The upcoming 55th California International Antiquarian Book Fair (February 10-12 at the Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, CA) will feature fine and rare materials from around the globe, including manuscripts, first editions, children's books, ephemera, maps and autographs, as well as antiquarian books in a vast array of fields. Here is a preview of some of the items our exhibitors will be bringing to the Fair: LAMOTTE, Louise. Album with 191 Fashion Design Illustrations. Paris: 1920-1924. Three large quarto volumes with 191 beautiful original fashion design illustrations tipped in on cards. Illustrations are in pen-and-ink and hand-colored with watercolors and sometimes heightened in gold and silver. Leaves: (11 x 9 inches; 280 x 225 mm) Illustrations: (9 1/2 x 6 3/8 inches; 240 x 160 mm). Each illustration is stamped with Lamotte's ink stamp on verso, and occasionally also on recto. The stamp reads "3 Faubourg St. Honore Paris Louise Lamotte" Each plate is also numbered and named on verso in ink. Many of the illustrations are also signed by Lamotte on verso. The spine of volume one reads 1920-1921, volume II reads 1922-1923, and volume III reads 1924. These drawings are particularly interesting in that the 1920s marked an important era in fashion. Fashion underwent a modernization and a simplification from the earlier Victorian and Edwardian eras. As seen in these present examples, the "roaring twenties" brought "the development of convenient and modern styles that rejec... [more CA Book Fair: Preview]
Book Fairs
Don't miss the ABAA Virtual Book Fair: Boston Holiday Edition! Your chance to finish your holiday shopping and find rare and unique gifts for everyone on your list! December 8-10, 2022 www.abaa.org/vbf Explore the finest rare books, manuscripts and ephemera. Shop the virtual booths of international sellers and discover their latest acquisitions and rare finds. View participating booksellers... Virtual doors open continuously from 12pm EDT on Thursday, December 8 until 7pm EDT on Saturday, December 10. www.abaa.org/vbf [more ABAA Virtual Book Fair: Boston Holiday Edition]
The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston's Back Bay for an in-person book fair November 11-13, 2022. Here are some highlights from among the rare books and related ephemera you'll find when you visit! Aldus Chapin Higgins Photo Album, 1923. A Ten Weeks Vacation Trip to Europe. February 23rd to May 12th 1923 by Mary Sprague and Aldus Chapin Higgins ending with a Motor Trip in France with Elizabeth and W. Irving Clark Large format hand-made book, unpaginated , colored ink manuscript calligraphy on cover, bound in leather parchment over stiff boards, 306 large and medium format professional black and white photographs mounted on laid paper with deckled edges, each photo titled in manuscript, 3-page typed itinerary bound in at end of book, one small landscape oil painting "Taormina" bound in, 2-page color map with itinerary hand drawn on map, separate set of 7 small format B&W photographs of the architecture of the Higgins home, newly completed, Worcester, Massachusetts, and one engraved calling card of Mr. and Mrs. Aldus Chapin Higgins 1 John Wing Road . Dimensions: 15 1/8" x 11 1/4" x 3" Condition: book as found good condition, covers some wear, contents, including laid paper pages, oil painting, manuscript, professional photographs excellent condition. Description: There are two works of art in this description: the hand made parchment bound, decorated book that became the Higgins photograph album; and the large archive of... [more Boston Book Fair Featured Items]
Join us for the 62nd annual ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair in-person at the Park Avenue Armory, April 21-24, 2022! This year's New York Book Fair will feature 185 exhibitors, bringing a vast treasure trove of material to new York City, including rare books, maps, illuminated manuscripts, incunabula, fine bindings, illustrations, historical documents, rare prints and print ephemera, and so much more. In recent years, the Fair has increasingly captured the attention of young collectors seeking one-of-a-kind offerings at more-accessible price points. Discovery Day on Sunday, April 24th, will give ticketed visitors the opportunity to bring in their own rare books, manuscripts, maps, etc. (up to 5 items) to be examined by our panel of exhibitors who will offer expert advice and verbal appraisals. The ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is officially sanctioned by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers. For more details visit https://www.nyantiquarianbookfair.com. Where: Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, New York City. When: Preview Night Thursday, April 21, 5pm-9pm $60 Admission -- Includes one daily re-admission Open Hours Friday, April 22, noon-8pm Saturday, April 23, noon-7pm Sunday, April 24, noon-5pm Tickets: $30 General Admission $45 Run of Show $10 Students (with valid ID) Children 16 and under admitted free Tickets are available online or at the door. [more Get Ready for the New York Book Fair]
