Rare Book Monthly

Articles - October - 2023 Issue

The 45th Annual Boston Book Fair: October 27-29

Experience Rare Books in person

THE BOSTON INTERNATIONAL ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR, RETURNS TO THE HYNES CONVENTION CENTER 

 

This Three-day event features 110+ booksellers offering treasures from around the globe!

 

BOSTON, MA – The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair (BIABF) returns to the Hynes Convention Center in Downtown Boston, October 27-29, 2023. Celebrating its 45th year, this three-day event features fine and rare printed materials from around the globe, including illuminated manuscripts, modern first editions, children’s books, ephemera, photographs, maps and autographs, as well as antiquarian books on a vast array of topics. For more information, visit www.bostonbookfair.com or call 617-938-8879.

 

More than 110 rare book dealers from Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, the UK, and the US will exhibit an alluring treasure trove for seasoned bibliomaniacs and first-time attendees. Prices range from the millions to the eminently affordable. Each item on view, whether immaculately preserved or intriguingly weathered, tells its own story. Each bookseller holds a seemingly bottomless wealth of knowledge, both artistically and historically, about each item in their collection.

 

“This is one of the most important annual events in the country for rare book enthusiasts,” say Julie Roper CEO of Capricorn Event Management, LLC, who has managed the Boston Book Fair since 2015. “After the height of the pandemic, we are seeing resurgent demand for in-person fairs, where a global community of the top dealers offer the most sought-after collections of books, maps, illustrations, and ephemera on the market.”

 

Whether browsing or buying, the Fair offers something for every taste and budget—books on art, politics, travel, gastronomy, science. sport, natural history, first editions, Americana, fashion, music, children’s books, and much more—appealing to a range of collectors and casual browsers. From the historic and academic to the religious and spiritual, from the exotic to everyday—the Fair represents every conceivable genre and subject. Attendees will have the unique chance to view rare and historic museum-quality items, offered by some of the most prestigious members of the trade.

 

The Boston Book Fair is sanctioned by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).

 

In recent years, BIABF has increasingly captured the attention of novice and young collectors seeking one-of-a-kind offerings at more accessible price points. For attendees wanting to start a collection without breaking the bank, there will be dealers offering “Discovery” items priced at $100 or less. Special events at this year’s fair will include in-person talks, announced in early fall.

 

HOURS & ADMISSION

 

Friday, October 27, Opening Night, 4PM-8PM. Tickets: $25 (available online or at the box office)

Saturday, October 28, 12PM-7PM. Free admission.

Sunday, October 29, 12PM-5PM. Free admission.

 

LOCATION

 

Hynes Convention Center (Hall A), 900 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02115

 

Here is the full list of exhibitors (with booth numbers):

 

Click to View Floor Plan 

503 Archway Books
123 James Arsenault & Company
113 B & B Rare Books
420 Lorne Bair Rare Books
525 John Bale Books LLC
325 Antiquariat Banzhaf
214 Bauman Rare Books
116 Simon Beattie Ltd
505 David Bergman
413 Jeff Bergman Books
226 Bernett Penka Rare Books
121 Between the Covers Rare Books
117 Biblionne
114 Manuel Ripoll Billon
310 Black Swan Books Inc.
404 Blackwell's Rare Books
514 Boston Rare Maps
216 Brattle Book Shop
106 Brenner's Books - Rare & Collectable
314 Bromer Bookseller
506 Bull's Head Rare Books
117 Pablo Butcher
418 Capitol Hill Books
120 Librairie Rodolphe Chamonal
119 Commonwealth Books
320 Justin Croft Antiquarian Books Limited
220 James Cummins Bookseller
527 Wilfrid M. de Freitas - Bookseller
407 Derringer Books
118 DeWolfe & Wood
205 Eclectibles
409 Editio Altera
124 Evening Star Books LLC
403 First Edition Rare Books, LLC
305 First Folio
424 Geographicus Rare Antique Maps
523 George S. MacManus Company
523 Gilann Books
224 Globus Rare Books & Archives
513 Thomas A. Goldwasser Rare Books
204 James Gray Bookseller
406 Grayshelf Books
510 HS Rare Books
207 Adrian Harrington Rare Books
410 Peter Harrington
319 Heartwood Books & Art
328 Jeff Hirsch Books
303 Sandra L. Hoekstra Bookseller
116 Honey & Wax Booksellers
114 Hyraxia Books
417 Imperial Fine Books, Inc.
513 James S. Jaffe Rare Books
423 Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers
115 Johnnycake Books
307 johnson rare books & archives
515 Kaaterskill Books
313 Ben Kinmont Bookseller
227 John W. Knott, Jr., Bookseller
408 Knuf Rare Books
108 Konstantinopel Rare & Fine Books
203 Kuenzig Books
104 Michael Laird Rare Books
516 JF Letenneur Livres Rares
225 Lucius Rare Books
304 Lux Mentis, Booksellers
323 Herman H. J. Lynge & Son A/S
223 Maggs Bros. Ltd.
515 Mare Booksellers
215 McBlain Books
507 McBride Rare Books
228 Bruce McKittrick Rare Books
425 Willis Monie
414 Howard S. Mott, Inc.
317 Musinsky Rare Books, Inc.
415 Old Editions Book Shop & Gallery
526 Old New York Bookshop
524 Patrick Olson Rare Books
308 Pazzo Books
219 Bernard Quaritch Ltd.
528 Rabelais Inc.
210 William Reese Company
209 L&T Respess Books
217 Resser-Thorner Americana
506 Riverrun Books & Manuscripts
419 Rootenberg Rare Books & Manuscripts
213 Barry Lawrence Ruderman
126 Rulon-Miller Books
427 Antiquariaat Schierenberg
316 Sophie Schneideman Rare Books
327 Scientia Books
324 Second Story Books
519 Shapero Rare Books
518 Jerry N. Showalter, Bookseller
110 Sokol Books Ltd
428 Original Antique Maps by Carol J. Spack
318 Benjamin Spademan Rare Books
405 Dale Steffey Books
209 Ten Pound Island Book Co.
508 Triolet Rare Books
307 Tschanz Rare Books
326 Type Punch Matrix
517 University Archives
108 Adam Weinberger Books
315 West Side Book Shop
504 White Fox Rare Books and Antiques
416 Whitmore Rare Books, Inc.
208 Yesterday's Gallery

