Bookseller Interviews

John W. Freas founded Tamerlane Books of Havertown, PA with his wife in 1977. Tamerlane Books specializes in Illustrated Books, Prints, Ephemera, Art Books, Travel, Sporting Books, Historical and Literary Paintings and Sculpture. ABAA Member since 1982; Emeritus Member since 2023. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Russell Freedman founded Second Life Books, Inc., in Lanesborough, MA in 1972.  Second Life Books, Inc. specializes in English, American and Continental Literature and Antiquarian Books, Books by and about Women, Americana, Abolition and other Social Reform Movements, Appraisal Services, and Natural History. ABAA Member since 1980. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Rodger Friedman of Rodger Friedman Rare Book Studio in Tuxedo, NY has been an antiquarian bookseller since 1993.  Rodger specializes in the Classical Tradition, Renaissance, Humanism, and Italian & Continental Books. ABAA Member since 1999. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Beverly Garcia-Garst of Garcia-Garst Booksellers in Turlock, CA established her business in 1978.  Prior to that she worked for the California State University Stanislaus Library and the UCLA Library system while an undergraduate at UCLA and then had a short apprenticeship with Jerrold Stanoff of the Rare Oriental Book Company. Beverly was a founder of the Central California Booksellers Association and the Central Valley Antiquarian Booksellers Association.

Garcia-Garst Booksellers specializes in Children's Books, Illustrated Books, Literature, Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, and California & the West.

ABAA Member Since 1986. Interviewed by Taylor Bowie on October 11, 2009 at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair.

Robert Gavora originally participated in the field of rare books as a collector, but he was inspired by ABAA member Ralph Sipper and decided to begin selling as a career. Robert founded Robert Gavora, Fine and Rare Books in 1984.

Robert Gavora, Fine and Rare Books operates out of Talent, OR, and specializes in Railroad, Transportation, Illustrated Children's Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror, and Arkham House. ABAA Member since 1991. Interviewed by Taylor Bowie on October 9, 2011 at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair.

Greg Gibson established Ten Pound Island Book Company in Gloucester, MA in 1976. Ten Pound Island Book Company specializes in Maritime History, Yachting, Whaling, U.S. Coastal History, New England, Lighthouses, Logs, Navigation, and Charts.  

Greg also writes "Bookman's Log", a weekly blog devoted to "news, gossip, recent adventures and acquisitions, and deep thinking about the antiquarian book trade." ABAA Member since 1986. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Franklin Gilliam :: Rare Books was one of the earliest firms to join the ABAA in 1955. Mary took over the business from her husband, Franklin, and since then has been an active member of the Association. Mary has served on the Board and various Committees for many years and recently began her term as Vice-President/Secretary of the Association.

Franklin Gilliam :: Rare Books operates out of Charlottesville, VA and specializes in Americana, Law before 1870, Food and Wine, Printed Ephemera, Books About Books, and Manuscripts. ABAA Member since 1986. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Michael recognized the absence of member histories in the ABAA annals, and in 2010 began conducting these video interviews at the ABAA’s three annual antiquarian book fairs. He was a member of the ABAA from 1961 until his death in 2023, and specialized in Americana, Western Americana, Early American Periodicals, Appraisals, Utopian Communities, Southern Americana, Canada, Millerites. Michael Ginsberg Books was located in North Easton, Massachusetts.

Interviewed by Kara McLaughlin of Little Sages Books

Ed Glaser founded Edwin V. Glaser Rare Books in 1969 and became an ABAA member in 1970. He was President of the Association from 1986-1988, and Ed Glaser Scholarships to the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar are awarded by the ABAA's Woodburn Fund.  

Edwin V. Glaser Rare Books specializes in Science, Medicine, and Technology mostly before 1840. ABAA Member from 1970-2016. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Pasadena.

Peter Glassman established Books of Wonder in Manhattan in 1980. Books of Wonder specializes in Children's Books, Folklore, Fairy Tales, Illustrated Material, Oz & Baumiana, and Juvenile Fantasy. ABAA Member since 1983. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on April 14, 2012 at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

The Brattle Book Shop in Boston, MA was originally founded in 1825, but has been a Gloss family business since 1949.  Today, the Brattle Book Shop is one of the oldest and largest antiquarian brick and mortar bookstores in the country.  

