interested in was this Signed Karl Marx book:

Marx’s ‘ideas have transformed the study of economics, history, geography, sociology and literature.

INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR FOUR DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION:
AN EXCEPTIONAL COPY

MARX, Karl. Das Kapital. Kritik der politischen Oekonomie … Erster Band. Buch I: Der Produktionsprocess des Kapitals … Hamburg, Otto Meissner, 1867.

Bernard Quaritch Ltd. of London will have a rare first edition of the first volume of Das Kapital, for sale at the Hong Kong Antiquarian Bookfair 2010. The only one to appear in Marx’s lifetime; one of 1000 copies printed, this copy was inscribed in Marx’s distinctive hand, on the verso of the title-page ‘To Professor E.S. Beesly Lond. 18 Sept. 1867. Karl Marx’. Two further volumes were published from his manuscripts by Engels, in 1885 and 1894 respectively.

Presentation copy, one of a handful of copies inscribed by Marx just four days after publication, probably upon receipt from the publisher. The first volume of Das Kapital was published on September 14th in Hamburg. The work was published in printed wrappers, and must have been sent to Marx thus, or in sheets. From September 13 to 16, Marx was in Manchester with Friedrich Engels and Paul Lafargue, discussing how to obtain advance publicity for the work. Marx clearly sat down to inscribe copies on September 18th, Draper recording copies inscribed to Beesley and five others, with two other copies also sent.

Edward Spencer Beesly (1831-1915) was a positivist and historian who studied at Wadham College, Oxford before becoming a Professor of History at University College, London. From 1860, his radical agenda included promoting international solidarity among working-class leaders. He helped organize the most important pro-Union demonstration in England during the American Civil War, and he chaired the historic meeting (28 September 1864) advocating co-operation between English and French workers in support of Polish nationalism, which led to the formation of the International Working Men’s Association (the First International), soon dominated by his friend Karl Marx’ (Martha S. Vogeler in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).

Marx’s ‘ideas have transformed the study of economics, history, geography, sociology and literature.’ (Francis Wheen, in his introduction to Karl Marx, 1999).

A magnificent copy, with a splendid association.
[Supplied by Ian Smith and Katherine Spears from Bernard Quaritch]

Paul turns his camera on the press.

Thousands of photographs were taken of Paul and this is the only image of he got of them.

Virginia from Sage Communications who looked after Paul while he was there.

Paul loves his trip on the Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong International Antiquarian Bookfair publicity does not end with this trip, Paul will return next month to do more of the same, but for now we are glad to have him home.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Paul and Gabrielle's Trip

Paul and Gabrielle were away for two weeks. From what the stories told me and the images that have surfaced, they seemed to giggle a lot all the while discussing very important matters relating to books.

Here Tom and Michael discuss the affects of sunlight on books.
Left: Tom Congalton Between the Covers and also Vice President of ILAB
Right: Michael Steinbach Antiquariat Michael Steinbach

Gabrielle and Carol milling about in the Streets of Bologna.
Left: Carol Graves-Johnston wife of Oscar Graves-Johnston. London Bookseller.

The conference visited the Library of Chained books.

Carol and Oscar

More giggles....
Paul and Penelope Daly (New York Bookseller)

On the way back Paul and Gay visited Peter Howard of Serendipity Books in San Francisco.

While they were away we had our own fun at the bookshop.

The Cornstalk Gang blowing out the candles for the 30th birthday.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Cornstalk go to Brisbane

Last month Paul, Wei Jing and I went to Brisbane for the ANZAAB Conference.

ANZAAB is the Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers http://www.anzaab.com .

The conference is designed as a platform for discussion for booksellers. We learnt all sorts of stuff about books as each specialist got up and shared a few secrets. We even gave a talk about the world of book selling through ebay.

It was really lovely to meet with our friends and chat about books as well as eating some yummy food. The relaxed, yet organized feel is attributed to Jorn Harbeck of Harbeck Rare Books. Thanks!

I asked Wei Jing - one of the newest members of the team what she thought about the conference.

It was nice to meet and communicate with some of the most experienced booksellers in Australia.

I got a brief idea of how ANZAAB is run and organised.

It was great to share ideas with booksellers. I learnt some new ideas and skills that we can use in our business.

It was exciting to visit the State Library of Queensland. We had a short lecture about the history of their collection and saw some rare and valuable things. It was also interesting to see the library's collection and how they protect their books.

