The October Country by Ray Bradbury (first published 1955). This edition: Ace Books, 1961.

“I don’t have to wait for inspiration. It jolts me every morning. Just before dawn, when I would prefer to sleep in, the damned stuff speaks between my ears with my Theater of Morning Voices. I dare not oppose these morning voices. If I did, they would ransack my conscience all day.” -Ray Bradbury, from the introduction to the 1999 edition of The October Country.

Welcome to the October Country: that country where “it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and midnights stay.”

Here is the news from FABS for October: 

Book Collecting Prize News

The David Ruggles Prize is pleased to announce its 2025 winners! Laurane Reine-Adelaïde won the $1,000 Grand Prize for collection of material on the daily life of people in the Caribbean island of Martinique. Anushmita Mohanty won Second Prize for a collection documenting the diversity of children’s literature in India, including picture books and novels in English, Hindi and Bengali. Third Prize went to Kaveh Bahar for a collection of books and ephemera on death and attachment, including funerary objects and hairwork jewelry.

The 2025 ABAA National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Winners are as follows:

First Prize: Tyler Davidian (Stanford University), for “The Futurist Archive Collection,” which aims to be a free, online, encyclopedic catalog of Italian Futurism.

Second Prize: Peter de Guzman (Duke University), for “What is his identity? Building a Filipino American Library.” De Guzman’s collection explores Filipino and Filipino-American literature to examine themes of identity and belonging.

Third Prize went to Wilson (Alex) Fisher (Princeton University) for “Shadows on the shelf: Art and printed matter from Eastern Europe,” a gathering of original artwork and printed materials by artists grappling with the the complex legacies of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.

The 2025 Honey & Wax Prize went to Alexandra E. LaGrand, 29, (she/her), a doctoral candidate at Texas A&M University, for “Archiving the Shakespearean Breeches Actress.” LaGrand’s research on the nineteenth-century British stage led to her interest in actresses in breeches roles. LaGrand’s winning collection brings together almost forty printed and manuscript artifacts that document Shakespearean breeches actresses over the long nineteenth century.

FABS warmly congratulates all these winners, who are pointing the way to the future of bibliophily and collecting. 

Bookish blogging: If you missed it last month, check out my review of Michael Zinman’s just-published book, The Critical Mess. This is a compendium of short pieces by and about a great American collector.

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

FABS Member Society events for October. Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 

October 6: Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmer have studied hundreds of encrypted books. In this presentation they will discuss fascinating examples including the Voynich Manuscript, books produced by secret societies, enciphered diaries, the 17^th century Rohonc Codex (recently solved), and more. (The Book Club of California)

October 8: The Spanish Illuminated Manuscript, a bound vellum book from the Spanish court dated 1635-1637 and containing legal proceedings, is the subject of this month's Manuscript Monday, presented by Dr. Harrison Wick (The Manuscript Society)

October 10: Log on for Vanessa Pintado’s highlights tour of The Hispanic Society of America’s spectacular library, which holds (among other things) first editions of both parts of Don Quixote, the sole surviving printed leaf of the first Bible in any vernacular language (1478), the first Spanish grammar (1492) and dictionary (1495), as well as the world’s only known copy of the first edition of La Celestina, one of the most celebrated works of Spanish literature. (The Caxton Club)

October 13: FABS Handpress Era Group will meet at 7:30pm EST on Zoom for an hour of talk about printed items before 1800. Grolier Club member Rick Davis will discuss his collection of Dante editions and highlight some of his favorites. Contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org

October 16: The FABS 19^th Century Zoom Group meets for convivial conversation about all things bookish and 19^th century! You are invited. Contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org

October 20: Join Sharon Lieberman Mintz for “Decoration of Hebrew Manuscripts after the Invention of Printing,” an exploration of illustrated 18^th century Hebrew mss and decorated scrolls of Esther. (The Grolier Club)

October 20: The FABS Bindings Group welcomes Benjamin Albritton, Rare Books Curator at Stanford, for a presentation on binders associated with The Bookbinders' Guild of California first exhibition in 1902; and bindings displayed at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition. Contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org

October 23: Alistair Johnston, author and co-founder of Poltroon Press, explores the impact of fine and small presses on the culture of California, moving beyond the “big three” of Nash and the Grabhorns. Join us for “Golden Slumbers: California’s Dormant Fine Press Scene” (The Book Club of California)

October 23: “With Maternal Ferocity: Reclaiming Secular Yiddish Children’s Literature.” Based on her new book Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children’s Literature, Yiddish scholar Miriam Udel will reflect on her efforts to reclaim and revivify the corpus of secular Yiddish children’s literature published in Eastern Europe and the Americas during the 20th century. (The Grolier Club)

October 27: “The Yiddish Sherlock Holmes, Newly Translated” In early 1900s pulp fiction, the Viennese detective Max Spitzkopf was an undefeated foe of villains and passionate defender of the Jewish people. When he is summoned, no matter how dangerous or seemingly hopeless the cause, justice is assured. Join us to celebrate the debut of a new English translation of the complete series of 15 Spitzkopf mysteries by Mikhl Yashinsky.

October 27: Come along on a collector’s journey as Claudia Smukler takes you through the fascinating world of ex-libris, focusing on the bookplates created by designer Beulah Mitchell Clute (1873-1958). She will present additional ex-libris about California and the West. (The Book Club of California)

October 28: Join the FABS Living With Books group for congenial discussion of the challenges and pleasures of home libraries. Topics this month: (1) What is the role of the private library in these troublous times? (2) Books that I'm embarrassed that I own but don't want ever to get rid of. Contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org

October 30: “100 Objects From the Collections of the YIVO Institute” A pair of ruby red slippers. A medieval manuscript. A Yiddish folk medicine prescription. These and 97 other objects comprise a new centennial coffee-table-book, 100 Objects from the Collections of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Stefanie Halpern, Director of Collections, will introduce this gorgeously illustrated book.

Sneak Peek at November

November 5: In this program, Lauren Hewes will introduce you to the Stephen D. Paine Collection of American Ephemera at the American Antiquarian Society, a national research library located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The talk will include an overview of the 18,000 objects in the Paine Collection – a private collection built between c.1975 and 1997 and recently donated to AAS – and an explanation of the Society’s larger ephemera holdings. (The Caxton Club)

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

Contact: Jennifer Larson, info@fabsocieties.org