I've always enjoyed the international nature of the book trade. Buying books from all over the world, and selling them to collectors all over world: what could be better than that? Livres sans frontières. The coming month will see me do just that. This week, I shall be in Stuttgart for the 54th Stuttgarter Antiquariatsmesse. Then, two weeks later, I travel to Oakland for the 48th California International Antiquarian Book Fair. Both fairs will see lots of British booksellers in attendance, whether 'shopping' or as exhibitors. There's always a certain buzz about Stuttgart: the first major fair of the New Year, everyone keen to get hunting to see what they can find. I can remember going to my first Stuttgart fair, back in 1999. In those days, you still had the 'running.' For those who never experienced it, I shall explain. At German book fairs, there is usually a general fair catalogue, which lists details of certain books the various booksellers will be exhibiting at the fair. Importantly, these books must be available when the fair opens: exhibitors are not allowed to sell anything listed in the fair catalogue before the fair. That used to mean that if you really wanted something listed in the fair catalogue, you had to run for it when the fair opened. People would employ young, athletic types (often local students) to run for books. Or you could run yourself. You had to get there early, of course, perhaps an hour before the fair was due to open, to make sure of your place in... [more On Your Marks, Get Set…]

We are just weeks away from the 48th California International Antiquarian Book Fair (February 6-8, 2015), the world's great Northern California rare book fair, and organizers have an extensive schedule of special events and seminars to surprise and delight both experienced collectors and those curious to begin. This year, the festival moves to a new location in historic Oakland, CA, affording easy access and superb facilities at the Oakland Marriott City Center. Along with exhibits by over 185 rare book dealers from the U.S. and abroad, there are many special events planned: Lecture by Daniel De Simone Saturday, February 7 at 1pm The ABAA and the Bibliographical Society of America are sponsoring a lecture on “Building New Audiences for Rare Books” by Daniel De Simone, Eric Weinmann Librarian at the Folger Shakespeare Museum. Educational Events for New Book Collectors Sunday, February 8 11:30am: Book Collecting 101 Learn how to judge a book's condition, where to buy quality rare books, the characteristics that distinguish a true first edition, how to shape a collection, and much more. 12:15 pm: What's This Book Worth? Professional appraisers will discuss the factors that give books commercial and monetary value. 1pm: Discovery Day Exhibitors will offer interested attendees up to three free appraisals, so if you think you may have an item of special interest, this is a valuable opportunity to have it assessed. "Jack London, Photographer": A Lecture by Sara S. Hodson Sunday,... [more 48th Annual California Antiquarian Book Fair]

Things have changed in the Boston since the first ABAA Boston Book Fair was launched. And in a profession that deals in the old, change can be a good thing. There were shops that were within walking distance from each other. Others were a short subway ride or car ride away. And while we're going down memory lane, let's include Cambridge and a suburb or two. (Greg, Gloucester is not a suburb of Boston, but I'll mention you anyway). Back in the day (let's use the first ABAA Boston Book Fair as a reference point), there was Brattle, Goodspeed's, Starr, Sam Morrill, F.A. Bernett, Temple Bar, The Bromers, Mike Ginsberg, Robin Bledsoe, Ernie Morrell, the O'Neals (David and Mary,) the O'Neills (Jimmy and Gene), and Harold Burstein. Change came about in a variety of ways. Goodspeed's lost momentum during the 1990s. As a result, George closed the 'used book' shop on Milk Street and moved his 'rare book' shop from its Beacon Street retail shop to an office. Eventually the shop closed and George died in 1997 without leaving an heir. Ernie Starr and Sam Morrill passed, too. Norm Starr ran the shop for a while, but with soaring rent, he moved to Cambridge, then further out, and eventually closed shop. Ernie Morrell had a lovely shop of dance and theater arts books on the flat of Beacon Hill. Harold Burstein, one of the founders of the Boston Book Fair, dealt from Waltham, not too far out from the City. His legacy continues, but further west, in Bernardston, MA. The Cantabrigians also fell... [more Changes: The Boston Bookstore Scene]

