Rare Book Chat: A Podcast
I host a podcast called Rare Book Chat, where we dive into the world of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, letters, and all kinds of fascinating material. My co-host is Michael DiRuggiero—my longtime friend and fellow co-founder of The Manhattan Rare Book Company. (I’m on the left, he’s on the right.)
We talk about the stories behind remarkable items, what makes them special, and how the rare book trade really works. If you're curious about this world, or just love great stories with a bit of ink and paper in them, I think you'll enjoy it. There are a few recent episodes below. Recent guests include Sarah Funke-Butler (a literary agent with a specialty in archives and archival material), Darren Sutherland (Senior specialist at Bonhams), and Seth Kaller, a leading dealer in American historical documents.
If you’ve got a great book story—funny, surprising, personally meaningful, or unforgettable—send it our way. We just might feature it in an upcoming episode.
Please send your best book stories to: hello@rarebookchat.com or info@jorarebooks.com
Episode 18 - Curious George Orwell and the Tony Soprano Collection
When is a George Orwell signature not a George Orwell signature? What if a dentist collects true crime artifacts? Also - there was a world record set last week and it involved the Book of Mormon.
Episode 17 - Maniacs Are Real
This episode is all about maniacs! Bibliomaniacs, that is.... They may be extreme, they may be passionate, and, ignoring some unsavory criminal activity, they may even have served to preserve culture over the years.
Episode 16 - Dining with Dali, Computer Liberation, and Bidding Against Yourself (an AI story)
Special guest! Hélène Golay of Capitol Hill Books joins Jeremy and Michael to discuss post-war diplomacy through fine dining, Jeremy's hungry cat leads to an impulsive purchase of an early manifesto on the personal computer, and Michael and Jeremy realize they are often competing with themselves for the price of a book.
Episode 15 - A Magic Bible, and Smith with a "P"
Whose Bible would be more fun at a dinner party, Mick Jagger's or Harry Houdini's? And what about that curious Wodehouse manuscript coming up for auction? So much to think about, including Michael's feeling that there is an alarming lack of respect for comic literature in the rare book market.
Episode 14 - A Prank Inscription, Bloody Relics, and Harry Potter Unbound
All about a book that was not inscribed by Calvin Coolidge to Ernest Hemingway, the gloves Lincoln wore the fateful night of the assassination, and a marvelous Harry Potter curiosity... Enjoy!
Episode 13 - Lillian Ross & Ernest Hemingway
Special guest Sarah Funke Butler (funkeliterary.com) joins Jeremy and Michael to discuss a fascinating and newly unearthed trove of letters from Ernest Hemingway to the groundbreaking journalist Lillian Ross. You think you knew everything about Hemingway? Well, think again - this collection of letters has forced us to reconsider our understanding of "Papa".
Episode 12 - Crimes, Dimes, and Scat!
In this episode we talk about dime novels and the lurid crimes they depict, and the now forgotten authors of those gazillions of highly popular novels, as well as two items of scatological interest, one of which has a very distinguished provenance.
Episode 11 - Valentine’s Day Episode
A quick chat about Valentine's Day gifts from the 19th century -- and the all important question of whether love was even possible in the olden days. Plus, a little more (but not much!)
Episode 10 - Einstein’s Frubber Face
We begin this episode with Michael bemoaning a missed opportunity to buy the head of Albert Einstein, and then we welcome Darren Sutherland, Senior Specialist in the Fine Books and Manuscripts at Bonhams Auctions, to discuss two upcoming sales. The first is a fascinating single-owner complete collection of books from the Kelmscott Press, assembled by a man described as having “the most remarkable taste in the arts”. And the second is just a regular mashup sale with some curious and lovely offerings including Sylvia Plath's beloved cook book, an early note by young Kafka, and more.
Episode 9 - Gold Rush Diaries & more
Welcome back to another episode of Rare Book Chat, where we dive into the delightful world of historical curiosities and the sometimes grim realities behind them. This week, we have a rollicking discussion that swings from the California Gold Rush to 17th-century plague remedies, and more —because, why not?
Episode 8 - The Man Who Did Too Much
In this episode, we discuss William Morris, wallpaper, and the birth of fantasy literature, with an analysis of Morris's influence on J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis in particular. Then a game of would you rather - a spectacular copy of Orwell's 1984, or a mini-collection of dystopian novels? Also a half-hearted stab at the big question: why do we collect?
Episode 7 - A Tea Party & more
In this episode, we explore a delightful tea party invitation that connects Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, and Michael Faraday. The conversation then transitions to a rare first edition from 1832, which addresses a fundamental challenge in computational theory, one so perplexing that researchers have enlisted artificial ants to help sniff out a solution.