We take another look at the Brattle employee snarkfest that has bloomed into a peculiar cottage industry: curated books for Zoom backgrounds. Now that most interaction has moved online, the right library behind you can make just as much of an impression as your working from home turtleneck or flattering lighting. The books you choose (or let us choose for you) can be a great introduction to yourself and your interests, and convey intelligence, expertise, and gravitas. Read more in this recent Globe article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/07/nation/brattle-book-shop-is-curating-bookshelves-zoom-meetings-facetime-hangouts/
Brattlecast #74 - Vernacular Photos
While we’re all cooped up at home, it’s a great time to take a look through some old photo albums, if you have them around. In recent years, collectors have begun to take more of an interest in vernacular photography: casual snapshots taken by amateur, usually anonymous photographers of everyday subjects which can inadvertently capture a wealth of fascinating historical detail. Vernacular photographs are a great entry point into collecting because they’re widely available, generally affordable, and, although they may have been taken without a specific artistic intention, can be aesthetically striking and affectingly poignant.
Brattlecast #73 - Books in the Age of Zoom
There are many problems raised by the Covid-19 crisis, but only one that the Brattle is uniquely poised to help you solve: everyone on the Zoom call can see your bookshelves, and they look like trash, I’m sorry. Why not impress your colleagues with some nice new volumes curated by the Brattle team? Real books, not screen of VR shelves either. We’ve got years of experience helping clients build decorative, custom libraries that highlight the best of their personalities and interests, and, frankly, not much else to do at the moment. So give us a call or an email, and move your dog-eared copies of the Twilight series down to the shame-shelf (below eye level).
Brattlecast #72 - Small Pleasures
We’re talking little, tiny, miniature books: books so small you could fit many of them into a single regularly sized book. Books that could go onto the bookshelves of a dollhouse. A Bible the size of your thumbnail. Books so diminutive and light that the booksellers who specialize in them are the envy of the rest of the rare book world; those who have to deal with heavy, normal sized books. Books that you would read as you curled up on a ball of yarn with a spool of thread as a table and a thimble full of tea. If this isn’t delightful to you then I don’t even know anymore!
Brattlecast #71 - Anne Frank Collections
It’s a story of hardship and optimism that has never ceased to move us, but which has taken on a particular resonance in these difficult times: The Diary of Anne Frank. We’ll talk about the story of its original publication, take a look at some early editions, and think about the lessons this book can impart to us in our own moment of crisis and isolation. Plus, do you have a fascinating item at home that you’d like to hear virtually appraised on the podcast? We’re welcoming submissions from listeners; please contact the shop at info@brattlebookshop.com.