Edward Abbey and the Modern Environmental Movement: A Talk by Ken Sanders

As part of the Marriott Library’s Books and Authors series, Ken Sanders will give a talk at 3pm on Sunday, March 4th. This event will be held in the Gould Auditorium at the J. Willard Marriott Library. Ken Sanders, a local rare book dealer, will speak on the works of Edward Abbey and the substantial donation of first edition Abbey books and other Abbey material to the Marriott Library by San Francisco book collector Eric Hvolboll. Following the lecture, a reception will be held on the fourth floor gallery for the opening of the rare book exhibit: Brave Cowboy: An Edward Abbey Retrospective.

Ken Sanders has been in the rare book business in Utah since the 1970s. From 1975-1981 he co-owned The Cosmic Aeroplane. He founded Dream Garden Press in 1980, and Ken Sanders Rare Books in 1990. He has been engaged in buying, selling, appraising, and publishing new and old books, photography, cartography, and documents for over thirty years.

Sanders’ experiences in the fields of antiquarian books and collectibles are diverse. He is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, and served on its Board of Governors for six years, during which time he was the Security Chair. He was responsible for bringing numerous book thieves to justice, as chronicled in the bestseller The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett.

Sanders also has a long history of promoting the arts and literature and has hosted hundreds of book signings and art exhibitions, including the State of Utah's largest ever poetry reading. In 2005, Ken was honored by the Salt Lake City Mayor's Award for Contributions to the Arts. He also created and performed a tribute to his late friend Edward Abbey entitled Edward Abbey, Earth First!, The Monkey Wrench Gang and Me, which debuted at Westminster College.

Articles by Ken Sanders have appeared in publications such as OP and Firsts Magazine. He has been the subject of articles in publications including The Deseret News, The Salt Lake Tribune, and San Francisco Magazine. Ken has often been featured in television and film interviews and shows, including C-Span Book Talk, and A&E's "City Confidential: Mark Hofmann." Ken first appeared as an appraiser for the Antiques Roadshow on the Salt Lake City 2007 season shows. He has since traveled to San Antonio, Spokane, Dallas, El Paso, Billings, Denver, Phoenix and Hartford with the Roadshow. He continues as a rare books and manuscripts appraiser for the roadshow to this day.

Ken Sanders is currently a full-time bookseller, among many other things. Forthcoming projects may include a work on Edward Abbey. He is also working on a project about Utah literary mavericks called Uconoclasts with artwork by local artist Trent Call.

For further information, visit the website for the Friends of the Marriott Library:

http://tinyurl.com/7c6d99a

Or contact us:

Ken Sanders Rare Books 268 South 200 East Salt Lake City, UT 84111 801-521-3819 books@dreamgarden.com www.kensandersbooks.com