There are many rare book fairs of varying size taking place around the country in January and February. Whether you are a beginning collector of an old hand, book fairs are a great opportunity to inspect the offerings of a great many dealers, hunt for elusive books and ephemera, and meet like-minded bibliophiles.
Papermania Plus Antique Paper Show
When: Saturday January 9, 10am-5pm and Sunday January 10, 10am-4pm
Where: Hartford, CT
Info: http://papermaniaplus.com/
Note: Free Appraisal Day (Sunday, 11am-2pm) “Bring in an item related to the context of the show and we will be glad to have one of our many exhibitors assist you with finding out about your 'treasure’!”
Greater Los Angeles Postcard and Paper Show
When: Saturday January 9, 10am-5pm and Sunday January 10, 10am-4pm
Where: Glendale, CA
Info: http://www.postcardshows.com/Glendale.php
Austin Book, Paper and Photo Show
When: Friday, January 15, 6pm-9pm and Saturday, January 16, 10am-5pm
Where: Austin, TX
Info: http://www.texasbooksellers.org/austin-book-paper-photo-show
Paper Town: The January Vintage Paper, Book & Advertising Collectibles Show
When: January 23, 9am-3pm
Where: Boxborough, MA
Info: http://www.flamingoeventz.com/show-calendar/24-boxborough-paper-town-the-original-vintage-paper-book-advertising-collectibles-show-ii.html
Note: “Antiques Appraisals 12-2pm by John Bruno, Star of Market Warriors”
San Francisco Book, Print and Paper Fair
When: Friday February 5, 11am-7pm and Saturday February 6, 10am-5pm
Where: San Mateo, CA
Info: https://www.abaa.org/events/details/2016-san-francisco-antiquarian-book-print-paper-fair
Note: “The San Francisco Antiquarian Book Print & Paper Fair is a biennial event and is the largest independent Book & Paper Fair in North America.”
Miami International Map Fair
When: Friday, February 5, 4pm-6pm (private preview), Saturday February 6, 10am-5pm, Sunday, February 7, Noon-5pm
Where: Miami, FL
Info: http://www.historymiami.org/visit/map-fair
Note: “The largest map fair in the western hemisphere.”
The LA Art Book Fair
When: Thursday February 11, 6am–9pm (Preview), Friday February 12, 1pm-6pm, Saturday February 13, 11am-7pm and Sunday February 14, 11am-6pm
Where: Los Angeles, CA
Info: http://laartbookfair.net/about/
Note: “This year’s fair features SPAIN FOCUS curated by Libros Mutantes & La Casa Encendida.”
California International Antiquarian Book Fair *Sponsored by the ABAA*
When: Friday February 12, 3pm-8pm, Saturday February 13, 11am-7pm, and Sunday February 14, 11am-5pm.
Where: Pasadena, CA
Info: http://cabookfair.com/index.php
Notes: “We are delighted to announce the special exhibit for the 49th California International Antiquarian Book Fair celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first official publication of Lewis Carroll's timeless children's classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Thanks to the support of the University of Southern California Doheny Memorial Library Department of Special Collections, rare and unique items from the Cassady Lewis Carroll Collection are being showcased during the book fair. The Cassady collection includes more than 3,000 rare books, manuscripts and objects created by or about beloved children's literature author, mathematician and writer Charles Dodgson, better known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll.”
* We’ll post further updates about the California Book Fair over the coming weeks.
The Greenwich Village Antiquarian Book Fair
When: Friday February 19, 6pm-9pm, Saturday February 20, Noon-6pm, and Sunday February 21, Noon-5pm
Where: New York, NY
Info: https://gvabf.squarespace.com/
Note: “Drawing the East Coast's best book dealers, this year's traditional 3-day fair offers both the serious bibliophile and the casual browser a delightful opportunity to peruse rare and vintage books spanning the 17th through 21st centuries, including children's series and illustrated books, modern first editions, art, photography and design, maps & prints, political flyers, unusual paper ephemera and memorabilia; also Dickensiana, paleontology, architecture, autographs, African American studies, film history and comics.”
Greater Seattle Postcard and Paper Collectibles Fair
When: Saturday February 20, 10am-6pm and Sunday February 21, 10am-4pm
Where: Seattle, WA 98032
Info: http://www.postcardshows.com/seattle.php
San Marino Postcard & Paper Collectibles Fair
When: Saturday February 27, 10am-6pm and Sunday February 28, 10am-4pm
Where: San Marino, CA 91108
Info: http://www.postcardshows.com/sanmarino.php
Bookmark our events page for a listing of ABAA-sponsored book fairs, special events and exhibitions...