The New York Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Park Avenue Armory March 9-12 for the 57th installment of this annual fiesta of rare books, historical documents, and all kinds of print ephemera. Below you'll find a few highlights from among the many fascinating and rare items that ABAA members will be exhibiting at the show. Contact the dealer referenced for more information. An Outstanding Album of Italian Political Cartoons Thirty-Two Magnificent Hand-Colored Lithographs by Antonio Manganaro. MANGANARO, Antonio. L'Esposizione Marittima Visitata da Dante e Virgilio. Allegoria di A. Manganaro. . Folio (18 11/16 x 12 3/8 inches; 475 x 314 mm.). Hand colored lithograph pictorial title-page and thirty-one magnificent hand colored lithograph plates including the final "Chiusura" plate showing Dante holding hands with the 'skeletal' Virgil. All plates mounted on stubs. Contemporary quarter green calf over green pebbled cloth boards. Covers decoratively ruled in blind, front cover with "Manganaro / L'Esposizione Marittima" stamped in gilt. Spine with five raised bands, lettered in gilt in compartments, marbled end-papers. Spine ends expertly and invisibly restored. This is an outstanding and fascinating record in thirty-two hand-colored lithographs of the political figures of Italy in the 1860's. The majority of the plates feature the figures of Dante and the 'skeletal' Virgil surrounded by various members of the Italian Bureaucracy. In some way the beautifully hand colored illus... [more Featured Items: New York Book Fair]

“The best book fair in the world.” – Andy Rooney What's got over 200 rare book dealers from around the world, signed books by Martin Luther King, Jr., a pointe shoe worn by Anna Pavlova, and a cache of correspondence by Alexander Hamilton? The 57th New York Antiquarian Book Fair, which return to the Park Avenue Armory over the weekend of March 9-12, 2017, that's what! The largest rare book fair in North America is back, and bigger than ever. Where: Park Avenue Armory 643 Park Avenue NY, NY 10065 When: Thursday, March 9 (Preview) 5-9pm Friday, March 10 noon-8pm Saturday, March 11 noon-7pm Sunday, March 12 noon-5pm Note: Discovery Day takes place on Sunday, from 1pm-3pm. Tickets: Preview pass: $50 Daily admission: $25 Run of show: $40 Students: $10 Tickets available here... Discovery Day A favorite tradition, Discovery Day allows ticketed visitors the opportunity to bring their own rare books, manuscripts, maps, etc. in for evaluation. Expert appraisers will be on hand to offer advice. Featured Items While there are too many stunning items to list, here are a few early highlights: Hamilton Correspondence A unique collection of original letters, documents and imprints relating to the life and times of Alexander Hamilton, the orphan immigrant founding father who fought for independence, founded our financial system, and fostered a government capable of surviving internal factions and foreign foes — as well as inspiring the hit musical! View the catalog of this collection.... [more Ready for the New York Antiquarian Book Fair?]

Regarded as one of the world's largest and most prestigious exhibitions of antiquarian books, the California International Antiquarian Book Fair gives visitors the opportunity to see, learn about, and purchase the finest in rare and valuable books, manuscripts, autographs, illustrations, vintage photographs, and much more. Preview some of the most-unusual, rarest, and most-beautiful rare books and other items that members of the ABAA will be exhibiting at the fair below. The fair tales place in Oakland, CA over the weekend of February 10-12, 2017, and, as always, all items are subject to prior sale! Hillerman, Tony. The Blessing Way. NY, Harper & Row, 1970, first edition. This is the ultimate copy of Author's First Book, it is an Inscribed Presentation/Association Copy of the highest order, inscribed by Hillerman to Navajo artist Ernest Franklin who went on to create a cottage industry wherein he illustrated many of Hillerman's titles in an after-market situation where individuals brought him copies of Hillerman's books for Franklin to illustrate, the vast majority of such books include just one illustration by Franklin, this one has 30 (!) illustrations by Franklin in addition to Hillerman's doubly signed inscription ("with my thanks to/Ernie Franklin/for showing me/what Leaphorn/looks like/TH"), the inscription is on the title page, Hillerman has additionally signed his full name under his printed signature on the title page, Joe Leaphorn is the Navajo tribal policeman crea... [more 50th CA Book Fair: Featured Items]

More than 120 dealers from around the world rendevous every fall at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston's Back Bay to display their latest acquisitions to collectors. 2016 will see the 40th annual book fair in Boston, taking place over the weekend of October 28-30. Here are some selected highlights of the items ABAA members will be taking to the Boston Book Fair this year. A full-page document (see attached) signed by Thomas Cushing, submitted to the Senate and House of Representatives of the state of Massachusetts, dated Oct. 2, 1783, stating that when the British troops were in possession of Boston in the year 1775, he suffered the loss of “the greatest and most valuable part of his household furniture while he was attending his duty at Congress and his family were (sic) drove out of the Town of Boston, destitute of any furniture.” This letter was submitted to Congress as a request for compensation regarding losses incurred during the British occupation of Boston. (Offered by Old Editions Book Shop) Moore, Clement C., The Night Before Christmas or A Visit of St. Nicholas. New York: McLoughlin Brothers, 1888. First Edition. Near fine in heavy paper, printed wraps over a sewn binding. A quarto measuring 12 by 10 inches with minor rubbing to the fore corners of the front cover. Without a dust jacket. Unpaginated, but containing 18 pages counting the interior sides of the covers. Illustrated throughout with color chromolithographs by an unknown artist. An extremely clean ... [more Boston Book Fair: Featured Items!]

