AB Bookman's Weekly
Encyclopedia
AB Bookman's Weekly was a weekly trade publication begun in 1948 by Sol. M. Malkin as a publication of the R. R. Bowker
Company, publisher of Books in Print and other book trade and library periodicals. In its glory days between the early 1950s and the early 1990s, AB was "the best marketplace for out-of-print books in North America." Nicholas Basbanes called it "the leading trade publication in the antiquarian world." In addition to publishing long lists of books wanted and for sale, it included trade news, reference lists, conference announcements, and various special features concerning the book trade, librarianship, and book collecting.
Malkin purchaed the magazine from Bowker in 1953. It first appeared under its final title in 1967. For more than four decades, it was essential reading not only for used and rare booksellers, but also for acquisitions and rare book librarians, book collectors, as well as those interested in the history of books and printing. Malkin was assisted by his wife, Mary Ann O'Brian Malkin
, universally known as "[mam]," whose interest in embroidery was reflected in her many AB reviews of needlework books. In 1972, when Sol. Malkin sold the magazine to Jacob L. Chernofsky, AB Booman's Weekly had a subscription list of more than 10,000 subscribers. In 1985, an annual lecture in bibliography was established in Sol. M. Malkin's honor at Columbia University
's School of Library Service. Sol. M. Malkin died in 1986. In 1992, the Malkin Lecture site moved with Rare Book School
to the University of Virginia
, where it continues as the annual Sol. M. and Mary Ann O'Brian Lecture in Bibliography.
in 2004 were unsuccessful.
R. R. Bowker
R.R. Bowker, LLC provides information support for the publishing industry in the United States. Bowker is the official U.S. ISBN Agency, the publisher of Books In Print and other compilations of information about book and periodical titles, and a provider of book industry supply chain services and...
Company, publisher of Books in Print and other book trade and library periodicals. In its glory days between the early 1950s and the early 1990s, AB was "the best marketplace for out-of-print books in North America." Nicholas Basbanes called it "the leading trade publication in the antiquarian world." In addition to publishing long lists of books wanted and for sale, it included trade news, reference lists, conference announcements, and various special features concerning the book trade, librarianship, and book collecting.
Origins
The magazine began as a column in Publisher's Weekly called "Antiquarian Bookseller"; in 1948, it spun off as a separate publication, at a time when there was a flourishing mail-order business in out-of-print and second-hand books.Malkin purchaed the magazine from Bowker in 1953. It first appeared under its final title in 1967. For more than four decades, it was essential reading not only for used and rare booksellers, but also for acquisitions and rare book librarians, book collectors, as well as those interested in the history of books and printing. Malkin was assisted by his wife, Mary Ann O'Brian Malkin
Mary Ann O'Brian Malkin
Mary Ann O'Brian Malkin, editor and collector of books on dance notation.Mary Ann O'Brian Malkin collected books on dance notation, the shorthand used by choreographers to make detailed records of their work...
, universally known as "[mam]," whose interest in embroidery was reflected in her many AB reviews of needlework books. In 1972, when Sol. Malkin sold the magazine to Jacob L. Chernofsky, AB Booman's Weekly had a subscription list of more than 10,000 subscribers. In 1985, an annual lecture in bibliography was established in Sol. M. Malkin's honor at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's School of Library Service. Sol. M. Malkin died in 1986. In 1992, the Malkin Lecture site moved with Rare Book School
Rare Book School
Rare Book School is an independent non-profit organization based at the University of Virginia supporting the study of the history of books, manuscripts, and related objects. Each year, RBS offers about 30 five-day courses on these subjects...
to the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, where it continues as the annual Sol. M. and Mary Ann O'Brian Lecture in Bibliography.
Spin-offs
In December 1977, Chernofsky and Margaret Knox Goggin, dean of the University of Denver's School of Librarianship, organized a seminar on used and antiquarian books, aimed at booksellers and librarians. The Workshop/Seminar in the Out-of-Print and Antiquarian Book Market (the eventual title of the seminar) became an annual event in 1979; in 2008 (as the Colorado Antiquaran Book Seminar), the seminar celebrated its 30th anniversary..Decline
Under Chernofsky's direction, AB Bookman's Weekly flourished into the early 1990s, but it began to falter because of competition from online listings of used and rare books. AB Bookman's Weekly ceased publication at the end of 1999. Efforts by Publisher's Weekly to revive it as an Internet online magazineOnline magazine
An online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
in 2004 were unsuccessful.