I've been asked to dredge up a few memories about the Boston book fair, the venues it occupied prior to its current home at the Hines Convention Center, and some of the dealers who exhibited in Boston in previous generations. Our firm, Howard S. Mott, Inc., is one of six firms to have exhibited at every Boston book fair since its inception in 1976, the upcoming fair being the 38th Annual. The others are Brattle Book Shop, Michael Ginsberg, aGatherin', Rulon-Miller, and Phil McBlain. The idea for the book fair came from Harold Burstein, and at the first exploratory meeting were Harold, Ken Gloss, Ken Rendell, and Mike Ginsberg. When the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair began our firm was still a member of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the ABAA. The firm started business life in New York City when there was no New England Chapter, and twenty years later, after my father and mother moved the family to Massachusetts in 1956, there was still no NE Chapter. When such a chapter was established my parents were slow to make the change. Thus, we were not involved with the creation of the fair. The early fairs were managed by Anne Bromer's mother, the indomitable Florence Finn. She was small in stature, but large in personality and authority. No problem was too big or too small for her, and she ran the show beautifully until she retired after something on the order of ten years at the helm. The first few fairs were held at the Copley Plaza Hotel, and they started slowly despite its ideal loca... [more Recollections Of The Boston Book Fair, By A Lifer]

Peter L. Stern introduces several notable characters in the Boston rare-book trade. I have been asked to write a blog for the ABAA along the lines of “characters in the Boston book trade.” I hardly know where to begin, but I'll give myself a pass and leave it to others to extoll my virtues and undisputed genius. My own career in the antiquarian trade started at the Starr Book Company on Kingston Street. This was very nearly where the Great Boston Fire (1872) originated, and our building was likely built on those ashes. It may have been 1972 outside, but inside it was a century earlier. We only had direct current, our heat came from a central Edison steam plant, and “air conditioning” was supplied by an industrial fan that sounded like a revving B-24. My morning's first task was to sweep the floor and then pack shipments, which were bundled with string. Remember packages tied by string? My starting pay was a princely $100 a week, but given the modest business that paid it, I never resented it, although more than once, I was very nearly felled by book avalanches. My boss, Ernie Starr, had been in the trade since the late thirties or early forties. He possessed a genuine enthusiasm and appreciation for books, even if he occupied a low rung on the ladder. He was originally in business with his brother Milt, a rather gruff man. Eventually, he and Ernie split up. Milt got Cambridge, Ernie got Boston. I particularly recall one anecdote Ernie told about their partnership. The... [more Boston: Characters in the Rare Book Trade]

Back in the 1990s event promoter Bernice Bornstein saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. Her husband Marvin owned a parking lot directly across the street from the Hynes Auditorium, where the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair was being held. “Why not have a smaller show for non-ABAA dealers that same weekend?” she asked. “We could use the basement of Marvin's garage.” Thus the first “Shadow Show” was born. The idea met intense resistance at first. Old-line ABAA dealers were concerned that another show would steal customers and dilute earnings. They feared the public would confuse the ABAA show, where rigid standards for dealers were enforced, with the non-ABAA show, where the only requirement was the ability to pay booth rent. They feared competition from dealers with lower overheads. They feared their stable price structures would be challenged by dealers out to make a quick buck. They feared a lot of things that never came to pass. Bernice's Shadow Show was a great success, and the old guard quickly realized that the existence of a second show benefited everyone. It wasn't long before promoters Garry Austin and Bruce Gventer transferred the Shadow Show model to the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. This is the pre-eminent book fair in the country; one of the greatest in the world. By this time there was no doubt in anyone's mind that a second show would provide a tremendous opportunity for ABAA dealers to buy and for non-ABAA dealers ... [more Book Show Wars]

We asked Michael Hackenberg, Chair of the Northern California Book Fair Committee, to provide his personal perspective on the decision to move the ABAA-sponsored California International Antiquarian Book Fair from San Francisco to Oakland. (Our California fairs alternate between Southern California and Northern California.) Knowing the Concourse was no more, the Book Fair Committee basically had two options (since the Yerba Buena Center and its big San Francisco downtown Marriott laughed at our small size): Fort Mason or the Oakland Marriott City Center. Site visits and many discussions led the Committee to select the Oakland location. It boasts a brightly lit and large exhibit hall with no dividing wall (and no leaking roof), easy self-loading and unloading, plus smooth arrangements for both EPI (our local union crew located on nearby Alameda and already very familiar with the venue) and Caladex (I personally walked through the venue with both of those firms' representatives, and they were quite pleased with the logistical situation). It has a quality hotel on-site with very advantageous room rates (the Committee looked over the rooms carefully). Its great East Bay location has three freeways joining at the Bay Bridge approach and an ample parking garage. There is a 12th Street BART stop right at the door, with direct connections from Millbrae on the SF Peninsula, Fremont, Richmond/Berkeley, and all the wealthy Bay Area suburbs on the back side of the East Bay hills (Walnut ... [more Across the Bay: ABAA California Fair Moves to Oakland]

