Bookseller Interviews

David M. Lesser, Fine Antiquarian Books LLC is located in Woodbridge, CT. David practiced law before becoming a bookseller in 1989 and a member of the ABAA in 1993. David served on the Board of Governors and chaired the Ethics and Standards Committee.

David M. Lesser, Fine Antiquarian Books LLC specializes in Americana: Colonial, Revolutionary, Early Federal, Presidency, Political and Social Issues, Slavery, Civil War, Afro-Americana, Reconstruction, Economics, Banking, Trade, Law, and Early and Unusual American Imprints. ABAA Member since 1993. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

David Lilburne founded Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints with his wife Cathy in 1977. David is a former President of the Association (2006-2008). He served on the Board of Governors for several years, and sat as Chair of the House Committee.

Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints is located in Cold Spring, NY and specializes in Voyages and Travel, Australasia, Antarctica, China, Books, Maps, Prints, Ephemera, and Photography in all fields. ABAA Member since 1984. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on April 8, 2009 at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Don Lindgren has been involved with in varying ways books since he was a teenager, from promoting bestsellers at Barnes & Noble during their chain expansion to supplying intellectuals with their obscure academic needs at Powell’s Chicago bookstore. Other careers tempted him away from books for a while, but he returned to the trade in the late 1990’s and established Rabelais Inc. in 2006. Don became a member of the ABAA in 2011. He serves on the Board of Governors, chairs the Internet Committee, and is a member of the Book Fair, Public Relations, and Planning Committees.

Rabelais Inc. operates out of Biddeford, ME, and specializes in Artists’ Books, Cocktails, Cookbooks, Farm and Garden, Gastronomy, History of Food, Rare Periodicals, and Wine. ABAA Member since 2011. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Richard Loomis spent time in Sierra Leone as a member of the Peace Corps before settling in Maine. Richard worked in banking for 12 years and was an avid book collector. Slowly, his collecting transitioned to selling, and in 1982 he established Sumner & Stillman and became a full-time bookseller.
Sumner & Stillman operates out of Yarmouth, ME and specializes in 19th & Early 20th Century Literary First Editions: Conrad, Dickens, Doyle, Hardy, James, Kipling, London, Stevenson, Trollope, Twain, Verne, Wells, Wilde, etc. ABAA Member since 1984. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on April 5, 2014 at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Ken Lopez of Hadley, MA established his business in 1981. Ken has served on the Board of Governors and is a past President of the Association (2002-2004).  

Ken Lopez - Bookseller specializes in Modern First Editions, Vietnam War, Fiction and Poetry by American Indians, Black Literature, Latin American Literature, and Beat and the Sixties. ABAA Member since 1987. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

John P. Lubrano left his homeland of Australia in the late 1960s and came to the U.S. to attend college. He met his wife Jude while attending Cornell, and despite returning to Australia to pursue a degree in music, John settled in the U.S. and founded J. & J. Lubrano Music Antiquarians with Jude in 1977. 
J. & J. Lubrano Music Antiquarians operates out of Syosset, NY and specializes in Musical Autographs & Manuscripts, Rare Books on Music & Dance, First & Early Editions of Printed Music, Prints, Drawings, and Ephemera Relating to Music and Dance. ABAA Member since 1981. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on April 5, 2014 at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Ken Mallory got his start in the book trade in the early 1990s working in an Atlanta bookstore that he had frequented since he was a teenager. After learning the ins and outs of running a book business, Ken decided to go out on his own. He became a member of the ABAA in 2009. Ken serves on the Board of Governors and is the Chair of the Internet Committee.

Kenneth Mallory operates out of Decatur, GA and specializes in General Antiquarian material with an emphasis on Art, Architecture, and Photography. ABAA Member since 2009. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on November 11, 2017 at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Jeffrey D. Mancevice of Worchester, MA has been an antiquarian bookseller since 1978. Jeffrey specializes in Incunabula, Early Printed Books, Early Science, Reformation, Renaissance, and Theology. ABAA Member since 1982. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

David Margolis completed his BFA at the Pratt Institute and MFA at the University of Pennsylvania before working as a full time cataloguer for Swann Galleries in the 1970s. In 1979, he partnered with his wife Jean Moss and opened an antiquarian bookshop, Margolis & Moss, in Santa Fe, NM. Jean's background in English literature and interest in theatre complemented David's focus on the visual arts, and the pair opened a general antiquarian store focusing on these areas of expertise.

