Bookseller Interviews

Tom Congalton founded Between the Covers Rare Books, Inc. in 1986 along with his wife, Heidi, and since then has become a foremost expert in Modern Firsts. Tom has served on the NY Book Fair Committee, the Board of Governors, and was President of the Association from 2000-2002. Tom served as President of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) from 2012-2014.  

Between the Covers Rare Books, Inc. operates out of Gloucester City, NJ and specializes in Literary First Editions, 20th Century Literature, African-American Literature & History, Autographs, and Genre Fiction. ABAA Member since 1990. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Don Conner entered the world of antiquarian bookselling as a scout in the late 1970s. He decided start his own book business in the 1980s, first participating in a cooperative mall and then opening shop as Don Conner Fine Books in 1986. Operating out of Sacramento, CA, Don specialized in Ornithology, Fishing and Angling, Botany, Hunting, Natural History, Herpetology Travel, Science, Color Plate Books, Exploration, Trade Catalogs, and General Antiquarian books. He became a member of the ABAA in 1991.

Don's untimely death in 2013 was met with great sadness from his colleagues in the trade. As one bookseller put it, "he was a damned good bookman and an even better person." ABAA Member from 1991 until his death in 2013. Interviewed by Taylor Bowie on October 10, 2010 at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair.

Nicholas Cooke was a lawyer and pastor before he could no longer deny his passion for books and became a full time bookseller in 1997. Nick currently serves as the Southeast Chapter Chair.

Black Swan Books is located in Richmond, VA and specializes in Fine Books and Ephemera. ABAA Member since 2010. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on November 18, 2012 at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Ronald Cozzi was an avid amateur chess player and his entry into the trade was as a collector of chess books. He began working for booksellers and after receiving encouragement and knowledge from fellow members of the trade, Ronald opened his own shop.

Old Editions Book Shop operates out of Buffalo, NY and specializes in Modern Illustrated Books, Photography, Prints & Drawings, Masonic, and Old and Rare Books. ABAA Member since 1995. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

John Crichton developed a curiosity for books at a young age. It was an interest that went beyond the stories and information contained within the books; John became intrigued with the book as an object, which led him to local bookstores. John graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in journalism and moved to San Francisco, where he worked in the field for several years. It was during this time that John became familiar with the local book shops and their proprietors and, before long, he was working for Peter Howard at Serendipity Books. After working for Peter for a few years, John was offered the opportunity to purchase the Brick Row Book Shop from Franklin Gilliam. He did and later became a member of the ABAA in 1984. John served on the Board of Governors and was President of the Association from 2004-2006.

Brick Row Book Shop is located in San Francisco, CA and specializes in English & American Literature, Americana, First Editions, and Bibliography. ABAA Member since 1984. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on November 11, 2017 at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

John R. Curtis, Jr. first learned of the value of books in college when he was forced to hunt for research material in local bookshops. In 1971, after a brief career in politics, John decided enter the trade and founded The Bookpress, Ltd.

The Bookpress, Ltd. operates out of Williamsburg, VA and specializes in Applied Arts, Architecture, Book Arts, Furniture, Gardening, Ornamentation, and General Antiquarian material. ABAA Member since 1976. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Agnes Dawson learned the book business in the offices of Dawson’s Book Shop as a part time employee. She married Muir Dawson, threw herself into the business,and never looked back. Agnes is now retired and an Emeritus member of the ABAA.

ABAA Member Since 1985, Emeritus since 2020. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on February 8, 2014 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Pasadena.

Dawson's Book Shop of Los Angeles, CA opened in 1905, and is the oldest continuously operating book shop in Los Angeles. Dawson's is also a founding firm of the ABAA, joining the Association in the year of its inception. Michael is the third generation to run the shop, which he took over from his father, past ABAA President Muir Dawson, in 1998. Dawson's Book Shop specializes in Photography and Californiana. ABAA Member since 1998. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on February 16, 2013 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco.

Scott F. De Wolfe’s interest in the book business came through his experiences earning his Masters in New England Studies, working as a research assistant at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker community, and as a curator at the Fairbanks House.

De Wolf and Wood operates out of Alfred, ME, and specializes in Americana, Ephemera, Manuscripts, Postcards, and Shakers. ABAA Member since 1995. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on February 16, 2013 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco.

