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Good deed pays off for Louisiana bookseller



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 24th 06, 06:12 AM posted to rec.collecting.books
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Default Good deed pays off for Louisiana bookseller

http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt

Slidell Sentry-News
Weekend Profile: Jerry Laiche
Bookseller's good deed rewarded with first editions

By Stephen Maloney
St. Tammany News

Excerpt:
"One of the bookstore's regulars after Hurricane Katrina was Sister
Margaret Mary, a nun from a Thibodaux convent trying to restore a
library she ran for needy children.

"Laiche gave the nun several boxes of books to help her out, not
expecting the favor to be returned.

"One day just before Christmas, Sister Margaret Mary returned to The
Philosopher's Stone with three boxes of books for Laiche.

[snip]

"Laiche unpacked 17 volumes of what he immediately identified as a first
edition printing of Victor Hugo's classic _Les Miserables,_ dating back
to 1862.

[snip]

"Upon further inspection, Laiche was shocked to find Hugo's signature at
the bottom of lengthy inscriptions in three of the volumes."



Oh, and it gets even better after that...
http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt



--Jon Meyers

Ads
  #2  
Old February 24th 06, 04:08 PM posted to rec.collecting.books
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Good deed pays off for Louisiana bookseller


"Jon Meyers" wrote in message
...
http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt

Slidell Sentry-News
Weekend Profile: Jerry Laiche
Bookseller's good deed rewarded with first editions

By Stephen Maloney
St. Tammany News

Excerpt:
"One of the bookstore's regulars after Hurricane Katrina was Sister
Margaret Mary, a nun from a Thibodaux convent trying to restore a library
she ran for needy children.

"Laiche gave the nun several boxes of books to help her out, not expecting
the favor to be returned.

"One day just before Christmas, Sister Margaret Mary returned to The
Philosopher's Stone with three boxes of books for Laiche.

[snip]

"Laiche unpacked 17 volumes of what he immediately identified as a first
edition printing of Victor Hugo's classic _Les Miserables,_ dating back to
1862.

[snip]

"Upon further inspection, Laiche was shocked to find Hugo's signature at
the bottom of lengthy inscriptions in three of the volumes."



Oh, and it gets even better after that...
http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt



--Jon Meyers


That's wonderful. Now, if he gets the big price listed, I hope he helps
out some of his fellow businessmen in that area. I'd just read a story
last week about a bakery that's managed to reopen in Slidell, making
King's Cakes for Mardi Gras....and is providing employment for several
people in the area. The bakery owner could have repaired her home,
but used to money to reopen the business....and in the meantime,
is living in a FEMA trailer parked in her yard.

Bring back some business, bring back some hope.

Kris


  #3  
Old February 24th 06, 05:17 PM posted to rec.collecting.books
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Good deed pays off for Louisiana bookseller

Jon Meyers wrote:

Oh, and it gets even better after that...
http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt



Is a Victor Hugo letter (even the most spectacular one) really a
seven-figure item? I'm guessing catalog and auction records don't
support that.

An interesting sidebar: the article mentions that his rare book
inventory/business is based to some large degree on the collection of a
late N.O. lawyer. That seems to me not an uncommon scenario, i.e.,
that a successful dealer can make a business (or a significant portion
of one) off of the acquisition of a single important collection.

William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

  #4  
Old February 24th 06, 07:38 PM posted to rec.collecting.books
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Single Major Acquisitions (was Good deed pays off for Louisiana bookseller)

On 24 Feb 2006 08:17:20 -0800, "William M. Klimon"
wrote:

Jon Meyers wrote:

Oh, and it gets even better after that...
http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt



Is a Victor Hugo letter (even the most spectacular one) really a
seven-figure item? I'm guessing catalog and auction records don't
support that.

An interesting sidebar: the article mentions that his rare book
inventory/business is based to some large degree on the collection of a
late N.O. lawyer. That seems to me not an uncommon scenario, i.e.,
that a successful dealer can make a business (or a significant portion
of one) off of the acquisition of a single important collection.

William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com



Quite so... And this leads me to post the following regarding a good
friend who passed on last month:

Bookseller/collector Bruce Thompson passed away last month after a
short battle with pancreatic cancer. I'd known Bruce for some twenty+
years and acquisitions from him formed the beginnings of my now rather
extensive collection. Bruce was one of the sharpest (and luckiest)
bookscouts in the Northwest, often turning up miraculous finds in his
specialty area (Science Fiction). While most collectors would consider
finding one copy of James Schmitz's A NICE DAY FOR SCREAMING & OTHER
TALES OF THE HUB in a thrift store a once-in-a-lifetime experience,
Not so with Bruce, he turned up three copies at the same store!

