44th Annual Antiquarian Book Fair in Rochester, NY
The oldest, continually running regional Antiquarian Book Fair in the U.S. takes place on Saturday, September 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Main Street Armory in downtown Rochester, N.Y.
Presented by the Rochester Area Booksellers Association (RABA) and RIT Press, the event is a contrarian example to trends otherwise observed in the antiques industry. In the past three years, the Fair experienced a growing number of exhibitors (about 50, currently) and an increasing number of visitors.
This year advance admission tickets are available online through RABA’s website: (www.rochesterbooksellers.com) at a discount price (click on the “Discount Admission” tab under the Book Fair navigation at top).
The Fair’s dealers are from across the nation and Canada. Beyond the rare and antiquarian books, collectors can expect to find good secondhand titles of wide breadth and interest including scholarly texts, as well as prints, maps, photographica and collectible ephemera embracing an equally broad range of subject categories.
Additionally, the Book Fair features readings by local poets whose books will be available for sale, as well as live music and book signings. For the first time, this year displays of special collections libraries will be presented.
The Fair’s venue is the castle-like turn-of-the-century Armory. Spacious (35,000 square feet) and well-lit, the building’s assembly room - originally used as a drill floor - comfortably accommodates the casual reader as much as the fussiest and most demanding collector.
The Armory reverberates with a lively, festive atmosphere populated by those who appreciate the aesthetic and intellectual dimensions of the book.
The Rochester Antiquarian Book Fair is co-sponsored by the 10-member Rochester Area Booksellers Association and RIT Press. The scholarly book publishing enterprise of the Rochester Institute of Technology, RIT Press will feature selections from their impressive catalogue of books on type, printing and the history of the book.
The Rochester Antiquarian Book Fair is held at the Main Street Armory, 900 East Main St., Rochester, N.Y. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the Book Fair is $5, and is free to all students who present a current student ID. Advertisements in local publications can be redeemed the day of the Fair for discount admission.
For more information, visit www.rochesterbooksellers.com or call Jonathan Smalter (of Yesterday’s Muse Books) at 585-265-9295.
Image: The booth of long-time exhibitor Peter Dzwonkoski at the 2015 Rochester Antiquarian Book Fair. Credit: A. Sue Weisler.