A lifelong bibliophile, John DeMarco was determined to have a career as a bookseller. He finally made the leap in 1971 after coming away from an auction with more books than he could reasonably store in his home and opened the Lyrical Ballad Bookstore.

Lyrical Ballad Bookstore operated out of Saratoga Springs, NY, and specialized in Children’s Books, Horses, Illustrated Books, Literature, Sporting Books, Folklore, Dance, Music, and Art. ABAA Member from 1978-2019. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Nat DesMarais learned the book trade by working for a number of ABAA members. First at Dawson’s, and then later Heritage Book Shop, Nat started a business with Michael Sharpe, but now operates on his own. Having spent many years as an Associate member of the ABAA, Nat became a full member in 2008.

Nat DesMarais Rare Books operates out of Portland, OR, and specializes in Californiana with an emphasis on the Sierra Nevada and the Mojave, Art of the American West, Voyages and Travels, and Fine Books in All Fields. ABAA Member since 2008. Interviewed by Taylor Bowie at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair.

Jim Dourgarian worked as an investigative journalist and writer of fiction and nonfiction for a number of years before devoting his full time efforts to bookselling in the 1980s. ABAA Member since 1997. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on February 16, 2013 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco.

Before entering the rare book trade Fran Durako worked for a large law firm in Washington, DC for twenty-five years, first as a law librarian and later as Chief Information Officer. In 2003 she purchased the Kelmscott Bookshop from Don and Teresa Johanson and jumped in to the trade with both feet-- exhibiting at book fairs, issuing catalogues, and expanding the shop to include in-house restoration. Fran has served as a member of the Board of Governors and chair of the By-laws Committee.

The Kelmscott Bookshop is located in Baltimore, MD and specializes in Books on Books, Private Press, William Morris, and Pre-Raphaelites. ABAA Member since 2006. Interviewed by Taylor Bowie on October 9, 2011 at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair. ABAA Member since 2006. Interviewed by Taylor Bowie on October 9, 2011 at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair.

John R. Durham began his book career as manager of The Socialist Bookstore in San Francisco. It was there that he gained the knowledge and experience with the subject areas of labor, radicalism, women’s studies, and economics, which continue to inform his current and expanding work. John founded Bolerium Books in 1981.

Bolerium Books operates out of in San Francisco, CA and specializes in American Social Movements, African American Studies, American Labor and Radical History, Anarchism, Asian American Studies, Chicano Literature, Gay and Lesbian Literature, Spanish Civil War, and Trotskyism. ABAA Member since 1985. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on February 16, 2013 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco.

Before becoming a rare bookseller, Dan Dwyer held a number of interesting positions. He started out in politics, working as a research assistant for the first Senate Committee that investigated federal intelligence operations and then as an advanceman for Carter's 1976 campaign. Following Carter's election, Dan worked for the White House press office and, later in the administration, for a Carter-sponsored public and private sector initiative. He took a break from politics while working for CBS Inc. for several years, but threw his hat back in the political sphere in the 1990s when he ran twice for Connecticut State Senate. It was during this time that Dan began collecting books. Before long, he was selling them, and Johnnycake Books was born.

Johnnycake Books Inc. is located in Salisbury, CT and specializes in Architecture, Applied & Decorative Arts, Literature, Gardens, Horticulture, and Modern Art. ABAA Member since 2006. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on February 16, 2013 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco.

John Phillips & Jennie Phillips of Evening Star Books is a father-daughter bookselling firm based in Madison, Wisconsin. The firm specializes in philosophy and mathematics which is also the area in which the firm's founder focused his academic study and research. Jennie manages the firm's design and media efforts, as well as a significant portion of cataloguing.

ABAA Member Since 2017. Interviewed by Kara McLaughlin of Little Sages on February 9, 2020 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Pasadena.

Bob Fleck had a background in Chemical Engineering, but was a collector for years before he founded Oak Knoll Books in Newark, DE in 1976. Since its establishment, Oak Knoll Books has specialized in both out-of-print and in-print books about books, and in 1978 Bob founded Oak Knoll Press as a "logical extension of Oak Knoll Books".  To date, Oak Knoll Press has published and distributed over 1,000 titles. ABAA Member from 1978-2016. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Robert Fraker of Savoy Books in Lanseboro, MA realized his bookselling dreams in 1971 when he moved from New York City to Savoy, MA and opened Savoy Books. ABAA Member from 1981-2017. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.