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Blog posts by Rich Rennicks

Content creator and publicist for the ABAA. 


The ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the iconic Park Avenue Armory in New York City from April 3-6, 2025, celebrating its 65th Edition. Below are some highlights from among the many rare items the more-than 200 exhibitors will be bringing to New York from all over the world. (Tickets are available at this link...) FIVE DOLLAR BILL POSE--RARE IN THIS FULL-PLATE SIZE One Of The Most Sought-After And Iconic Poses Of Lincoln IN A SIZE THAT COMMANDS ATTENTION (Lincoln Photograph) Berger, Anthony Oval Sepia Albumen Photograph, on original card mount . . Original oval decorative wooden frame. 8”x6” (sight); 16-3.8” x 14-1/2” (frame). A fine and rare full-plate original print of the famous “$5bill” pose (only lately retired during currency redesign), taken by Anthony Berger at Mathew Brady's Washington gall... [more New York Book Fair: Highlights]

Books are more than just stored knowledge—they are physical objects worthy of thoughtful and dynamic display. Whether for a temporary pop-up exhibition or a longer-term showcase under glass, displaying these heritage objects requires careful consideration of both aesthetics and preservation care. For March, the Brown Bag Lunch Series would like to invite you to join Natasha Herman of Redbone Bindery for her talk on The Display of Books in Exhibition Spaces on Tuesday, March 25, at 2 pm ET. This lecture will explore key principles of book display, including structural support, preventive conservation best practices, design and display contexts. By examining the intersection of physics, materials, and exhibition design, attendees will gain practical strategies for creating visually engaging yet preservation-conscious book displays. The Di... [more March Brown Bag: Display of Books]


New York Book Fair 2025

By Rich Rennicks

The ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair -- officially sanctioned by Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) and produced and managed by Sanford L. Smith + Associates -- is set to return to the iconic Park Avenue Armory in New York City from April 3-6, 2025, celebrating its 65th Edition. The ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF) stands as one of New York's cultural cornerstones, returning to the city as a must-see event of the Spring season. Known as the world's premier antiquarian book fair, this year's edition will showcase more than 200 exhibitors from across the globe and cementing its status as an internationally renowned event. With its unique blend of history, literature and art, the fair attracts a diverse mix of collectors,... [more New York Book Fair 2025]


January Brown Bag

By Rich Rennicks

Edit: the recording of this event can be viewed on our YouTube channel... Join the ABAA Gender Equity Initiative on Tuesday, January 28th at 2pm ET, for a Brown Bag Lunch featuring a panel discussion with CABS-Minnesota alums and faculty. They will share their stories and experiences in the in-person, hands-on antiquarian book seminar. Learn how one of the many valuable resources in this niche community, CABS-Minnesota, can benefit you, whether you are an ABAA member, aspiring new rare book dealer, librarian, or collector wanting to build a network with specialists in the trade, meet peers equally passionate about antiquarian materials, and dive deeper into the contemporary rare book market. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER... CABS-Minnesota Panel List Garrett Scott - Garrett Scott, Bookseller Garrett Scott has been selling antiquarian books since ... [more January Brown Bag]

We are sharing the difficult news that the 2025 ABAA California Book Fair has officially been cancelled. As of today, January 13, FEMA and the Red Cross have assumed responsibility for the operations of the Pasadena Convention Center for 30 days as an evacuation center for those displaced by the fires. All tickets purchased through Eventbrite will be refunded to the original payment method. We thank you for your understanding, and our hearts go out to all those affected by the disaster in Southern California. [more 2025 California Book Fair Cancelled]


Latest Members of the ABAA

By Rich Rennicks

Meet the latest booksellers to have been granted membership of the ABAA. Full Members Daylon Orr, Fugitive Materials, Brooklyn, New York Daylon is a bookseller, archives broker, and publisher with a focus on underground, oppositional, queer, and non-Western histories. Born in Tucson, Arizona and raised in Brooklyn, he graduated from Hunter College with a BA in Postcolonial Literature and Critical Theory. After nearly a decade as an archivist and rare bookseller, Daylon founded Fugitive Materials in 2020. Fugitive Materials specializes in radical, underground, and oppositional histories with a focus on the material cultures of resistance: the detritus of radical social movements; histories of labor; policing, and prisons; radical pedagogy; anti-colonialism and protest in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East; and underground art. Daylo... [more Latest Members of the ABAA]

Armed Services Editions, small-format paperback books distributed to US servicemen during WWII, are credited with achieving a great deal: not just with improving morale among the troops, but also with revolutionizing the post-war publishing industry, making certain books into classics, and expanding the American middle class. The book When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win WWII, by Molly Guptill Manning, reveals the largely forgotten story of the Armed Services Editions. When the US entered the war after Pearl Harbor, librarians initially got behind a nationwide book drive, the Victory Book Campaign, which aimed to collect 10 million donated books and supply them to the troops. Although this campaign was eventually successful, it took time, and many of the donated books were too old or heavy to be of use. A group of publis... [more Collecting Armed Services Editions]


Networking Reception

By Rich Rennicks

Join the ABAA Gender Equity Initiative for a Networking Reception at this year's Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair. The reception will take place on Saturday, November 9, at 7 pm EST, in the Rochambeau's Left Bank Room (2nd floor). Stop by for a quick refreshment before your dinner plans. Saturday, November 9, at 7 pm EST Rochambeau The Left Bank Room (2nd floor) 900 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02115 [more Networking Reception]

The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair (BIABF) has announced special events and programs at this year's fair; kicking off with an Opening Night celebration on Friday, November 8, from 4-8pm; and featuring in-person talks all weekend. With more than 100 rare book dealers from the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, the UK, and 19 U.S. states, an alluring treasure trove awaits seasoned bibliophiles and first-time attendees at the Fair. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8 4-8pm | Opening Night Get a first look at items for sale at this festive preview—an opportunity to browse the collections of U.S. and international dealers and to mingle with other bibliophiles, collectors, museum curators, and special collections librarians. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the event or online... Buy tickets here... SATURDAY, NOVEM... [more Boston Book Fair Special Events]


October Brown Bag

By Rich Rennicks

Edit: The recording of this event is now available on our YouTube channel: The Brown Bag Lunch Series, presented by the ABAA Gender Equity Initiative, invites you to join on Zoom on October 22nd, 2024, at 2 PM ET for a Brown Bag Lunch Series with Jordan Ross, the first prize winner of the David Ruggles Prize. Ross will be presenting his collection of "Black Collegiate Textbooks and Histories" along with the prize administrator, Patrick Olson of Patrick Olson Rare Books. October 22nd @ 2 PM ET Collecting Black Collegiate Textbooks and Histories Register here... Jordan Ross Ross has been collecting for ten years, and his decade-long effort to build a "Black Collegiate Textbooks and Histories" collection is paying off. Ross provides not only a snapshot of African American history textbooks in use during the late-19th and early-20th centuries... [more October Brown Bag]