For many, many decades, the Brattle Book Shop has been a fixture in Boston for lovers of old, used, and rare books. Its history is the history of a family whose love of the printed word transcended nearly all other desires. Today, Ken Gloss, a second-generation bookseller and highly respected authority on rare books and manuscripts, is keeping the love affair with books alive and well. Gloss is a frequent contributor on Antiques Road Show, where his appraisals are eagerly sought.

            Gloss recently gave an entertaining and informative presentation via Zoom as one in a series of lectures hosted by the Mattapoisett Free Public Library and sponsored by the Friends of the Mattapoisett Library Purrington Lecture Series.

            Gloss began his talk by sharing the early years of his father George’s quest to put books in the hands of as many people as possible starting in the 1940s. Beginning at 32 Brattle Street in the Cornhill section of Boston, which was eventually absorbed into Government Center and forced the senior Gloss to seek another location, George Gloss found another location several blocks away on West Street. But to move his vast inventory, he first had to downsize the collection.

            “My father knew the police and so was able to secure permission to drive a horse-drawn carriage around town with a sign that read ‘Go West’ to advertise his new location,” said Ken Gloss. As the carriage went up and down the city streets, books were tossed to onlookers. Predictably, the event caused traffic problems, “…But my father made his point.”

            On another occasion, the West Street location burned nearly to the ground. “Needless to say, we weren’t heavily insured,” recalled Ken Gloss. But the community of book lovers came out in force, and soon George Gloss was awash in hundreds of donated used books to kick-start his business once again.

            Although Ken Gloss studied chemistry and believed he was headed to a career in science, he followed in his father’s footsteps. His joy of discovering something old, something written down, something of historic value, places him in the category of archeology, where getting through stacks of discarded printed materials are the tome and digging through may just produce a long-lost treasure.

            Ken Gloss is nothing if not a storyteller extraordinaire. Stories tipped off his lips in a sort of stream of consciousness.

            He told the story of being invited to assess a collection of art reference books for a family in Newport, Rhode Island. He said that the family had over 5,000 books and was part of the Brown clan, founders of Brown University. “We bought 80-percent of their collection,” he said. On another occasion in Newport, Ken Gloss was invited to one of the Bellevue Avenue mansions that was still inhabited as a family home. He said it was amazing to have unrestricted movement around the mansion that had maintained its original glory.

            This family had contacted Ken Gloss to place a value on family papers dating back to the War of 1812 and written by Commodore Oliver Perry. “It was the day-to-day accounting of the ship,” he said, explaining with a laugh that Perry was considered a privateer by Americans but a pirate by the British. “In the papers, it was noted that a captain was to receive a five-dollar bonus for the loss of a leg in battle,” he said.

            Not all mansions are homes or all homes mansions, but surprises can be found in both.

            Ken Gloss was called to an unassuming, ranch-style home where a little old lady lived alone. Walking up to the home he didn’t expect the trip to result in much more than a short friendly visit, but upon entering the premises he was astounded to find himself surrounded by watercolors done by Turner. He estimated them to at least $1 million. The lady had been married to a Ukrainian prince. “The books were lousy, but the stories she told were priceless,” Gloss recalled.

            There was the time an Irish woman of a certain age called the shop saying, “I slept with Kennedy.” The lady said she had letters from the President that she wanted appraised for value. The end of the story is that she was Kennedy’s governess when he was a small child, and she had indeed slept with the then infant Kennedy.

            Continuing in this vein, Gloss shared anecdotes that seemed to pour out of his brain as his eyes twinkled on the computer screen. There was the first edition of “The Great Gatsby” with a value of $100,000 because author F. Scott Fitzgerald inscribed the book to the owner, T.S. Eliot. Gloss said that Eliot had written on the pages edits he would have made to the manuscript.

            In a case of ‘I can top that,’ Gloss topped himself when he told of holding four handwritten pages which were Paul Revere’s own accounting of his ride alerting all, “The British are coming!”

            “It sent chills up my spine,” Gloss confessed.

            There was the day that he held Isaac Newton’s personal copy of a math book with annotations throughout. “It was a circa 1600 edition.” That book now rests on view to all at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. And Gloss’ memories rolled on. In Dracut, at another small nondescript dwelling, he found the original manuscript of “On the Road,” by Jack Kerouac. “He had used a teletype roll of paper,” Gloss said. It sold for $2.5 million.

            As the hour wound down, Gloss said that being an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow is great; but, pulling the curtain back a little, also shared, “We don’t get paid to appear.” He said that being highlighted on the show is completely dependent on the object being appraised and if the producers think a clip is worthy. “We get free publicity and we love to do it,” he said.

            To watch the full presentation, visit https://vimeo.com/564347847.

