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Spring 2026 Auction Roundup: 5 Rare Book Sales You Can’t Miss
Discover the top five rare‑book auctions this spring, with forensic tips to spot hidden gems and avoid costly traps.
Julian VaneMarch 15, 2026
How to Assess Paper Quality in First Editions
Discover the forensic steps to evaluate paper quality in first editions, spot hidden flaws, and protect your investment with expert tips.
Julian VaneMarch 15, 2026House of Craven March 2026 Auction: What Rare Book Collectors Need to Know
A forensic preview of the March 19, 2026 House of Craven auction—key lots, spotting tricks, and why this event matters for first‑edition hunters.
Julian VaneMarch 15, 2026
Spring Refresh: Embracing Minimalism for a Fresh Start
Spring cleaning meets minimalism. Learn why decluttering your home feels like forensic work and get ten actionable steps to create a fresh, purposeful space.
Julian VaneMarch 14, 2026
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day: Ways to Honor Irish Heritage
Turn a green parade into an Irish literary adventure with authentic recipes, book finds, and hands‑on activities for St. Patrick's Day.
Julian VaneMarch 14, 2026
The Gutter Margin: What Binding Wear Tells You That the Seller Won't
Every book has a spine story. Before you check points, provenance, or price, hold it by the spine and let the binding testify. A forensic guide to reading hinge wear, cocking, rebinding evidence, and the gutter tells that separate a sound first edition from an expensive mistake.
Julian VaneMarch 13, 2026
The Smell No One Wants to Ignore: Finding Early Moisture Damage in First Editions
How I catch moisture and light damage before it ruins a first edition, using a practical room-and-book audit that protects value and provenance.
Julian VaneMarch 13, 2026
Shelving the Witness: A Forensic Shelf Check for First Editions
A practical shelf protocol: protect first editions with a disciplined light, humidity, and handling routine before and after acquisition.
Julian VaneMarch 13, 2026
The First Algorithm Was Set in Lead: Authenticating Ada Lovelace's 1843 Notes
Ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, I went back to the paper trail itself: the 1843 printing of Ada Lovelace's Notes in Taylor's Scientific Memoirs. If you care about women in tech, start where computing began, in ink, folded tables, and fragile London stock.
Julian VaneMarch 6, 2026
The Invisible Spine: Women Who Built the Rare Book World and Got Filed Under 'Miscellaneous'
The rare book market moves hundreds of millions of dollars each year through auction rooms built substantially on the labor of women it largely forgot to credit. Julian Vane on the dealers, publishers, collectors, and bibliographers who made the field — and why the provenance chain keeps losing their names.
Julian VaneMarch 6, 2026
Filed Under a Man's Name: What the Rare Book Market Got Wrong About Female Authors
For over a century, the rare book market systematically undervalued female authorship — and some of those women published under male names just to be taken seriously. Julian Vane on the forensic history, the market correction underway, and the first editions worth knowing right now.
Julian VaneMarch 5, 2026