Famous Brattle Book Shop Owner Leads Program At Marlborough Library

From Marlborough Library: Boston’s world famous Brattle Book Shop’s proprietor and Antique Road Show appraiser Ken Gloss will kick-off The Friends of the Marlborough Public Library’s 2017-2018 Special Program Series when they present a “Special Fall Program” on Wednesday September 20th at 6:30 PM in the library’s Bigelow Auditorium, 35 West Main St., Marlborough. This program is open to the public and admission is FREE. The auditorium is fully handicapped accessible.

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 around 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. Please
limit the number of books you bring to three.

The Brattle Book Shop is one of America’s oldest and largest antiquarian bookstores.2017 is the 68 th 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."

Among the many organizations in which Kenneth Gloss is a member is the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, the New England Antiquarian Booksellers of America, the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Antiquarian Booksellers Association, the Committee for the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair and the Boston Society. He also is a Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society as well as serving on the Board of Overseers of the USS Constitution Museum.

The Brattle Book Shop is proud to have been a contributor to the WGBH Annual Auction each year that the station has held this fund drive. Ken has appeared as a guest appraiser on PBS Antiques Roadshow numerous times over the years and has been a popular guest on WBZ Radio as well as other radio, TV, and cable stations numerous times. His bylined articles continue to appear in various antique journals and in print and online consumer publications. The Brattle Book Shop is also the recipient of several “Best of Boston” awards in the categories of Best Book Shop or Best Antiquarian Book Shop. In addition, it has been included in a list as one of North America’s best bookstores.

This program is funded and sponsored in part by the Ezra Cutting Trust-Bank of America Trustee; the Marlborough Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; The Friends Memorial Fund; and a gift from the Cummings Foundation in honor of Ginger Ryan. This program is rescheduled from March 15, 2017 cancelled due to bad weather. For more information contact: Peggy Schwarz Ayres, Friends Special Program Series Chair at 508-481-7118 or writeathome@hotmail.com or Ray Johnson at 413-648- 9663 or rajohnson736@gmail.com or go to The Friends website www.mpl-friends.org. Like us on our Facebook Page—friends of Marlborough public library.

The Friends is a non-profit organization and their Tax Exempt ID No. is 23-7323238.

Image Courtesy of Marlborough Library