Rare Book Monthly
Articles - February - 2008 Issue
Two Book Fairs in California in February
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From 1:30 - 3:00 pm –
The ABAA provides its annual free clinic a la Antique Rare Books Road Show. It's called Discovery Day, is open to the public and free with paid admission. So many people go to sleep at night clutching a favorite book. Bring it to the show and watch your dreams get crushed. Once in a while, of course, a gem emerges. It can be exciting, informative and worthwhile. [limit three items per person]
All day parking in San Francisco is both plentiful and relatively cheap: $15. In LA, at the convention center, it's $31 for valet, $22 for self-parking.
These are not the only book related events in the Golden State over these two weekends. There are also three auctions: PBA in San Francisco on the 7th, and 21st, Bonhams & Butterfields in Los Angeles and San Francisco on the 18th,. Elsewhere in America and around the world 20 auctions, are scheduled. Additional auctions will be posted during the month.
For visiting buyers and sellers there are also hundreds of open shops in southern California and online more than 1,500 California-based sellers listing on one or more internet sites. California is the busiest state in the United States in the book business. This takes nothing away from New York that has long dominated the world of books with great public and private libraries, many of the world's great dealers and numerous shows. California is simply much larger: a population of 36 million versus 19 million.
So give serious consideration to attending one or both of these fairs. Both shows are great catalysts and there are plenty of ancillary opportunities. There are also no conflicts with the Super Bowl as there have been intermittently in the past. The weather is usually good, the material choice, the company exhilarating.