The 2016 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair will present a special exhibition, Collecting the Boston Music Scene: 1976-2016, in honor of their host city. David Bieber, formerly of WBCN, will display a selection of highlights from his extensive archives of rock posters, albums, and ephemera chronicling 40 years of Boston's vibrant music scene — a collection that features collections of items connected local groups like Aerosmith, The J. Geils Band, and The Cars, as well as many quirky one-of-a-kind pieces by other artists. Boston has always been known as a music town, giving birth to groups of all genres—rock, folk, jazz, blues—and a spate of legendary venues that hosted them—The Boston Tea Party, Paul's Mall and the Jazz Workshop, Club Passim, the Underground, and the Paradise, to name a few. That music scene was aided and abetted by WBCN, “the Rock of Boston,” which dominated the airwaves, followed by other stations over the years which carved out different musical niches—WEEI, which virtually invented soft rock; WXKS, for disco and dance music; and WFNX, Boston's first radio station dedicated solely to alternative rock. The items on view in this exhibition are a small selection of Bieber's extensive archives, offering attendees look behind the scenes of Boston's evolving music history over four decades. As a Boston music insider, Bieber has been amassing the collection since his days as Director of Creative Services at WBCN and later, as Director of Sp... [more Collecting the Boston Music Scene: 1976-2016]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America congratulates the 2016 winners of the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest: 1st Place: Luke Kelly. Harvard University. “A Collection of Eugene Walter, King of the Monkeys” 2nd Place: Megan Jones. University of Kansas. "The Life and Times of Sacco and Vanzetti” 3rd Place: Micaela Beigel. Goucher College. “Once We Were Dreamers: A Collection of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust” Essay award: Samantha Flitter. Princeton University. “The Sand and the Sea: An Age of Sail Library in Rural New Mexico” The winners will receive their awards during a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 14, at 5:30 p.m. at the Library of Congress, Montpelier Room, sixth floor of the Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. The event is free and open to the public. The special guest speaker is Toni Tipton-Martin, a food and nutrition journalist and community activist. She is the author of “The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African-American Cookbooks,” a James Beard Award-winning annotated bibliography that tells the story behind her rare collection of African-American cookbooks and food culture. The judges were impressed with the stories and thought that went into assembling these collections and wish to thank all who participated. The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (www.abaa.org) is a trade association of more than 450 professionals who specialize in fine and rare books and printed matter. Members are united in a... [more Press Release: 2016 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest Winners Announced]

To commemorate the day of Shakespeare's birth, and death, April 23rd, The Folger Shakespeare Library will host an international live streaming event from the historic Paster Reading Room at the Folger. Broadcast live via C-SPAN and live streamed at Folger.edu, a diverse array of actors, community leaders, artists and scholars will share their connection to Shakespeare through compelling performances and personal stories. Confirmed presenters include Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Jane Chu; Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, William "Bro" Adams; actor and President Obama's appointed Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Kal Penn; Guggenheim Fellow and author, Francisco Goldman; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Clarence Page; and the Reduced Shakespeare Company, the hilarious comedy troupe behind The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). #MySHX400 [more Celebrate Shakespeare: The Wonder of Will Live!]

ABAA members are participating in UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day (April 23, 2016) by organizing several "Pop-Up" Book Fairs around the country. The Pop-Up Books Fairs are organized by the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, the parent organization of the ABAA. From the ILAB: What do a film star, the children in South Sudan, and 1,800 booksellers on 5 continents have in common? They are some of the essential components of a worldwide series of events to create a more literate world. On 23 April 2016, the members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) will celebrate UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day with a series of spectacular and extraordinary bookish events -- for 24 hours, one after another around the world. Last year and for the very first time, ILAB booksellers decided to think global and act local on 23 April 2015 by holding ILAB Pop Up Fairs -- book presentations, lectures, exhibitions, performances, appraisals -- within their local communities and coordinating their efforts under ILAB's roof. The worldwide celebrations held at most busy and sometimes really unexpected places like Giant Ferris wheels, cabarets and clubs made a global impact. The ILAB booksellers raised well over 10,000 Euros, which bought 1,930 books and 500 pens and paper for the South Sudanese children – delivered by UNESCO's Forest Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative. In 2016 the ILAB booksellers will do this again… and they will do even more! ... [more ABAA Pop Up Book Fairs]

ABAA members will be bringing their best items to the 56th annual New York Antiquarian Book Fair during the second week of April, 2016. Below, we have a few highlights from our members (in no particular order): exceedingly rare books, unique records, and one-of-a-kind ephemera to give a brief flavor of the treasures that await discovery in New York. Members submitted so many featured items that we've had to split the list into two parts. This is part two, click here to view the first batch of featured items... William Blake, “The Ancient of Days” (Europe, pl. 1). Relief and white-line etching, 1794, printed in blue ink, probably in 1794 by Blake, image and platemark 23.4 x 16.8 cm. on a leaf of wove paper 24.4 x 17.7 cm. Mounted in a window cut into a backing leaf, pen and ink framing lines on the mount which is also inscribed in pencil by an unknown hand, “From Europe, Frontispiece.” Designated as copy D of “The Ancient of Days” in BB pp. 109, 339 (no. 100), 340 (no. F1). Provenance: Possibly inherited from Blake by his wife Catherine in 1827; possibly acquired by Frederick Tatham upon Catherine Blake's death in 1831; acquired “about 1853” (BB p. 337) by George A. Smith and mounted and bound by him with other works by Blake, including the “Order” of the Songs of Innocence and of Experience; the vol. sold by Smith, Christie's, 1 April 1880, #168 (�66 to the dealer Bernard Quaritch); possibly sold, or more probably lent, by Quaritch to the facsimilists Will... [more Featured Items: New York Book Fair (Part 2)]

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]