Wednesday, October 4, 2023. Another sunny, warm day in New York with lots of sunshine and temps in the 70s. (Although the same forecast says the Air Quality is Poor).
I’d believe that just out of Common Sense. But out on my “terrace” the flowers are still blooming, and the plants (I grew from roots and plants are decorative.) A short stalk cut from one of the big plants boxed and pruned for the pots and boxes that the buildings put out in the Spring. The freshly-cut stalks then reside in a glass of water until roots appear, lots of them. and Then into the rich moist earth I’ve put in a pot, and Mother Nature is in charge.
That one stalk produced two more plants. My little terrace balcony is perfect for those Greens since it gets a lot of natural light. Although it gets Sun only in the mid-afternoon since my apartment faces east at the building across the avenue which gets the Sun in the morning.
I’m not much of a gardener but I remember to water Mother Nature’s friends of mine. It eliminates the dullness of mid-20th century modern buildings. And reminds me that there’s more to getting your work done.
I rarely go out for breakfast — which is where a lot of New Yorkers start their business days. But Monday I had an early dr.’s appointment in the 9os and Park which is JH’s neighborhood. Late mornings we generally discuss the next day’s NYSD over the phone. But since I was going to be out of the doc’s by 11, I suggested to Jeff we meet in his neighborhood for a cuppa.
He gets around his neighborhood and knows all the good spots, new, old, interesting, restaurants — large and small. He suggested we meet at Patisserie Vanessa on the southwest corner of 89th and Lexington Avenue.
I got there first. It’s small, elegantly simple spot for everything made on the site. You can see in Jeff’s photos that the interior three four tables on one wall and a display case (closeup) of the day’s special pastries. Simple yet elegant, a sense that maybe this resembles a kind of shop in the South of France.
Still waiting, I went outside to get a table (there are five or six of them), and at that moment, coincidentally JH showed up. I ordered a cappuccino, not original but always the best, and two pastries which I can’t describe except they were simple looking, not delicate but sort of elegant, like the staff, the restaurant’s interior; and the vibe when you enter (editor’s note: JH later reminded me that what I had were Madeleines!).
It was interesting to see the neighborhood side of New York on a weekday morning with everyone going about on the new day. In the short time I was inside waiting, several customers came in, clearly neighborhood because they were already used to this delicious good morning on a sunny day in New York in October.
Hear All About It! The Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair, will take over St. Bartholomew’s Church (St. Bart’s) at 325 Park Avenue in New York City, starting tomorrow, Thursday, October 5th and running through Sunday, October 7th.
I’m a book obsessive. I am most interested in certain subjects having to do with people, places and things. Although I like all books of subjects because books are our real treasure. To all of us, each and everyone. They are how we learn; a precious asset. These days with the technological “progress” where we now see non-readers as commonplace, books have less general appeal as a result.
This Rare Book and Print Fair will showcase tens of thousands of beautiful and rare books, prints, works on paper, and ephemera from around the globe. Exceptional examples that will be offered include the original artwork for the cover of the children’s classic Charlotte’s Webb ($400,000), a first printing of Harry Potter (1 of 500) for $225,000, a first British edition of The Great Gatsby in its iconic jacket ($125,000), and a first edition Galileo from 1635, which was banned in Italy ($100,000).
Tomorrow (October 5th), the fair kicks off with a Preview Party — wine, hors d’oeuvres, live music, also a preview of the exhibitors’ treasures from 4:30 to 8:30 PM. Ryan Miller, the lead singer of the band Guster, will perform his hit Empire State live accompanied by New York Philharmonic harpsichordist Paolo Bourdigon, the Associate Director of Music at St. Bart’s.
Tickets to the Preview Party are $125 and $225 for the VIP Reception and include admission to the fair. CLICK HERE to buy tickets to the preview party.
The backstory: Eve and Edward Lemon founded Fine Books Fairs in 2022, creating fun, affordable and welcoming fairs that instill the joy of books in a new generation of collectors. The couple, who are in their 30s, are respected collectors and experts in the field and host five fairs throughout the year.
Admission is FREE on Saturday, from 3 PM – 5 PM, and patrons may bring in their own books for a complimentary appraisal service by a leading expert. General admission on Friday and Saturday is $15, $10 for students, and free for those under 16 years of age. CLICK HERE to buy tickets to the fair on October 6th/7th.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Benevolent Fund which is dedicated to providing timely financial assistance to those in the book trade who find themselves in a time of need.
Exhibitors include Adam Weinberger Rare Books, Act2Books, Anima Sola Fine Books, Appledore Books, Back Creek Books, Battledore, Ltd., Bauman Rare Books, B & B Rare Books, Bergen Book Studio, Better Read Than Dead Books, BlueMango Books and Manuscripts, Books of Wonder, Brenner’s Collectable Books, Capitol Hill Books, Captain Ahab’s Rare Books, Christopher’s Rare Books, Colebrook Book Barn, Craig Olson Books, De Wolfe & Wood Rare Books, Dividing Line Books, Edward T. Pollack Fine Arts, Ellipsis Rare Books, E.M. Maurice Books, Enchanted Books, Faenwyl Bindery FineArt Rare Books, Imperial Fine Books, James Cummins Bookseller, Jeffrey Bergman Books, John Bale Books, Laureate Fine Books, Livres Dalleau, Lizzyyoung Bookseller, Lorne Bair Rare Books, Maggs Bros Ltd., Marc Chabot Fine Arts, Michael R. Weintraub, Inc., Owl of Athena Books, Pryor-Johnson Rare Books, Purgatory Pie Press, Rarities etc., Rodger Friedman Rare Book Studio, Sanctuary Books, The First Edition Rare Books, The Lawrence Lithography Workshop, The Verne Gallery, Timeless Tales Rare Books, Walnut Street Paper, Weinberg Modern Books, White Fox Rare Books and Antiques, William Hutchison, W. S. Cotter Rare Books, and Yesterday’s Muse.
While we’re on the subject of books, on September 14th, the New England Society in the City of New York hosted their annual Book Awards Salon at the National Arts Club. The event included a panel from winning authors Susan Hand Shetterly and Michael Kuchta with Society president, Matthew Rimi Von Barton.
The winning titles were Out Front the Following Sea by Leah Angstman (Fiction), Where Futures Converge: Kendall Square and the Making of a Global Innovation Hub by Robert Buderi (Contemporary Nonfiction), Here and Everywhere Else: Small-Town Maine and the World by Andrew Witmer (Historical Nonfiction), Born in Cambridge 400 Years of Ideas and Innovators by Karen Weintraub and Michael Kuchta (Art and Photography), and Notes on the Landscape of Home by Susan Hand Shetterly (Specialty.)