After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the 54th California International Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Bay Area on Friday, February 11! This in-person book fair will be held at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, California, and will feature rare books and related treasures from both US and international booksellers. To coincide with the in-person event, the ABAA Virtual Book Fair: California Edition will take place from 9 am (PST) Saturday, February 12 until 5 pm (PST) Monday, February 14 and will be accessible at abaa.org/vbf. The fairs are sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Both in-person and virtual fairs will offer a rich selection of manuscripts, early American and European literature, modern first editions, children's books, maps and autographs, as well as antiquarian books and ephemera on a wide range of other topics. Preview exhibitors attending the California International Antiquarian Book Fair... Preview dealers exhibiting at the ABAA Virtual Book Fair: California Edition... SCHEDULE All times PST. Friday, February 11 3:00 PM -- Doors open in Oakland! 8:00 PM -- Doors close. Saturday, February 12 9:00 AM -- ABAA Virtual Book Fair: California Edition Begins! This virtual book fair will be accessible at www.abaa.org/vbf... 11:00 AM -- Doors open in Oakland! Several in-person seminars and presentations will take place during the day, and will be live-streame... [more Schedule for the ABAA California Book Fairs]
After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the 54th California International Antiquarian Book Fair will return to the Bay Area on Friday, February 11 through Sunday, February 13, 2022. The event will be held at the Oakland Marriott City Center and will feature rare books and related treasures from both US and international booksellers. To coincide with the in-person event, the ABAA Virtual Book Fair: California Edition will take place from 9 am (PST) Saturday, February 12 until 5 pm (PST) Monday, February 14 and will be accessible at abaa.org/vbf. The fairs are sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Both in-person and virtual fairs will offer a rich selection of manuscripts, early American and European literature, modern first editions, children's books, maps and autographs, as well as antiquarian books and ephemera on a wide range of other topics. Among the rich selection of thousands of books, maps, manuscripts, and ephemera on offer in Oakland will be some extraordinary items that tell fascinating stories or offer nuanced glimpses into our history. Some of these notable items will include: The Thackrey Library an Archaeology of Pleasures The Thackrey Library is the greatest collection of wine books and manuscripts in private hands in the United States. Comprising more than seven hundred titles, the Library includes all of the important works in oenology and viticulture from the 15th cen... [more Preview the ABAA’s California Book Fairs]
The CA Book Fair is back! Join your fellow dealers and collectors for an in-person book fair February 11-13, 2022 at the Oakland Marriott City Center, Oakland, CA. For those unable to travel, there will be a simultaneous virtual book fair at abaa.org/vbf. The Virtual Book Fair: California Edition will begin at 9am PST on February 12, 2022 and doors will remain open until 5pm PST on February 14, 2022. Recognized as one of the largest and most prestigious antiquarian book fairs in the world, the 54th California International Antiquarian Book Fair will feature the collections and rare treasures of booksellers from around the globe, including manuscripts, modern first editions, children's books, ephemera, maps and autographs, as well as antiquarian books on a vast array of topics. As an officially sanctioned fair of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, buyers can be assured of the highest standards and professionalism of participating dealers. In addition to the outstanding assembly of exhibitors, the three-day in-person Fair will feature a special exhibit on wine and viticulture, courtesy of the Shields Library, University of California, Davis. The grape growing and winemaking collections at the University of California, Davis are the finest such collections in the world. A representative selection of the collections will be on display. Additional Fair Features include: Information about local library and un... [more The California Book Fair is Back!]
