Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers a speech at Villanova University in 1965. Image: Falvey Library blog.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

In 2021, the original typescript of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech was donated to Villanova University by George Raveling, a volunteer on the Mall in Washington DC when the speech was delivered. Raveling had met King after the speech and asked for the document as a memento. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

Here is the news from FABS for April: 

April Blogging: If you are interested in collecting Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan, or other modern authors, check out Mark Warner’s essay in the FABS blog. This avid collector in Tasmania not only compiled his own bibliographies, complete with detailed information and photos, but he is extending an invitation to others interested in adding to the list of authors covered on his website. This is a great example of how collectors can put their knowledge to work for the benefit of the Republic of Books. Bravo Mark!

The Grolier Photography Group presents their Newsletter, an informative mix of events, announcements, auctions, articles and other news for all photography enthusiasts:

https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/545452/emails/149208310741992975

The Manuscript Society is pleased to recognize Dennis Shäfer as the recipient of the annual Richard Maass Grant for 2025. Dennis is a doctoral candidate in the Department of German at Princeton University and will use the $5,000 grant to study manuscript collections in the Goethe Museum Dusseldorf and the Jagiellonian Library in Krakow. His dissertation topic is “From Authors to Archives: The Amanuenses of the German Romantics.” Thanks to Ellen Howell Myers Ph.D., Chair of the Scholarship Committee, for this great news, and congratulations to Dennis!

The David Ruggles Prize is an international book collecting prize established to support and encourage young collectors of color: https://rugglesprize.org/ The 2025 prize season is now open, with a June 8 deadline this year. The contest is open to anyone aged 35 and under, anywhere in the world. Please share it widely -- with your students, your colleagues, your customers, applicants for other collecting prizes, wherever book collectors might be found. There are three prizes, so three chances to win: $1,000 grand prize, $500 second prize, and $250 third prize. The five judges represent an impressive breadth of the book world and are excited to see those applications. For last year’s winning collections, see https://rugglesprize.org/winners You can help spread the word by distributing Ruggles bookmarks (contact info@rugglesprize.org) and by following the David Ruggles Prize on Bluesky, Instagram or Threads.

The deadline for the Ticknor Society Collecting Prize has been extended to May 15, 2025. The award currently carries a prize of $1,000.  The competition is open to anyone, of any age, primarily residing at the time of entry in any of the six New England states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont. Entries from collectors residing in these states may be on any topic. In addition, we welcome submissions from collectors residing outside of New England whose collections focus primarily on books, manuscripts, and ephemera pertaining to New England from any period of its history. For more information, please go to https://www.ticknor.org/collecting-prize/

Are you interested in bookplates? For your complimentary copy of “The Bookplate Buzz” newsletter from the American Society of Bookplate Collectors & Designers, please click here: https://bookplate.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/BUZZ-April-2025-Vol-6-No-2-02-28.pdf

If you find yourself in NYC this week, check out the Hispanic Society book sale, offering new and used books from the Hispanic Society Library. On Thursday April 3 there is priority access for a $5 donation, and admission is free April 4-5, 10:00am-3:00pm.

Fill your bookshelf with classics of Hispanic literature, arts, and culture written in both English and Spanish, as well as hard-to-find titles and Hispanic Society publications. The Hispanic Society Museum & Library is located at 3741 Broadway (between 155th and 156th street) New York, NY 10032.

Does your club have news to share, or are you a club member with big news? Would you like to blog about your collection? Please contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org

Here's our list of April bookish events from FABS member societies:

April 14: FABS Handpress Era Zoom Group. Early Americana Collector and AAS Councillor Doug Brown will share three fascinating items from his collection, all relating to Isaiah Thomas, Revolutionary War-era printer and founder of the American Antiquarian Society. These items include an issue of Thomas’s Massachusetts Spy from 1774, a first edition of his book, The History of Printing in America, inscribed to a co-founder of AAS, and Thomas’s book plate, which was designed by Paul Revere. All are welcome to join us for the presentation and discussion. To join the mailing list contact Jennifer Larson (info@fabsocieties.org)

April 15: April Oettinger presents “Goucher’s Art & Artifact collection and the Woman’s College of Baltimore Museum.” The Goucher Art and Artifact Collection dates to the founding of the college as “The Woman’s College of Baltimore” in 1885. (Baltimore Bibliophiles)

April 17: FABS 19^th Century Zoom Group. Join us for convivial conversation about all things bookish and 19th century! We meet on the third Thursday of the month, 4:30-5:30pm Pacific/7:30-8:30pm Eastern. To receive announcements and links, contact Jennifer Larson (info@fabsocieties.org).

April 21: FABS Bindings Zoom Group. To receive a link and join the mailing list for this group, contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org

April 22: FABS Living With Books Zoom Group. Hosted by The Private Library author Reid Byers, this group meets on Zoom, on the fourth Tuesday of each month. This month's topics: (1) Books we have kept for sentimental reasons;  and (2) How to choose art for your library. To receive links and announcements, contact Jennifer Larson (info@fabsocieties.org)

A sneak peek at May:

May 9: Ian Gadd, Professor of English Literature at Bath Spa University, UK, will speak on the history of the Stationers Company (The Caxton Club)

Stay tuned to the FABS Calendar, as more events are sure to be posted soon.

Contact: Jennifer Larson, info@fabsocieties.org