Rare-book expert to speak at Willows
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

Kenneth Gloss

Westborough - Got an old book in the attic that you've always wondered about? Find a novel in the basement that you think has the markings of a rare find?

Well, gather them up and take them to the Willows at 7:30 p.m. Monday March 31. Kenneth Gloss, proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop, a Boston institution, will give a free talk titled, "Treasures in Your Attic: Old and Rare Books."

The talk is sponsored by the Westborough Historical Society.

Gloss will be recognizable to many as he is a frequent contributor on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) telecast "Antiques Roadshow."

"My presentation is part talk, part show and tell, part question and answer," Gloss said. "The first 45 minutes, I explain just what an old and rare book is and talk about first editions and bindings.

"When I talk, I bring with me rare finds from over the years, including a game program from the 1912 World Series, won by the Red Sox. It was the first year they played at Fenway Park," Gloss said. "I also have a cookbook from the 1700s and a letter from President Franklin Roosevelt to former Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, offering him an ambassador position in Poland. I also have a page out of a book from the 1400s to give people an idea what the texture and feel of the page and paper was like [that long] ago."

Gloss said the final 15 minutes of his talk is a question and-answer session so people who came to the presentation with any specific questions that weren't answered will have a chance to get those questions answered.

"Then, following that, comes the fun part," Gloss said. "I invite anyone who wishes to, to come up and show me any books or manuscripts that they may have brought with them and I'll appraise them."

Gloss said, in almost all cases, the rare finds are just that - rare.

"Mostly people are just wondering exactly what they have on their hands," Gloss said. "They have a book or manuscript that they were given or they found when they cleaned out one house while moving to another or when packing up a family member's belongings, and they want to make sure it's not something valuable before they give it away."

The treasure hunt nature of the business is clearly a part Gloss enjoys.

"Everyone likes to collect something," Gloss said. "Everyone likes the hunt. I'm no diff erent; I love to go to auctions and yard sales and search for that elusive item."

He said Internet searching has eliminated the hunt for many people.

"The Internet can be wonderfully efficient," Gloss said, "but you have to know exactly what you're looking for. There's no serendipity."

Gloss said his talk usually brings out between 35 and 75 people.

"It varies," Gloss said. "Often the booking is done so far in advance that by the time you get to the actual day, you find it's the same day as the annual Town Meeting.

"The worst turnout I ever had was in the fall of 1986," Gloss added. "The booking was made months in advance and when the time came, it was the same Saturday night as a World Series game between the Red Sox and the Mets. When I tell you no one was there, believe me, no one was there."