By Marilou Newell

            The glossy ibis is not well-known, because it is rarely seen in this part of the world. It is a distinctly different-looking stork-like bird with dark, iridescent plumage and a long, curved bill to probe shallow waters for insects and shellfish along the shoreline. In addition to consuming animal matter along coastal Buzzards Bay, a major part of their summer diet is green plants and vegetable matter.

            As in my illustration, the first sign of residence here in a very long time is a pair of nesting parents with only two chicks recently seen about halfway down along Sconticut Neck in Fairhaven. This surprise sighting may hopefully indicate a modest uptick in future populations for birdwatchers.

            These young chicks that were hatched in early July will for another month depend on their parents for feeding by inserting their bills into a parent’s mouth for regurgitation of food bits that can be eaten on their own.

            As fledglings learn to fly in September, the nest site will be abandoned, and they will be on their way of migration along the Atlantic Flyway. However, this mysteriously rare species may disappear from tracking and not be seen again next year. Although this species has declined due to global environmental deterioration in modern times, it has been all over the world for thousands of years, including the sacred ibis that once lived in Egypt.

            It was raised from wild birds to be depicted in many ancient Egyptian wall murals and sculptures to be found as mummified specimens at many burial sites to play a religious role as “Thor,” the god of wisdom, knowledge, and writing. It was considered the herald of floods and helped to get rid of pond snails and liver parasites. The magical reproduction on burial sites might decorate the tomb so that the dead were eligible to enter into the aftermath of the next world. From that time to that of primitive and prehistoric cultures, birds have come down through the ages as symbols of spiritual superstitions.

            Like those living thousands of years ago, we also live our lives from dawn to dusk, exposed to the elements around us in the planetary spiral of seasons around the Earth. We are learning to appreciate the spiritual role of winged creatures, such as the heavenly angels of our own departed into another afterlife. For now, our best insight into the present nature of reality is birdwatching of the natural blessings around us every day in our travels.

By George B. Emmons

            “Necessity is the mother of invention,” the popular paraphrasing of Plato, came to light in more ways than one over the Independence Day holiday weekend in Marion where red, white, and blue luminaria adorned residents’ fences, steps, and stone walls along Front Street and in public places such as the Music Hall and Old Landing.

            The dazzling display that even gave docks and jetties a nighttime outline may never have happened had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic’s cancelation of many traditional activities such as the December Holiday House Tour and the Sippican Woman’s Club’s signature fundraiser.

            The organization’s ongoing mission of awarding Marion residents college scholarships resulted in a new tradition: the Illuminate to Educate Scholarship Fundraiser. Since June 1, luminaria kits were purchased at a cost of $25 at local shops and online at sippicanwomansclub.org. On July 4 and 5, approximately 3,200 luminarias went on display.

            July’s stormy weather did not clear up until the Sunday evening (July 4), just in time for the colorful bags housing battery-operated lights to shine. Small baggies were provided with the kits so owners could weigh them down with rocks or sand.

            “We were really pleased with the effect…. That’s what we were hoping. We were on edge all weekend,” said Lee Williamson, vice president of fundraising for the Sippican Woman’s Club. “Our goals were two-fold – find a way to raise money to continue our 50-year tradition, and start a new tradition in Marion to focus on our community spirit and emphasize the beauty of our town.”

            The SWC’s traditional Holiday House Tour typically results an annual donation of approximately $10,000 toward scholarships.

            “The money is still coming in, so we think that we’ve met that goal or are close to it,” said Williamson. “We’re really grateful to our sponsors; several local businesses contributed. We also had generous anonymous donors, one (donation) from a donor whose daughter had received the Sippican Woman’s Club scholarship in the ’90s.”

            Students submitted applications in April via their schools’ guidance offices, so the funds will be awarded in May 2022. Approximately 20 Marion residents attending Old Rochester Regional, Tabor Academy, and Bishop Stang have been named recipients. Upper Cape Tech and Falmouth Academy students from Marion are also eligible for these awards.

            “This year and last were tough on students; because of COVID, there were no internships,” said Williamson. “We’re hoping to run this fundraiser again and hope that more people will join in after seeing (the holiday weekend display).”

            Listed below are the 2021 Sippican Woman’s Club scholarship recipients.

            ORR: Rachel Fantoni, Sydney Feeney, Isabelle Kelly, Katelyn Luong, Abigail McFadyen (Lu Chevrier Award), Rachel Pina, Daphne Poirier, Raegan Rapoza, Mason Tucker, and Emma Williamson.

            Bishop Stang High School: Sophie Lynch.

            Tabor Academy: Charles Crowley.

            Continuing education students: Isabelle Cheney, Kathryn MacLean, Madisen Martin, Alexa McLeod, Lauren Pina, Catherine Russo, and Georgia Toland.

            Alice Ryder Book Award: Nicolas Huaco.

By Mick Colageo