User:Dschultz099/sandbox/Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.

Barry Lawrence Ruderman (born April 23, 1962) is an American map dealer, lawyer, philanthropist and entrepreneur. He is the owner of Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. (also known as RareMaps.com), the largest antique map seller on the internet and one of the oldest websites dedicated to the sale of antique maps. He is also one of the primary sponsors of a number of the major antique map fairs and symposiums around the world and a major donor of digital images to the Rumsey Map Library at Stanford University.

Early Life & Education
Ruderman was born in Rialto, California, the son of Joe and Naomi Ruderman. His father was an elementary school teacher and his mother was a high school teacher, high school volleyball, basketball and softball coach and later a college volleyball coach.

Ruderman attended the following schools:


 * Eisenhower High School (Rialto, California) (1977-1980)


 * University of California at Riverside (BS, Economics, 1984)


 * University of San Diego School of Law (Juris Doctorate, 1987)

In college, he played on the Men's Soccer team and was a member of Kappa Alpha Order.

During Law School, he was a member of the University of San Diego Law Review.

His article on the Doctrine of Ancient Title was published by the San Diego Law Review in 1988.

Professional Career
After law school, Ruderman served as a law clerk for the Honorable John J. Hargrove, United States Bankruptcy Judge in the Southern District of California, from 1987 to 1988, before joining the Law Offices of Jerry Michael Suppa as an associate, from 1988 to 1990. In 1990, Ruderman joined the law firm of Weeks, Willis, Rathbone & Johnson as a partner, where he remained until 2003, practicing in the area of Bankruptcy and Commercial Insolvency.

Antique Maps
Ruderman first became interested in Antique Maps as a young child. He credits the book The Phantom Tollbooth, and cross-country trips with his parents as the earliest factors which started his interest in maps. Ruderman acquired his first antique map in 1991, while on a ski trip in Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico. By early 1992, he was first exploring the idea of being a hobbyist dealer, selling to friends and at small book fairs in Southern California. His first major map fair exhibition was at the International Map Collector Society meeting in San Francisco in 1995.

RareMaps.com
In 1996, while still dealing under the name “Barry Lawrence Ruderman Old Historic Maps & Prints,” Ruderman launched RareMaps.com. While not the first on-line website selling antique maps, Ruderman’s partnership with website developer Jerry Preeper quickly positioned RareMaps.com as one of the top on-line sites for antique maps, specializing in the electronic buying and selling of 15th- to 19th-century maps, sea charts and atlases. Ruderman also hosted MapTrade, an on-line list-serve forum for discussions among map dealers, collectors, and enthusiasts.

In 1999, the firm of Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps was incorporated and its first open shop on Prospect Avenue was opened, where the firm remained until 2008, when it relocated to its current location at 7463 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, California.

As of 2015, RareMaps.com had an active archive of over 40,000 antique map descriptions and high resolution images. The website has become one of the primary reference tools and valuation guides for antique map collectors, dealers, scholars, and map enthusiasts.

As of 2015, Ruderman exhibits at the following annual events:


 * London Map Fair


 * Paris Map Fair


 * Miami International Map Fair (History Miami)


 * Chicago International Map Fair (Chicago Map Society)


 * New York International Antiquarian Book Fair [ABAA / ILAB)


 * California International Antiquarian Book Fair (ABAA / ILAB)

Ruderman has been an active speaker, writer and participant in a number of professional and collector related events over the past 20 years and the subject of a number of magazine articles and two books regarding the antique map trade.

Digital Philanthropy
Over the past 10 years, Ruderman has been actively involved in a number of digital philanthropy projects, including his donation of over 40,000 images to Stanford University and his assistance in the recruitment of other collectors and dealers to donate digital images of their collections to Stanford University and other institutions. His maps are all scanned, and the images are sent to Stanford for use and long-term preservation. The Ruderman Collection gives scholars access to materials that might otherwise be unseen as they pass between private hands. As of 2015, Ruderman estimates that the firm has given away over 5,000 map images to authors, academics and other scholarly not for profit projects since the founding of RareMaps.com in 1995.

Personal Life
Ruderman has resided in La Jolla, California since 1993 and is married to Katherine Schultz. He has 3 daughters (Montana Ruderman, Liberty Ruderman and Simona Ruderman) and 3 stepsons (David Schultz, Jordan Schultz and Isaac Schultz).