The raffle will run from Monday, June 22 to Sunday, June 28.
Gestalten ‘Do You Read Me?’ (photo courtesy of Gestalten)
Gestaltenis an international publishing house founded in 1995 in Berlin, Germany.
Primarily specializing in high-quality visual books on design, travel, art, and lifestyle, Gestalten is well known around the world for publishing gorgeous coffee-table books.
Their newest offering is 272 pages long and was published on June 09, 2020.
I was honored to be invited by Gestalten to be a contributor for this book, offering some of my photos and information on John K. King Used and Rare Books in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
The book was compiled by author Marianne Julia Strauss and the introduction is by Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfort Book Fair.
John King Books Detroit featured in Gestalten ‘Do You Read Me?’
*Special Thank You to Lauren Rautiola, our Detroit Bookfest Project Manager, for designing our flyers!*
The 4th Annual Detroit Festival of Books (aka: Detroit Bookfest) is a glorious day of BOOKS, vinyl records, comics, creative arts, food, beer, funk music and more!
Please join us at Eastern Market Shed 3 in Detroit on Sunday, July 18, 2021.
The event is FREE for attendees! There will be an estimated 10,000+ attendees.
(“We hope for better things. They will rise from the ashes.”)
Father Gabriel Richard (Detroit, 1805)
In life, it’s good to celebrate progress, honor the past and always give credit to the architects and originators.
Father Gabriel Richard was a dynamic figure of early Detroit. We have him to thank for bringing the very first printing press to Michigan, among a host of other incredible accomplishments.
The Chinese invented paper around 100 AD. Then, they invented the process of imprinting ink on paper in 175 AD. They would take blocks of wood, ink them, put paper on them and rub them with a bamboo stick to create an impression.
The Chinese invented paper around 100 AD.
Around 1440 AD, Gutenberg, who previously worked for the Mainz mint in Germany, invented the printing press in Strasbourg, France. Gutenberg’s moveable type printing press revolutionized the world.
On February 23rd, 1455, Gutenberg printed 200 copies of his now famous Gutenberg Bible, a two-volume Bible written in Latin.
Currently, there are only about 48 copies known to exist. One of these babies is estimated to go for upwards of $35 million dollars if sold on the market today.
So, if anyone has an original Gutenberg Bible lying around they want to sell me, just let me know and I’ll be over in a jiff to buy it from you!
Gutenberg Bible (c. 1455 AD)
Quick Timeline of Father Gabriel Richard
(compiled from various sources by Ryan M. Place)
Printing Press
Saintes, France (October 15th, 1767)
Father Gabriel Richard is born.
Paris, France (1792)
While the French Revolution is in full swing, Father Gabriel Richard leaves France for the Midwest, USA. He was originally stationed in Baltimore, Maryland but his first official job was preaching as missionary to Native Americans in Southern Illinois.
Detroit (1798)
Father Gabriel Richard arrives in Detroit, which was a tiny French village on the river at the time.
Detroit (1802-1832)
Father Gabriel Richard is pastor of Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church.
Early Detroit
Detroit (June 11th, 1805)
The Great Detroit Fire of 1805 leveled the city’s 200+ log cabin homes, including Fort Detroit.
Upon witnessing the devastation, Father Gabriel Richard uttered his now famous phrase “Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus” (“We hope for better things. They will rise from the ashes.”).
This phrase is now the City of Detroit’s official motto.
Detroit (June 1805)
After the blaze, a major food shortage ensued. Father Gabriel Richard organized massive food aid relief to the city from outlying ribbon farms in what are now the suburbs.
Detroit (June 30th, 1805)
Augustus Woodward arrives in Detroit. Judge Woodward was appointed chief judge of Michigan territory by President Thomas Jefferson. Judge Woodward joins forces with Fr. Gabriel.
Detroit (Spring 1809)
Father Gabriel Richard brings the first printing press to Michigan. He sets it up on Detroit’s Southwest side at 5450 West Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, up the street from Fort Wayne.