Ken is a past President of the New England Chapter of the ABAA and he frequently lectures on book-related themes to bibliographic and historical societies. Ken also chairs the Boston Book Fair Committee. ABAA Member since 1951. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Marguerite Studer Goldschmidt and her late husband Lucien Goldschmidt owned and operated Lucien Goldschmidt Inc., an antiquarian book firm based out of New York. Both born and educated in Europe, the couple brought unique backgrounds and extensive knowledge of antiquarian material to the shop when it was founded in 1958. Prior to working with Lucien in New York, Marguerite apprenticed at the libraries of the Universities of Bristol (UK), Geneva (Switzerland) and Tubingen (Germany); worked as assistant cataloguer at the University of Bristol library; was an associate of the British Library; and then librarian of the Bush House Library at the BBC in London.

Lucien is considered to be "one of the most important and influential antiquarian booksellers of the 20th century." Lucien Goldschmidt Inc. was the first U.S. gallery to purchase Matisse's "Jazz". The couple sold to a variety of noteworthy clients, organized important exhibitions, and published major, scholarly catalogues. Their gallery was called"the kind of book-cum-picture shop that Daumier would have liked to draw and in which Baudelaire would have whiled away the hours." The shop closed in 1987. ABAA Member since until 1987. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Visit the following link for additional information and links to articles about the couple: http://www.ilab.org/eng/booksellers_main_page/ILAB_Booksellers_on_Video/Marguerite_Studer_Goldschmidt.html

Prior to his career as an antiquarian bookseller in Claremont, CA, Charles A. Goldsmid spent almost 20 years in the field of sociology teaching, researching, and administrating projects at several respected institutions. He was always a collector, however, and, like many collectors, began selling books as well. Charles served on the Board of Governors from 1992-1994.  

Charles A. Goldsmid, Bookseller specializes in Scholarly Books, Western Americana, Social Science, Literature, and Appraisals. ABAA Member since 1988. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Pasadena.

James Goldwasser entered the rare book trade in 1982 when he began working for the well-known dealer Glenn Horowitz. After working for Glenn Horowitz for ten years, James decided to return to school in pursuit of a PhD in German Literature, which he received from Princeton University. Even during his studies, James remained active in the trade through participation in his brother Thomas Goldwasser’s rare book business. He founded Locus Solus Rare Books with other ABAA dealers in 2000 but eventually bought them out and became a sole proprietor.  
Locus Solus Rare Books, Ltd operates out of Los Angeles, CA and specializes in Rare Books, Literary First Editions, Art and Illustrated, Poetry, Continental Literature, Signed and Inscribed, Fine Printing, Rare Periodicals, Appraisal and Professional Placement of Significant Archives. ABAA Member since 2005. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on April 5, 2014 at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Thomas A. Goldwasser of San Francisco, CA is currently the President of the ABAA (2014-2016). He has previously served as Vice-President and Treasurer of the Association and chaired the Finance and National Book Fair Committees. Tom has spent his entire professional career in the trade and became a member of the ABAA in 1992.  

Thomas A. Goldwasser Rare Books specializes in Literature, Modern Illustrated Books, Twentieth Century, Livres d'Artistes, Modern First Editions, Literary Manuscripts and Letters, and Hawaii and the Pacific.  Tom also performs Appraisals and Collection Service. ABAA Member since 1992. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Michael Good first entered the rare book trade in 1965 and worked for a number of former ABAA members. Michael started selling on his own in 1981.

Michael Good Books operates out of Woodacre, CA and specializes in Art, Californiana, Children's, History, Ephemera, Literature, and Autographs. ABAA Member from 1985-2021. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on February 16, 2013 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco.

Bernard Gordon founded The Book and Tackle Shop in 1953 while he was in college. The shop was a perfect expression of his passions: books, the academic study of the oceans, and the practical knowledge of the sea. An author of both academic tomes and children’s books, Bernard grew up with books and, while his career was in education, he was always involved in the antiquarian book trade.

Sadly, Bernard passed away at the age of 80 in 2010.

ABAA Member from 1978-2010. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on November 15, 2009 at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Roger Gozdecki first started selling antiquarian and rare books in 1986. Roger was a frequent contributor to the ABAA Newsletter and worked on the Southern California Book Fair Committee. Sadly, he passed away in 2012. Anthology Rare Books was located in Covina, CA and specialized in California and the West, Literature, Angling, E. E. Cummings, and M.F.K. Fisher. ABAA Member from 1995-2012. Interviewed by Taylor Bowie on October 11, 2009 at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair.