Friday at the Fair
Friday at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair! I had the pleasure of meeting with several booksellers with whom I've had "email relationships," but no faces for names until now. I spent two hours in the late afternoon assisting Nick Basbanes during his book signing, which was very successful.
As for any "conclusions" about the fair, all I have at the end of this busy day is a handful of random thoughts: booksellers seemed happy overall (I saw a lot of checks being written), there were more international booksellers on hand than in the past, and several collectors stopped to tell me how excited they are to see Fine Books back in print. Also, I saw more than a few younger (under 40) buyers.
Things my husband found of interest: a fountain pen crafted from the wood of Abraham Lincoln's house, the famous asbestos-bound copy of Fahrenheit 451, a signed Dorothy Parker (who knew she'd have such loopy handwriting?), and a first edition, three-volume set of Frankenstein.
Alas, I wasn't able to browse much, so no purchases were made. I'm planning to return tomorrow for more leisurely looking.
As for any "conclusions" about the fair, all I have at the end of this busy day is a handful of random thoughts: booksellers seemed happy overall (I saw a lot of checks being written), there were more international booksellers on hand than in the past, and several collectors stopped to tell me how excited they are to see Fine Books back in print. Also, I saw more than a few younger (under 40) buyers.
Things my husband found of interest: a fountain pen crafted from the wood of Abraham Lincoln's house, the famous asbestos-bound copy of Fahrenheit 451, a signed Dorothy Parker (who knew she'd have such loopy handwriting?), and a first edition, three-volume set of Frankenstein.
Alas, I wasn't able to browse much, so no purchases were made. I'm planning to return tomorrow for more leisurely looking.