In the 1980s a buddy of mine who worked for a union in Manhattan got to know some people who knew some people who made it possible for him to purchase a three family tenement in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This deal required some social engineering because Greenpoint was a very tight neighborhood. I used to hang out there when I had business in New York, and I remember it as tidy but bleak, sporting long rows of asbestos clad tenements under gunmetal skies. When I parked my car and walked to by buddy's place, eyes followed me every step of the way. There were no people of color, just gray hair and white flesh. All the shop signs were in Polish. My car was safe but the streets were cold. I am here to tell you, friends, that Greenpoint has unfrozen. Now it teems with energy and diversity in that curious kind of vertical integration that characterizes recently colonized neighborhoods like the Lower East Side. Junkies and homeless people are still there, but they exist side by side with Euro babes walking teeny dogs, trendy hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and jogger moms pushing three wheeled carriages that cost more than my used Toyota. And those mind-bendingly spectacular views of The City! Where were they in the 1980s? This was the setting for the Brooklyn Antiques & Book Fair held in the brand new Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint. The site had recently been purchased and turned into a giant cube of glass by a band of real estate operators - descendants, perhaps, of the guys who ho... [more Marvin’s Daughter]

Ernest Wessen's letters are a must for aspiring Americana dealers In his memoir, The Adventures of a Treasure Hunter my idol, Charlie Everitt, refers to his wife as “Mrs. Everitt.” I like the old fashioned formality of that address. Same with Ernest Wessen, the great Midwestern Americanist and author of the legendary series of catalogs called Midland Notes: “Mrs. Wessen and I were returning from a visit to the folks in Maine...” etc. I would very much like to tell you about the trip Mrs. Gibson and I took recently, but when we married she kept her (Irish) family name – Crotty – and I just don't think “Ms. Crotty and I” comes across with the same archaic charm. So anyway, the wife and me, we went down to Baltimore last week. Papermania had been canceled. We had a little time on our hands, so we visited friends in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, and drove down Thursday for the opening of the Baltimore Summer Antique Show. The Baltimore Summer Antique Show still packs 'em in This used to be a sort of funky affair – diverse, rambling, and slapdash. An Irish guy named Frank was the front man. He'd get on the PA just before the show opened and give endless instructional speeches about what was expected of the dealers, unintelligible owing to the poor sound quality and his Irish brogue. Book sellers were included as an afterthought, but the combination worked. We found things to buy from the antiques people, and new customers were exposed to our wares. The show had a g... [more The Wife and Me]

I'm writing from the magnificent pile of stone and anguish known as Chapter 11 Books, situated between a Jiffy Lube and a drive-thru mortuary, and patronized primarily by people who'll have to come back when they've got more time. At the moment I'm wondering how one retires from a trade that most people take up after they retire. No answers are forthcoming. It's beginning to look as if I'll die with my books on. The dream ends. I wake to find myself in a slightly too comfortable chair at the edge of my booth at the Twenty-Fourth, or Twenty-Fifth, or Twenty-Sixth Annual Antiquarian Book Fair at John Dewey Academy, in Searles Castle, Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It's been a slow day, but days at this show are always slow. People drift in and out - polo shirted upper middle class people with frighteningly well behaved children, men in pink shorts, a lady with a Service Dog in a baby carriage. These folks are on vacation, and they've got all the time in the world. They poke around, consult one another, amble off, return, ask questions. They seem to be intelligent, sophisticated people. They're here in the Berkshires from places like Boston and New York, for the Tanglewood Music Festival or to visit the area's many galleries and museums, and we entertain their questions because, occasionally, a question will lead to a purchase. Often the question is, “Can you do any better on the price?” If you say it right, I suppose, it sounds intelligent and sophisticated. Because every... [more A Little History]