Rare Books & Sunshine

Coming up this weekend is the 33rd annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair, to be held in St. Petersburg's historic coliseum. More than 115 dealers in rare books, manuscripts, maps, prints and ephemera will descend upon the Sunshine State. Some of the highlights include a first edition of Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (1820), a first edition of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (1957), and an inscribed first trade edition of Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon (1987). This year's fair focuses on children's literature, so expect a great selection of Caldecott winners, such as the one shown here from Books Tell You Why. Helen Dean Fish's Animals of the Bible (1937) was the first winner of the award.

For those lucky enough to extend their stay in Florida, the weekend following the book fair offers another bookish event. Patricia Pistner, a member of the Florida Bibliophile Society and the Grolier Club, will give an illustrated talk and exhibit of her miniature books collection. Hosted by the Florida Bibliophile Society and introduced by Maureen E. Mulvihill on Sunday, March 23, at the Seminole Community College Library in St. Petersburg.