Margolis & Moss continues to operate out of Santa Fe, NM and specializes in Fine Books, Prints, Maps, Ephemera, Nineteenth Century Photography, Mexico and Latin America. ABAA Member since 1985. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on February 16, 2013 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco.

Jeffrey H. Marks began his book business in 1979. Jeff has a law degree and is also a practicing attorney. Jeffrey H. Marks Rare Books operates out of Rochester, NY and specializes in Modern First Editions. ABAA Member since 1985. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Glenn has been a member of the ABAA since 2018 and specializes in Ephemera, Photographs, Manuscript Collections/Items, Fine and Unusual Books. Cultural Images is located in Portland, Oregon.

Interviewed by Kara McLaughlin of Little Sages Books.

Philip McBlain began collecting books shortly after he started practicing law. He quickly realized that he enjoyed books and the book trade far more than law, and made a career change. Philip established McBlain Books in 1970.

McBlain Books operates out of Hamden, CT, and specializes in Africa, African Americana, Asia and the Pacific, North Africa and the Middle East. ABAA Member since 1977. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Laurence McGilvery opened a bookshop in 1960 and five years later began dealing in antiquarian material.

Laurence McGilvery operates out of La Jolla, CA and specializes in Art, Art Ephemera, Art Periodicals, Contemporary Art, Modern Art, and Photography. ABAA Member since 1971. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on February 16, 2013 at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco.

Larry McMurtry is most widely known as an accomplished author, but his involvement in the literary field began when he started scouting rare books in the 1950s and 1960s. Even during his career as a writer and professor, he taught English and creative writing at Rice University, Larry continued his involvement in the rare book trade and opened up his own shop, Booked Up, in 1970.

Larry is the author of numerous novels and essays, and penned several screenplays including 'Brokeback Mountain' for which he won an Academy Award. His novel 'Lonesome Dove' was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1986. ABAA Member from 1974-1993. Interviewed by James Bryant on January 8, 2014 in Tucson, AZ.

Booked Up operates out of Archer City, TX and specializes in Literature, Travel, First Editions, and General Antiquarian books.

David Meeker’s love of books was born while in the Peace Corps in Africa and his only diversion was a book locker full of Hemingway. After collecting for years, and with his children heading to college, David decided to enter the trade as a seller. He established Nick Adams & Co. Rare Books in 1986.

Nick Adams & Co. Rare Books operates out of Sacramento, CA, and specializes in Literature, Modern First Editions, Literary Autographs & Manuscripts, Detective Fiction, Hemingway, and Steinbeck. ABAA Member since 1991. Interviewed by Taylor Bowie on October 12, 2008 at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair.

David grew up in a career military household and frequently moved. He was fascinated with the history of each new location. Rather than have a lot of books in the home, his family made use of the libraries at hand, a habit he took with him throughout his school years. For a time he managed the Book Guild of Portsmouth in Maine. Later after the advent of the internet changed the market, he struck out on his own. He travels extensively seeking out new material with special interest in those areas where cultures intersect.

Archway Books operates out of Dover, NH and specializes in Asia, Eastern Europe, Religion, Travel, Military, and Photography. ABAA Member since 2018. Interviewed by Michael Ginsberg on November 17, 2018 at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Dennis Melhouse has a rich educational history that led him to the trade. Dennis earned a degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois before receiving a fellowship to play with the Wichita Symphony. During his fellowship, Dennis attended Wichita State and earned a Master's Degree in Music History. He returned to the Chicago area and spent time at the University of Chicago enrolled in a Masters program for Library Science before he transferred to Loyola and earned a degree in Industrial Relations. He went on to work as a personnel director for major corporations and it was during this time that he began collecting rare books. It was this passion that led him to bookselling– it was a way he could fund his collecting habit. First Folio was founded in 1984 and Dennis devoted himself to bookselling full-time within a few years.

First Folio is located in Paris, TN and specializes in Illustrated Books, Books about Books, Fine Bindings, Rare Books, and General Antiquarian Books. ABAA Member since 1990. Interviewed by Taylor Bowie on October 11, 2009 at the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair.

Dr. Richard Meli has been a member of the ABAA since 2017 and specializes in Mystery & Detective Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Horror & Supernatural Fiction, Popular Fiction, Pulp Magazines, Original Illustration Art and Illustrated Books. Heartwood Books and Art is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ABAA Member since 2017. Interviewed by Kara McLaughlin of Little Sages at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair in Pasadena on February 9, 2020.