Gotham's Legacy Donated to U. Penn Libraries

As reported by Library Journal, the collection of the dearly departed Gotham Book Mart has been donated to the University of Pennsylvania's Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Bought at auction for $400,000, the collection's true value was likely several million dollars. And although the donation was made anonymously, the NY Times implies that Leonard Lauder, cosmetics heir and Penn grad, is the unnamed benefactor. Penn plans to digitize a portion of the collection, which includes "many first editions, books from small presses, experimental literary magazines, outsider literature published by Black Sparrow Press, poetry published by St. Mark's Church, books from the personal libraries of Truman Capote and Anais Nin, proofs, advance copies, pamphlets, photographs, posters, reference works and catalogs, broadsides, prints, postcards, and items signed by Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Robinson Jeffers, Woody Allen, Wallace Stevens, and John Updike."