 

Here is a link to the show’s official website:  www.bostonbookfair.com

 

 

 

The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair is sponsored by the New England Chapter of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America.

 

WWW.BOSTONBOOKFAIR.COM

FACEBOOK @BOSTONBOOKFAIR

INSTAGRAM @BOSTONBOOKFAIR

 

Rare Book Monthly

  • Gonnelli
    Auction 51
    Antique prints, paintings and maps
    May 14st 2024
    Gonnelli: Leonard Bramer, The descent from the cross, 1634. Starting price 3200€
    Gonnelli: Gustav Hjalmar de Morner Karel, Rome’s Carnival, 1820. Starting price 1000€
    Gonnelli: Various Authors, Mater Dolorosa, 1700. Starting price 200€
    Gonnelli: Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Carcere Oscura, 1790. Starting price 180€
    Gonnelli: Jan Brueghel, Marine fauna view, 1620 ca. Starting price 28000€
    Gonnelli: Ippolito Scarsella, Mary and Christ with Sant Rocco and Arch-Angel Michele,1615. Starting price 8000€
    Gonnelli: Hans Sebald Beham, Adam and Eve, 1543. Starting price 600€
    Gonnelli: Francesco Burani, Baccanale, 1630. Starting Price 280€
    Gonnelli: Giuseppe Maria Mitelli, Plance from Ventiquattr’ore, 1675. Starting price 800€
    Gonnelli: Giuseppe Angeli, Livorno’s Plan, 1793. Starting price 240€
    Gonnelli: XIV Century Artist, Capital “N” letter, 1350 ca. Starting price 340€
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Australian Book Auctions
    Books, Maps, Modern Literature
    May 14 (US) / May 15 (Australia)
    Australian Book Auctions, May 14/15: ORWELL, George. ANIMAL FARM. London, Secker & Warburg, 1945. $8,000 to $12,000 AUD.
    Australian Book Auctions, May 14/15: MILNE, A.A. THE HOUSE AT POOH CORNER With decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. London, Methuen, 1928. Deluxe limited edition. $3,000 to $4,000 AUD.
    Australian Book Auctions, May 14/15: TWAIN, Mark. THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade). New York, 1885. $1,000 to $1,500 AUD.
    Australian Book Auctions
    Books, Maps, Modern Literature
    May 14 (US) / May 15 (Australia)
    Australian Book Auctions, May 14/15: RAND, Ayn. ATLAS SHRUGGED. Random House, New York, 1957. First edition. $800 to $1,200 AUD.
    Australian Book Auctions, May 14/15: [BAUM, L. Frank]. PICTURES FROM THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ By W.W. Denslow… Chicago, [1903]. $400 to $800 AUD.
    Australian Book Auctions, May 14/15: HELLER, Joseph. CATCH-22. London, Jonathan Cape, 1962. $400 to $600 AUD.
  • Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: Isaac Newton on chemistry and matter, and alchemy, Autograph Manuscript, "A Key to Snyders," 3 pp, after 1674. $100,000 - $150,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: Exceptionally rare first printing of Plato's Timaeus. Florence, 1484. $50,000 - $80,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: On the Philosophy of Self-Interest: Adam Smith's copy of Helvetius's De l'homme, Paris, 1773. $40,000 - $60,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: "Magical Calendar of Tycho Brahe" - very rare hermetic broadside. Engraved by Merian for De Bry. c.1618. $30,000 - $50,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: Author's presentation issue of Einstein's proof of Relativity, "Erklärung der Perihelbewegung des Merkur aus der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie." 1915. $30,000 - $50,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: First Latin edition of Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed. Paris, 1520. $20,000 - $30,000.
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: De Broglie manuscript on the nature of matter in quantum physics, 3 pp, 1954. $20,000 - $30,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: Tesla autograph letter signed on electricty and electromagnetic theory. 1894. $20,000 - $30,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: Heinrich Hertz scientific manuscript on his mentor Hermann Von Helmholtz, 1891. $20,000 - $30,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: The greatest illustrated work in Alchemy: Micheal Maier's Atalanta Fugiens. Oppenheim, 1618. $30,000 - $50,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: Illustrated Alchemical manuscript, a Mysterium Magnum of the Rosicurcians, 18th-century. $30,000 - $50,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 28 – May 7: Rare Largest Paper Presentation Copy of Newton's Principia, London, 1726. The third and most influential edition. $60,000 - $90,000

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