Judge Woodward’s Map of Detroit.
Detroit (August 1st, 1809)
Father Gabriel Richard prints the first book printed in Michigan.
Detroit (August 31st, 1809-1816)
Father Gabriel Richard and James Miller print Detroit’s first newspaper, The Michigan Essay: or Impartial Observer. By 1840, Michigan Territory will have over 30 newspapers.
Detroit (1812)
During the War of 1812, Father Gabriel Richard is imprisoned by the British for refusing to submit to them. “I have taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and I cannot take another,” Fr. Richard told them.
Detroit (July 1817)
Michigan’s first bookstore, The Detroit Book Store, opens. It is owned by John P. Sheldon and Ebenezer Reed. Father Gabriel Richard is a frequent customer and supplier.
Books!
Detroit (August 26th, 1817)
Father Gabriel Richard and Rev. John Monteith, with the assistance of Judge Woodward, establish the Catholepistemiad of Michigan. In 1837, this school moved to Ann Arbor and was renamed The University of Michigan.
Michigan (1823-1825)
Father Gabriel Richard serves as the Michigan Territory’s delegate to the United States Congress. He fought for the establishment of The Territorial Road, which connected Detroit to Chicago. This road is now known as Michigan Avenue.
Detroit (September 13th, 1832)
Father Gabriel Richard dies. He is the last victim of the raging cholera epidemic in Detroit. Reportedly, the epidemic started when a troop ship carrying infected soldiers to Chicago to squash Blackhawk’s rebellion, stopped in Detroit, and unwittingly unleashed the epidemic on fair Detroit.
Michigan (January 26th, 1837)
Michigan officially becomes a State.
Ste. Anne’s Catholic Church in Detroit, Michigan.
Father Gabriel Richard is buried in a subterranean crypt inside Ste. Anne’s Catholic Church (1000 Sainte Anne Street, Detroit, Michigan).
Printing Press.
Some other resources you should check out:
Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit houses Father Gabriel Richard’s original collection of books and papers
Flor-Dri (5450 W. Jefferson, Detroit), which was once the original site of Michigan’s first printing press in 1809, thanks to Gabriel Richard (photo by: Ryan M. Place)
First known illustration of a printing press (c. 1499 AD).
Atlas Obscura 2nd Edition (image courtesy of Atlas Obscura)
*Special thanks to Dylan Thuras & Lathea Williams for this*
We are raffling off 3 autographed copies of ‘Atlas Obscura, 2nd Edition: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders‘ signed by co-creator DYLAN THURAS!
*3 winners will be selected at random. Enter now for your chance to win!*
The raffle will run from Monday, December 02 to Sunday, December 08.
Dylan Thuras, Ella Morton, Joshua Foer (photo courtesy of Atlas Obscura)
Atlas Obscura was created in 2009 by Brooklyn, NYC-based Dylan Thuras and Joshua Foer.
Described as the “definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders,” Atlas Obscura is an interactive guide to cool, strange, unusual places, food, and knowledge. This ongoing collaborative international mapping and cataloging project grows every day.
Themed around discovery and exploration, Atlas Obscura encourages people to be adventurous and become travelers in their own communities and around the globe.
John K. King Books Rare Book Room in DETROIT! (photo courtesy of Atlas Obscura)
To help drive this positive & global phenomenon, Dylan helped craft a book entitled ‘Atlas Obscura, 2nd Edition: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders‘.
Published in October 2019 by Workman Publishing Group, the guide runs 480 pages and was compiled by Dylan Thuras, Joshua Foer and Ella Morton.
*Special thanks to Dylan Thuras & Lathea Williams for this*
We are raffling off 3 autographed copies of ‘Atlas Obscura, 2nd Edition: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders‘ signed by co-creator DYLAN THURAS!
*3 winners will be selected at random. Enter now for your chance to win!*
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