New York International Antiquarian Book Fair: Events Series Details
NYIABF Presents is an annual event at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair that focuses on the rare book industry and ideas about literature, print, and material culture.
The series of talks and events, curated by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, will be held on April 29. They are all free with fair admission and will take place in the Field and Staff room.
10am-11am: ABAA Gender Equity Initiative Brunch
With light refreshments
11am: To Be Loved is To Be Changed: The Importance (and Joy) of Well-Worn Books
With Allie Alvis, rare-book cataloguer at Type Punch Matrix, book historian, and educator Allie Alvis who as @book_historia, an illustrious Instagrammer (and Tweeter, and YouTuber) illuminates the world of rare books for an online audience. In their talk, Alvis explains how books change over time and with use, and explores how the restoration process can be an expression of love.
1pm: Presentations and Provenance: How Signatures Add Value to Books
With Joshua Mann, founder of B & B Rare Books. Books signed by the authors have always been desirable, but there is a spectrum of value that depends on how the book was signed and who owned it. An inscription to someone notable or influential in the author's life can place a book in an entirely different league of value. Joshua will examine and discuss several examples of signed books from B & B Rare Books' inventory.
2.30pm: BSA Lecture: Wayward Classifications: Dorothy Porter and the Order of Black Books
With Laura E. Helton
In this talk, produced in conjunction with the Bibliographical Society of America, assistant professor of English and History at the University of Delaware Laura E. Helton presents her research on librarian, archivist, and curator Dorothy Porter (1905-1995). Porter was the first Black woman to receive a library science degree from Columbia University and went on to build an extensive, world-class collection at Howard University’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. She exposed the racism inherent in the Dewey Decimal System and as a result developed new methods of cataloging and classifying books, which Helton investigates in this talk.
7pm-8.30pm: ABAA Gender Equity Initiative Mixer
