Bauman Rare Books pays homage to past U.S. presidents

In celebration of the upcoming presidential election, Bauman Rare Books wants to share some of its rare artifact collection with you.

The front of the boutique inside the Shoppes at the Palazzo has been transformed into a presidential museum of sorts where admission is free and open to the public. Until Nov. 6, the curious are invited to stop by Bauman and peruse the bookseller's presidential tomes, papers and possessions.

The exhibit The American President features a pair of Abraham Lincoln-worn spectacles, circa 1865, which retail for $200,000. Visitors also can view George Washington's copy of the Journals of Congress from 1774, which retails for $185,000 or Thomas Jefferson's copy of the Manual of Parliamentary Practice, with annotations, which retails for $268,000, which Jefferson wrote.

"For collectors who collect Americana, the opportunity presented by The American President is unmatchable," said store owner David Bauman.

Before the exhibit even opened, the bookseller sold a George Washington portrait and a Franklin D. Roosevelt chess set to excited patrons.

"This is about the institution of the presidency of the United States and the personalities that shaped that institution. Here you have the beginnings of our government," Bauman said.

"The exhibit that's on in the gallery now is quite something when you look around and you see several examples of Washington, Jefferson, Eisenhower, Truman. They're not just decorative signatures. Most of the items here have real content," he continued.

Bauman began his rare book company with wife Natalie in 1973 after purchasing 20 books at a country auction. It was the duo's love of literature that set the wheels in motion, and 40 years later, that love has sustained the business. Today, the couple owns stores in New York City, Philadelphia and Las Vegas. In early October, Bauman was in town to visit his Las Vegas shop, which opened in 2008.

"We meet more people here than any place. More people than in New York, actually. People come from all over the world and they're in a nice, relaxed mood," Bauman said of his Vegas store.

To make his rare book empire run like clockwork, Bauman employs 45 people. Of those, 12 are based in Las Vegas.

After gaining employment through the company, staff are given reading assignments and pop quizzes by Bauman, who said he wants them to be able to put literature into historical context for customers and visitors.

"It does take a good three to five years to begin to learn what we do. It's a process because we guarantee everything we sell. Every book is collated page for page. The guarantee means that people who work here are extremely knowledgeable," he said.

When authenticating an artifact, Bauman's staff of eight, who do nothing but research and authenticate the pieces, use rooms of reference books.

Corinne Weeks is general manager for all the Bauman Rare Books stores.

In addition to the stores, Bauman Rare Books produces a catalog to showcase its wares to an international audience, which includes some very well-known clients. The store's catalog is sent to 10,000 people.

While they couldn't name names, Bauman's client roster includes captains of industry, CEOs, Nobel Peace Prize winners, doctors and lawyers.

"We're called regularly by the State Department for gifts. Most presidents have bought from us either for their own personal libraries or to get gifts for other well-known people," Bauman said.

Of Weeks' tenure, Bauman said, "She has formed some of the great collections of rare books that exist in the country in private hands."

Aside from the presidential collection, wanderers can browse books such as "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Atlas Shrugged" at Bauman's Las Vegas shop. And while visitors can see the rare and refined at the shop, the prices, often in the thousands and up, may prevent the average middle-class shopper from owning one of Bauman's tomes.

After performing a quick social media search on the store, the consensus was the same, at least among the 17 Yelp reviews: The books are awesome but really expensive.

Daniel M. from Orlando wrote, "The store is not huge, but their selection and collection is amazing."

Candace C. from Las Vegas wrote, "I will never be able to afford a single item in this store."

Other reviews equally revered the store's collection yet depicted how the writers' could (probably) never actually purchase anything at Bauman's.

"There are very, very few rare book stores that exist on this level in the entire country. There used to be many, many rare book places but very few have survived," Bauman said.

Although not entirely sure why, Bauman said he thinks some of them may have fallen victim to elderly owners passing away and younger generations closing up shop.

For books to be considered rare, they have to be much more than just aged.

"It's something that's scarce and sought after. And most of the time, important in terms of the way we live and how we see things," Bauman explained.

Depending on how far back you go, Weeks said, fewer and fewer copies are printed of any given book. For example, 1,250 copies were printed in the first edition of Darwin's "Origin of the Species." And those sold out in one day.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@review
journal.com or 702-380-4588.