And most people never knew that REX chief executive — Stuart Rose — is a collector of rare books.
For more than two decades, rare books, historical curios, papyri, significant first editions and more have been an abiding passion for the Springboro resident. Now, you have an opportunity to see some of his collection for yourself when the University of Dayton’s Roesch Library opens “Imprints and Impressions: Milestones in Human Progress: Highlights from the Rose Rare Book Collection” at 8 p.m. Sept. 29. (The exhibit is open until Nov. 9.)
There, exhibit-goers will be able to view galley proofs of “The Lord of the Rings” hand-corrected by author J.R.R. Tolkien himself. Or a first century B.C. edition of the “Book of the Dead,” used by ancient Egyptians to prepare funerals. Or a 530-year-old edition of Thomas Aquinas’ master work of theology, “Summa Theologica.” And more.
All this from a man who prefers to read on an electronic tablet.
“I read the paperback or I read off the Kindle,” Rose said. “Well, the (Barnes & Noble) Nook is what I have. With rare books, if you touch them, they lose their value.”
“To my mind, that makes me even more interested in buying the original edition the way the author wanted it,” he said.
We sat down with Rose to talk books, and to find out more about the exhibit and how a CEO goes from retail electronics to energy. What follows is an edited, condensed transcript.
Q: I never knew you collected rare books. How did you get started?
Rose: "I've been doing it for over 20 years. And rare books for me are books — either manuscripts or books — that are special for their historical rarity, in their original condition, important books that I've heard of. But you can be a collector of rare books and collect second editions, just anything. …
“I just walked into an auction house. I’ve been a collector (in general) since I was a kid. I walked into Sotheby’s and they had an auction of rare books. I bought a couple of books, and I’ve been collecting. Right after that I bought a Shakespeare First Folio, which is like my best book. And as we like to say, ‘Fill in the blanks.’ I bought a (Edgar Rice) Burroughs’ “Tarzan” first edition. … I’ve been filling it in ever since.”
Q: There’s a fire at your house and you can escape with only five books. Which books get saved?
Rose: "The first one I would take would be my First Folio, Shakespeare's First Folio. I would probably take Copernicus, which is going to be on display here (at UD's Roesch Library). Probably the first edition of Copernicus, I would take it.
“I have an inscribed Galileo “Dialogo” that I would take, inscribed by Galileo, which was a book that got banned. He had to recant and say he never really believed what he wrote.”
“I just bought one that I would probably take just because it’s fresh in my mind, (Charles) Dickens’ “Tale of Two Cities,” inscribed by Dickens to George Elliot.
“And the fifth one would probably be — if it’s a book and not a manuscript, I have the oldest book in private hands, it’s a Catholic book by someone named Durandus. I would probably take that, since it’s the oldest book. It’s also a very rare book. It’s a book from the 1450s, and publishing started in the 1450s. It’s very, very hard to find such a book.”
Q: Something I’ve always wanted to ask you: Tell me about the thinking that led you from electronics retailing to ethanol investments.
Rose: "We're doing probably right now better than ever, because corn prices are down. We're now tied to corn prices instead of TV prices.
“I do miss the electronics business. It just got to a point where between the Internet and the Walmarts and the Sam’s (Clubs) and the big Costcos coming, that we could no longer in our little stores compete with them. We were fortunate enough to switch over to the ethanol business. And today we’re part of about 700 million gallons of ethanol (production). We’re one of the largest country. And today we do pretty well.”
Know someone who can handle Three Questions? We’re looking for behind-the-scenes-but-still fascinating Miami Valley residents with something to say. Send your suggestions to tom.gnau@coxinc.com.
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