Brattlecast: A Firsthand Look at Secondhand Books

There’s always room for Jell-O… cookbooks! As colorful and light as the iconic dessert itself, these recipe booklets were given out as free promotional items starting in 1904, and played a large part in Jello’s meteoric and jiggly rise to fame. Some feature illustrations by artists like Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell; all contain congealed concoctions like Jell-O Chicken Mousse or Shrimp & Orange Jell-O Molds – possibly chic at the time, but disturbing to most modern palettes. Through these culinary collectables we can trace the history of advertising and even social life in the United States, as the pamphlets gradually pivot from addressing nervous young housewives to exhausted working mothers. Photogenic and squeam-inducing, retro Jell-O recipes are enjoying a semi-ironic online renaissance, popping up on twitter accounts like @70s_party, the cheekily named facebook group Show Me Your Aspics, and even in contemporary art. Listen to learn more (but don’t ever learn what it’s made from!) on a #brattlecast that truly breaks the mold.

Today we’re talking about older travel guides written for people from historically marginalized groups. With the advent of the internet, planning a trip is easier than ever, and most of us take it for granted that we’ll be welcomed at our destination rather than hassled or even harmed. Sadly, this was not always the case, especially for Black Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, and women traveling alone. We’ll take a look at some of the guides that helped folks stay safe and comfortable on the road, from The Green Book to The Bob Damron Address Book. They’re sad artifacts in a way, but also testaments to community, resilience, and quiet subversion.

On today’s episode we’re answering a question from a listener: If you want to sell a large library, what can you do to prepare before Ken, or someone like Ken, comes to take a look? The good news is, we don’t really care how tidy or organized your shelves are, within reason—in fact, we’ve almost certainly seen much worse. Our top tip is to decide in advance what you’re keeping, and, if there’s anyone else with sentimental feelings about the collection, to involve them in the process from the start. Listen to learn more about book buying, and email [email protected] if you have any questions for Ken.

This episode is a recap of the recent Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, which recently returned to the Hynes Convention Center after years of online-only events. How did it go? The short answer is, Great! It was well attended, with over 120 dealers exhibiting, so everyone could enjoy seeing old friends – and making new ones – in person again. Rare books sold briskly, panel discussions got lively, and the Brattle gave out about 35 pounds of M&M’s – regular and peanut. If you couldn’t make it this year, don’t worry: we’re already planning events for 2023 and 2024. Listen to learn more, and head to bostonbookfair.com to keep up with future fair news.

Today we’re looking at a fresh arrival to the shop: a copy of The Astronauts: the Story of Project Mercury, America's Man-in-Space Program, by Martin Caiden. On its own, it’s an interesting account of the early space race, but a handful of illustrious signatures really cause this particular volume's value to skyrocket. We’ll explore this and other space-adjacent collectables—including science fiction and photographs from the lunar capsules—on this far-out #brattlecast.

If you’re getting ready to sell a house, you may already know about painting the walls eggshell white and popping a tray of cookies into the oven, but have you considered paring down your library? Home buyers tend to be dreamy and fickle: something as innocuous as a Harry Potter hardcover collection in the living room can prevent them from envisioning a happy future there. On the other hand, desolate shelves are also depressing; it’s best to convey the idea of books without getting too specific. We’ll talk about how the Brattle can help with your home staging journey, as well as the unexpected connections between the real estate market and the secondhand book business, on this moving new #brattlecast.

As the Covid-19 pandemic slowly draws to a close, we’re taking stock of some of the changes it’s caused—to downtown Boston, the secondhand book business, and, especially, the Brattle. Differences at the shop run deeper than masked employees and plexiglass barriers: after a disastrous first year, we’re busier than ever before, and our new customers tend to be younger and more diverse. A revised book-buying policy has cut down on conflict, and we’ve renewed our focus on in-person shopping, keeping many of the better books offline. Some of the most important changes at the shop have to do with not being there: prioritizing family, travel, and work/life balance. We talk about it all on today’s “new normal” episode of the #brattlecast.

This year’s Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair takes place at the Hynes Convention Center on the weekend of November 11 - 13. After two long years of online-only events, we’re looking forward to seeing all our favorite booksellers and book shoppers in person again. Admission is free on Saturday and Sunday—but the Brattle might be able to hook you up with a free pass for Friday too. Today’s episode features a sneak preview of our most exciting fair offerings: signed volumes from major American poets, first editions of feminist landmarks and beloved children’s classics, and an unusual treatise on… rat-catching. Come for the book fair pregame, stay for Jordan’s J.F.K. impression, and learn more at bostonbookfair.com.

Something interesting is happening: the Brattle’s traditional demographic of bookish older men (No offense! We love you!) is being edged out by younger, more diverse, and dare we say, hipper customers. Why? Our photogenic outdoor sale lot has become popular on Instagram, creating a cycle of visits, alfresco shopping selfies, likes, organic advertising, and more visits. We’ll talk about the ways that this social media-driven shift is changing the shop, and the irony of an ultramodern communication network luring people back into the arms of dusty old books, on this potentially viral #brattlecast.

Today in the studio we have a diary that was kept by a teenage girl during her family’s emigration odyssey from Russia to the United States. They left Moscow in 1917, embarking on a year-long journey that took them across the continent on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, then through Vladivostok, Yokohama, Hawaii, and San Francisco. Mostly written in Cyrillic, the diary contains photos, little English-language jokes, and references to Jascha Heifetz, a family friend—and violin prodigy—whose family took a parallel trip when they left Russia. Learn about what makes a diary interesting, our translation processes, and the importance of treating these historical documents with respect on this meandering episode of the #brattlecast.