 |
|
| Dorothy Sloan | |
Dorothy Sloan, the antiquarian bookseller who owned Texas-based Dorothy Sloan Rare Books and was a "pioneering woman in the book trade," died last month at the age of 77.
Over the course of her long career, Sloan dealt in rare books, maps and works of art. She handled such rare items as an imperial folio of Audubon prints and two complete collections of the Zamarano 80, a list of books representing the most significant early volumes published on the history of California. She specialized in Texana, and according to the Austin American-Statesman, she even helped musician Phil Collins acquire objects for his collection of artifacts from the Alamo.
She was adept at spotting forgeries and fakes, and her daughter Jasmine Star told the American-Statesman that Sloan sometimes "burned bridges" with clients when she came across stolen material and tried to return those items to their proper homes.
Kurt Zimmerman, a collector who worked for Sloan in the 1990s, called her research and cataloguing skills "unparalleled, and she took great pride in the quality of her catalogues.... She was witty, funny and occasionally exasperating--she demanded the best out of you and expected complete 24/7 commitment to rare bookselling. Her enthusiasm for books and maps has stayed with me. I was fortunate to have her as an early mentor."
Born and raised in Houston, Tex., Sloan fell in love with the world of rare books after moving to San Francisco, Calif., where she took an apprenticeship at John Howell Books. In 1979 Sloan returned to Texas, where she worked for the Jenkins Company until 1984. That year she founded her own business, Dorothy Sloan Rare Books, at a time when the trade was dominated by men.
"Thanks largely to her unparalleled scholarship, persistence, and ethics, she rose to become one of the leading lights of the rare book trade in the United States and beyond," Sloan's daughter wrote. She added that her mother also became a skilled auctioneer, which was "amazing given how shy she was."
Star continued: "As long as rare books, bibliographers, and rare book dealers exist, she will be remembered, and her body of work will illuminate the way forward."