Feast your eyes on some of the rare books and related items that will be available exclusively at the ABAA Virtual Book Fair: Boston Edition, November 18-20, 2021. The dealers offering these items will be identified after the fair opens! As Nature Shows Them. Moths and Butterflies of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains Denton, Sherman F Condition: Publisher's crushed brown morocco gilt, spines tooled in gilt with butterfly decorations, a.e.g. Moderate scuffing to edges, som Edition: From an edition limited to 500 numbered sets, this is number 183 Binding: Xvi,161; xvi,-361pp. including approximately 400 in-text illustrations, plus fifty-six nature-printed and handcolored plate Publisher: Bradlee Whidden Location: Boston Date: 1900 Boston: Bradlee Whidden, 1900. From an edition limited to 500 numbered sets, this is number 183. xvi,161; xvi,-361pp. including approximately 400 in-text illustrations, plus fifty-six nature-printed and handcolored plates. Half titles. Thirty-one original moth and butterfly specimens. All but two moth and butterfly specimens mounted in original Denton Brothers boxes, many stamped with the Denton Brothers address (the remaining two examples in a single Riker mount). 2 vols. Large 8vo. Publisher's crushed brown morocco gilt, spines tooled in gilt with butterfly decorations, a.e.g. Moderate scuffing to edges, some rubbing and light soiling to boards, corners worn. Tiny ownership label of Canadian entomologist W.H. Harrington on each titlepage... [more Select Highlights: Boston Edition]
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America's Virtual Book Fair: Boston Edition will take place November 18-20, in lieu of the in-person Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair. With the Fair online, everyone around the globe can attend the Boston Book Fair, one of the oldest and most respected antiquarian book shows in the U.S. The ABAA Virtual Book Fair: Boston Edition opens at 12 p.m./EST on November 18 and will remain open continuously, 24 hours a day, until the event's closing on November 20 at 8 p.m./EST. Admission is free. Visitors will be able to interact with book, map, autograph, and ephemera sellers in real-time directly from the virtual book fair platform. “As the leaves change in New England and the students return to Boston,” Nicole Reiss, Chair, ABAA Boston Book Fair Committee, invites exhibitors to, “join colleagues in another outstanding virtual fair event.” Both American and international exhibitors will offer a rich selection of manuscripts, unique ephemera, artist books, zines, as well as early American and European literature, modern first editions, children's books, maps, autographs, photographs, and more. In recent years, at the book fairs, novice and younger collectors have been increasingly captivated by unique offerings at accessible price points. Continuing in this spirit, for attendees wanting to start a collection, there is something for everyone and dealers will offer “Discovery” items priced at $100 or less. “The virtual... [more Preview the Virtual Book Fair: Boston Edition]
Feast your eyes on some of the rare books and related items that will be available exclusively at the ABAA Virtual Book Fair: New York Edition, September 9-12, 2021. The dealers offering these items will be identified after the fair opens! The Garden Murder Case: A Philo Vance Story Van Dine, S. S. inscribed 332+ pages. Small octavo (7 1/2" x 5 1/2") bound in original publisher's gilt-stamped black cloth in original jacket. Inscription to front end paper. (Firsts Volume 14, number 9 page 31) First edition. Garden marked the return to the original design for the dust wrappers, without any graphics added to the standard index card layout. Here the card is in gold and the front and back panels, and the front and spine of the book's cover are also stamped in gold. Floyd, the son of Professor Garden, invites his socialite friends to the rooftop garden of his father's New York penthouse to listen to the outcome of horse races. Detective Philo Vance receives an anonymous telephone message inviting him to one of Floyd's gatherings. On that particular night, Floyd's best friend has placed an enormous bet on a horse named Equanimity. Once it is announced that Equanimity has lost the race, a gunshot is heard and Floyd's friend is found dead of a gunshot wound. Though initially thought to be a suicide, Detective Vance deems the death a murder. The night proves to be even more eventful, due to the attempted poisoning of Floyd's mother's nurse and the subsequent murder of his mother. Ultim... [more Selected Highlights: New York Edition]