65th st. bookshop
mitchell kennerley was a pioneer, nyc editor, publisher, auction house proprietor, & bookseller in the early 20th c., having achieved great fame, albeit somewhat chequered. his last venture was the 65th st. bookshop at 866 lexington ave. in manhattan, which he opened in 1940—failed at the end of 1942. [cf.: matthew j. bruccoli, The Fortunes of Mitchell Kennerley, Bookman, hbj, 1986, pp248-53.] as a point of pilgrimage, i went to see if the building still stood—color photos are mine. comparing with the period photo, little has changed—even the contour of the drainpipe; if anything, the window sills at front seem to have been abbreviated.
the city should put up a plaque!
for kennerley’s «most typographically distinguished volume»* & the typeface named for him vide ‹the door in the wall›.
period photo of the 65th st. bookshop [ibid., p52; photo credit: beineke rare book & manuscript library, yale university].
*bruccoli’s words [ibid., p51].
