Description
German-Jewish war refugees Frederick Alexander Bernett and Ilse Blum Bernett founded F. A. Bernett Books in May of 1944, taking a small office directly across from New York’s Grand Central Station. Art-related titles sold particularly well, leading the couple to focus on rare and out-of-print materials on the fine and decorative arts, architecture, and archeology. They drew on their common training as academic art historians (both Frederick and Ilse had completed doctoral studies at the University of Berlin) to guide the business, and soon became known as reputable dealers in the field. With a knack for acquiring sought-after scholarly books — many of them in European languages — the Bernetts attracted a devoted clientele of university researchers and archivists, as well as curators at major art museums. Peter Bernett joined the company in 1973, working as an assistant to his parents and traveling to meet one-on-one with collections development staff at key libraries and museums. Three years later, Peter moved F. A. Bernett Books to its current location in a former warehouse loft at 144 Lincoln Street, in Boston’s historic Leather District.
In 2019, our seventy-fifth year, we were joined by Philipp Penka (formerly Penka Rare Books, Berlin) and began operating as Bernett Penka Rare Books. With a staff including Erika Hapke and Melissa McCaffrey, we continue to purchase and sell books globally via the web and in-person visits to dealers, archives, and collections around the world.
For an up-to-date list of recent arrivals, please visit our website.
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We are happy to search for rare Russian and East European materials - please feel free to share your list of wants!
Explore the list below to see some current offers in our areas of interest, and click here to view our full ASEEES catalog.
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Bernett Penka Rare Books LLC
Description
Bernett Penka Rare Books LLC
Rare books on the arts and visual culture
Contact Information:
Philipp Penka
+1 617-350-7778
philipp@bernettpenka.com
Erika Hapke
+1 617-350-7778
erika@bernettpenka.com
Established in 1944, we specialize in rare books, manuscripts, and ephemera on the fine arts, architecture, avant-gardes, graphic design and typography, social history, and other fields. Russia and Eastern Europe is a key area of our expertise and we work with private collectors and institutions to further their holdings in this area.
We are charter members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Verband Deutscher Antiquare (VDA).
Philipp Penka is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Philipp Penka @ ASEEES Time: Nov 5, 2020 11:00 AM (MESZ) - Nov 7, 2020 5:00 PM (MESZ)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us04web.zoom.us/j/2299947306?pwd=Mi8wenFtY1l2bEd3ZGxJaWV6QmhMQT09
Meeting ID: 229 994 7306 Passcode: 6bBngY