45th Annual Antiquarian Book Fair in Rochester, NY, Sept. 9

The oldest, continually running regional Antiquarian Book Fair in the U.S. takes place in downtown Rochester, N.Y. at the Main Street Armory on Saturday, September 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

            Presented by the Rochester Area Booksellers Association (RABA) and RIT Press, annually the Fair attracts an increasing number of visitors and exhibitors. Currently, nearly 50 dealers from across the nation and Canada will bring rare antiquarian titles along with good secondhand books of wide subject breadth and reader interest, including scholarly texts. Additionally, exhibitors will feature prints, maps, photographica and collectible ephemera embracing equally diverse subject categories.

            The Book Fair also features readings and book signings by local authors. And, for the second time, displays by several special collections libraries will be presented. For six hours, the Armory reverberates with a lively, festive atmosphere populated by those who appreciate the aesthetic and intellectual dimensions of the book.

            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 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 typography, 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 4 p.m. Admission is $5, and is free to students who present a current student ID. Coupons offering a $2 discount on admission are available at area libraries, bookshops and cafes.

            This year advance admission tickets are available online through RABA’s website: (www.rochesterbooksellers.com) . And discount tickets for couples and families are available.

            For more information, visit www.rochesterbooksellers.com or call Jonathan Smalter (of Yesterday’s Muse Books) at 585-265-9295.

Image: A customer peruses one exhibitor’s inventory at last year’s Rochester (N.Y.) Antiquarian Book Fair. (Photo by A. Sue Weisler)