U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Ken Gloss, The Value of Old and Rare Books

Location

Main Library
Lecture Hall
449 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02138

Get directions

Description

Calendar event image

Kenneth Gloss, proprietor of the internationally known Brattle Book Shop in Boston’s Downtown Crossing section, will give a free and open talk Wednesday, February 12, 6:00 pm at Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Lecture Hall on L2, Cambridge, MA. Ken will discuss the value of old and rare books.

Ken, who is also a frequent guest appraiser on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, will talk in part about the history of his historic bookshop (
www.brattlebookshop.com), which goes back to circa 1825. He is a second-generation owner.

Ken will talk about and show some of his favorite finds and describe some of the joys of the "hunt," as well as explain what makes a book go up in value. He has many fascinating anecdotes to share as well as guidelines for what to look for when starting a collection. There is also a Q&A session before the conclusion of his talk.

Following the talk and question-and-answer session, he will give free verbal appraisals of all books that attendees have brought with them or will do so at his shop in Boston.

Yankee Magazine Editor's Choice Award for Best of New England, the Brattle Book Shop is one of America’s oldest and largest antiquarian bookstores. 2020 is the 71st year of Gloss family ownership. Kenneth Gloss succeeded his late father, George Gloss, a well-known figure both in Boston and national antiquarian circles. He had worked in the store since childhood and chose to go into the book business rather than pursue a doctorate in chemistry. He became the sole proprietor upon his father's death in 1985. "I found that books were in my blood and that I would never be really happy if I abandoned the business."
 

Tags

Page was last modified on 7/25/2023 6:13 AM
Contact Us

How can we help?

Please provide as much detail below as possible so City staff can respond to your inquiry:

As a governmental entity, the Massachusetts Public Records Law applies to records made or received by the City. Any information received through use of this site is subject to the same provisions as information provided on paper.

Read our complete privacy statement


Service Requests

Enter a service request via SeeClickFix for things like missed trash pickups, potholes, etc.