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The Grolier Club, New York, Published date: 2024. Printed paper wrappers; 112 pp; 23 cm. Illustrated throughout with color illustrations and facsimile reproductions of historical manuscripts, letters, documents, maps, paintings, and watercolors.
In very good condition. Original red printed paper covers with French flaps; covers clean and unfaded with light surface handling; spine sound. Interior pages clean and unmarked. Published version of the second lecture in the Kenneth W. Rendell Lecture Series on the Importance of Historical Letters and Documents, delivered on 23 January 2024. In this reflective and illustrative essay, Kenneth W. Rendell (1948- ), noted dealer, collector, and founder of the International Museum of World War II, examines the underlying thematic coherence of his collecting life, particularly in the field of Western Americana and historical manuscripts. Drawing on landmark documents from his personal collection, Rendell argues that people, aspiration, and self-determination form the unifying thread of historical collecting. The lecture combines personal memoir, collecting philosophy, and visual documentation, offering insight into the intellectual and ethical dimensions of manuscript collecting and interpretation.