As we both lived in Seattle, I frequently got to see the results of
his scouting when he'd stop by to show me things I'd just missed by a
day or so...

However, to bring this around to on-topic (and relate my favorite
Bruce story): In the early eighties, when living in Portland, Bruce
used to scout Powell's regularly (who didn't); after all, Powell's was
famous for its high volume and chaotic disorganization, it wasn't at
all odd to see four identical copies of the same book priced at a
range of $5.00 to $75.00. Anyway, on one his rounds to Powell's Bruce
noticed that they had set up three tables by the SF section and three
employees were busily going through a mountain of books, discarding
those pesky review slips and in the interest of expediency, pricing
the paperbacks at fifty cents and the hardcovers at $3.00.

Bruce asked if he could have look and salvage the review slips... What
he was looking at was the collection of long-time reviewer and fanzine
editor Richard Geis. Geis was moving and had dumped his collection to
the bookstore. Essentially, he had one of everything in the genre
(published in the US) from the early fifties on... Bruce drained his
bank account, borrowed from friends and family and bought as much as
he could. This one massive score set him up as a specialty bookseller
for the next decade plus. There were books valued at close to $1000
that Powell's dumped at $3.00, dozens of specialty press titles from
1950s that averaged $150-$200; many of the paperbacks were also quite
scarce and ranged from $5-$10 (at early 1980s prices). Damn good
score, but best of all after everything was totaled up, Bruce had the
presence of mind to ask for his 20% dealer discount. ;-)

A great guy and a great bookman, he'll be missed.

Cheers,

John

  #5  
Old February 24th 06, 07:47 PM posted to rec.collecting.books
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Good deed pays off for Louisiana bookseller

Kris Baker wrote:

"Jon Meyers" wrote in message
...

http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt

Slidell Sentry-News
Weekend Profile: Jerry Laiche
Bookseller's good deed rewarded with first editions

By Stephen Maloney
St. Tammany News

Excerpt:
"One of the bookstore's regulars after Hurricane Katrina was Sister
Margaret Mary, a nun from a Thibodaux convent trying to restore a library
she ran for needy children.

"Laiche gave the nun several boxes of books to help her out, not expecting
the favor to be returned.

"One day just before Christmas, Sister Margaret Mary returned to The
Philosopher's Stone with three boxes of books for Laiche.

[snip]

"Laiche unpacked 17 volumes of what he immediately identified as a first
edition printing of Victor Hugo's classic _Les Miserables,_ dating back to
1862.

[snip]

"Upon further inspection, Laiche was shocked to find Hugo's signature at
the bottom of lengthy inscriptions in three of the volumes."



Oh, and it gets even better after that...
http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt



--Jon Meyers



That's wonderful. Now, if he gets the big price listed, I hope he helps
out some of his fellow businessmen in that area. I'd just read a story
last week about a bakery that's managed to reopen in Slidell, making
King's Cakes for Mardi Gras....and is providing employment for several
people in the area. The bakery owner could have repaired her home,
but used to money to reopen the business....and in the meantime,
is living in a FEMA trailer parked in her yard.


I think the article said that the money would go back to the convent.

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can.
That is the only secret of style. -Matthew Arnold

  #6  
Old February 25th 06, 03:10 AM posted to rec.collecting.books
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Single Major Acquisitions (was Good deed pays off for Louisiana bookseller)

Wonderful story!!!!!!!!!!!


Willow


"John Pelan" wrote in message
...
On 24 Feb 2006 08:17:20 -0800, "William M. Klimon"
wrote:

Jon Meyers wrote:

Oh, and it gets even better after that...
http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt



Is a Victor Hugo letter (even the most spectacular one) really a
seven-figure item? I'm guessing catalog and auction records don't
support that.

An interesting sidebar: the article mentions that his rare book
inventory/business is based to some large degree on the collection of a
late N.O. lawyer. That seems to me not an uncommon scenario, i.e.,
that a successful dealer can make a business (or a significant portion
of one) off of the acquisition of a single important collection.

