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January 19, 2019

E.L. Doctorow, Ragtime

Macmillan, 1976

Ragtime is that rare thing -- a book that got great reviews, was immediately popular, and has been popular ever since. Is it a genuine classic? Maybe a people's classic. I don't see a lot of academic criticism about it. On the other hand, it is probably keeping Doctorow's overall reputation alive. Not sure too many people are lining up to read "Loon Lake."

Allan was a big fan of Doctorow, although I think his copy of "Welcome to Hard Times" disappeared somewhere. Ragtime itself still has considerable value despite being printed in large numbers. Since it's such an American book, I don't think there's much market for the (rather blah) English edition, even signed like this one is.

Posted at 10:04 AM |

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What I'm Doing Here

  • Allan Milkerit was a good friend and a great bookman. After his unexpected death I ended up with hundreds of the books in his shop and apartment. One at a time, I am unearthing them and deciding which to keep and which to sell or give away. Often, I read the book first, or try to. In the process, I think about Allan and the changes the rare book world is undergoing. This blog's only regular reader is Joe Marchione, who shared a shop with Allan for several years. Joe's reflections are too good to leave as mere comments so I hoist them into their own posts.

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