I particularly enjoyed the talk by Ronald Cardwell. I learnt some important information for running a book business from an auditors point of view. His discussion included some ways to protect the business, as well as a specific method to record the inventory for accounting purposes.

Both Wei Jing and I agreed that while it was very nice to be away from the bookshop for a few days, it is always nice to get home.

I took these pictures the very night we got back.

Cornstalk goes to Italy

The last couple of weeks Paul and Gay went to Bologna, Italy for the ILAB booksellers conference. ILAB is International League Antiquarian Booksellers http://www.ilab.org. They had a wonderful time.

This image was supplied by Nevine Marchiset. It was taken at dinner one night and was also the night of Paul and Gay's 35th wedding anniversary. Quite an achievement!

They also came back with a very exciting story spent one night at the Benneton family mansion. There was lots of praise for the food and of their day trips. Gay came back looking refreshed. I think it was all too much partying for Paul though!

Wei Jing and I gave sighs of relief when we saw them walk through the door of the bookshop last week. We are very happy to have our workers home. :)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

CORNSTALK BOOKSHOP CELEBRATES 30 YEARS

In 1980 I was driving my cab around Sydney and was restless. Every day I would call into bookshops and opportunity shops and buy books and I was driving the cab less and less and making less money and acquiring more books and cluttering the house.

Soon I saw a vacant shop in Glebe Point Rd and with my good friend Nan Waterford I approached the Federal Government who owned the building and after some tooing and froing we found ourselves the tenants.

The rent was $50 per week and we commenced trading on 20th September 1980. On the first Saturday that we traded we took $102 and I thought that was wonderful.

After about a year Nan and I decided peacefully that we would go in different directions and I bought her out of the partnership.

For the next couple of years I drove my cab from 2am to 10 am and then opened the bookshop. My wife Gabrielle often sat here with the kids while I went to an auction or looked at books somewhere.

For the next several years I beavered away buying and selling second hand books and specializing in Australian subjects and occasionally handling a few antiquarian books.

I attended book fairs in Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne and in 1987 became a member of ANZAAB.

ANZAAB opened up a new world of possibilities. The Cornstalk Bookshop has attended all ANZAAB Book fairs since we became a member and we have also exhibited at International Book fairs in Tokyo, Cologne, Vienna, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Frankfurt, Copenhagen as well as Hong Kong.

The Cornstalk Bookshop in partnership with Yushodo of Tokyo and Swindons of Hong Kong started the book fair and we are organizing the fourth one now. We have had many of the leading booksellers from New York, London, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney and Europe attend these fairs with thousands of visitors coming to purchase

In 1988 we opened another shop in King St Newtown and we traded in two different locations until 2005 when due to rising rents and falling retail sales we closed sadly closed the Newton operation. This business was very successful for most of the time we were there and provided us with lots of fun and we sold many millions of dollars worth of books. Unfortunately I was never smart enough to purchase the real estate there when it was affordable.

In 1995 we did purchased the building at 112 Glebe Point Road at auction paying $420,000. Many people in the next couple of weeks told me how stupid I was to pay a price of $60,000 more than the reserve. It is here in this building that we have been selling books for 30 years.

We also purchased the building behind the shop and have rented this out to bookbinders since. The first binder was a very good promising young man called David Crichton who sadly dies on his 33rd birthday from cancer. Since then the leading Sydney booking firm of Newbold and Collins has occupied these premises. There are five bookbinders working there full time and they proudly carry out the traditional bookbinding craft which is still practiced by a few traditionalists throughout the world.

In 2004 I was elected to the committee of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers and subsequently was appointed secretary. The League meets twice a year in a different city in the world and this has been an exciting part of my bookselling career.

I have been responsible for working with the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of the People’s Republic of China and introducing them to ILAB and have overseen their admission to the league. I have been very fortunate to be the recipient of Chinese hospitality several times during trips to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. At the recent June Book fair in London I shared a stand with Cathay Bookshop from Beijing who sold at the fair a twelfth century book printed in China.

Over the years I have been supported by many wonderful staff members, some of whom have gone on to operate their own secondhand bookshops. Some are professors and academics, some have had their books published. I owe a great debt to everyone on my staff and former staff members. These people are my friends and often I have drawn on their wisdom and the business would not have survived without their enthusiasm and support.

Paul Feain