William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com



Quite so... And this leads me to post the following regarding a good
friend who passed on last month:

Bookseller/collector Bruce Thompson passed away last month after a
short battle with pancreatic cancer. I'd known Bruce for some twenty+
years and acquisitions from him formed the beginnings of my now rather
extensive collection. Bruce was one of the sharpest (and luckiest)
bookscouts in the Northwest, often turning up miraculous finds in his
specialty area (Science Fiction). While most collectors would consider
finding one copy of James Schmitz's A NICE DAY FOR SCREAMING & OTHER
TALES OF THE HUB in a thrift store a once-in-a-lifetime experience,
Not so with Bruce, he turned up three copies at the same store!

As we both lived in Seattle, I frequently got to see the results of
his scouting when he'd stop by to show me things I'd just missed by a
day or so...

However, to bring this around to on-topic (and relate my favorite
Bruce story): In the early eighties, when living in Portland, Bruce
used to scout Powell's regularly (who didn't); after all, Powell's was
famous for its high volume and chaotic disorganization, it wasn't at
all odd to see four identical copies of the same book priced at a
range of $5.00 to $75.00. Anyway, on one his rounds to Powell's Bruce
noticed that they had set up three tables by the SF section and three
employees were busily going through a mountain of books, discarding
those pesky review slips and in the interest of expediency, pricing
the paperbacks at fifty cents and the hardcovers at $3.00.

Bruce asked if he could have look and salvage the review slips... What
he was looking at was the collection of long-time reviewer and fanzine
editor Richard Geis. Geis was moving and had dumped his collection to
the bookstore. Essentially, he had one of everything in the genre
(published in the US) from the early fifties on... Bruce drained his
bank account, borrowed from friends and family and bought as much as
he could. This one massive score set him up as a specialty bookseller
for the next decade plus. There were books valued at close to $1000
that Powell's dumped at $3.00, dozens of specialty press titles from
1950s that averaged $150-$200; many of the paperbacks were also quite
scarce and ranged from $5-$10 (at early 1980s prices). Damn good
score, but best of all after everything was totaled up, Bruce had the
presence of mind to ask for his 20% dealer discount. ;-)

A great guy and a great bookman, he'll be missed.

Cheers,

John



  #7  
Old February 26th 06, 03:08 AM posted to rec.collecting.books
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Single Major Acquisitions (was Good deed pays off for Louisiana bookseller)

"Willow Arune" wrote in news:M0PLf.68793$B94.3062
@pd7tw3no:

http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt


I loved the text I read. When I try to access the articles, I get a "409
site not active." Apparently from the responses, others have been able to
access this site. I would appreciate it, if anyone who can access the site
would post the text.

Thank you,

Ted Jones.
  #8  
Old February 26th 06, 05:22 AM posted to rec.collecting.books
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Single Major Acquisitions (was Good deed pays off for Louisianabookseller)

Ted Jones wrote:
Jon Meyers wrote...


http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt



I loved the text I read. When I try to access the articles, I get a "409
site not active." Apparently from the responses, others have been able to
access this site. I would appreciate it, if anyone who can access the site
would post the text.



And it's not just that it moved to another page address, as often
happens with news sites; the entire site is down. Could the mention
here actually have generated enough traffic at that site to crash it?
Hard to believe. I tried to find the story cached or mirrored somewhere
else, but no luck.


--Jon Meyers
  #9  
Old February 27th 06, 01:24 AM posted to rec.collecting.books
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Single Major Acquisitions (was Good deed pays off for Louisiana bookseller)

Jon Meyers wrote in news:e2aMf.2073
:

http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt

Thank you for trying and I appreciate your efforts in attempting a
recovery of the pages. Part of me hopes that RCB was enough to bring down
an entire website, It would mean that thre are a host of lurkers out there.

Ted
  #10  
Old February 28th 06, 04:51 AM posted to rec.collecting.books
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Delurking [was Single Major Acquisitions (was Good deed paysoff for Louisiana bookseller)]

Ted Jones wrote:
Jon Meyers wrote:


http://www.slidellsentry.com/article...ews/news04.txt


Thank you for trying and I appreciate your efforts in attempting a
recovery of the pages. Part of me hopes that RCB was enough to bring down
an entire website, It would mean that thre are a host of lurkers out there.



We could use fewer lurkers & more posters.

Hey, silent majority: Tell us about your collection!

If only we'd known: The second week of January was National Delurking
Week--for blogs, anyway...
http://www.google.com/search?lr=&ie=...lurking%20Week


--Jon Meyers
 




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