California International Antiquarian Book Fair Returns to San Francisco
Jeremy Norman & Co, Inc.
A page from a nearly 200-year-old pamphlet from the first-ever catalog on the history of AI. This extremely rare first edition print ephemera depicts what is believed to be one of the first machine-learning devices in history.
The California International Antiquarian Book Fair sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) makes its in-person return to San Francisco February 9-11 at Pier 27 (cruise ship terminal).
More than 100 exhibitors from the US, UK, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany and The Netherlands will present rare books, maps, illustrations, historical documents, and ephemera on a wide array of subjects and genres at the fair's 56th iteration.
“This is one of the most important events in the country for rare book enthusiasts, and we are thrilled to return to San Francisco after enjoying nearly a decade of success in Oakland,” said the fair's Director Julie Roper. “Post-pandemic, we are seeing resurgent demand for in-person fairs, where a global community of the top dealers offers the most sought-after collections of books, maps, illustrations, and ephemera. The experience of attending in person is like no other – it’s a real-life treasure hunt.”
1/3
Neatline Antique Map
This grand-scale 1911 map of San Francisco is the premier map of the city following the Great Earthquake of 1906.
2/3
Marshall Rare Books
JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, first edition, 1954-1955 Price: $60,200.
3/3
Peter Harrington Rare Books, London
Superman storyboards by Ivor Beddoes (1977). A collection of Beddoes’s preparatory sketches for Superman starring Christopher Reeve, from the iconic early scene in which Superman’s biological parents, played by Marlon Brando and Susannah York, send their infant to earth in a crystal spaceship. Price: £25,000 ($31,790)
Highlights include the first-ever catalog on the history of artificial intelligence (AI) from Marin County book dealer and ABAA member Jeremy Norman. Part of this timely collection is an extremely rare, first edition pamphlet published in 1832 by Russian statistician and inventor Semyon Korsakov on what is believed to be one of the first machine-learning devices. Korsakov was a pioneer in the concept of “mechanized thought” or artificial intelligence. The print ephemera will be on exhibit and offered at the purchase price of $35,000.
One of the rare maps coming to the show is Augustus Chevalier's large-scale (4ft wide by 5ft tall) 1911 map of San Francisco, the premier map of the city following the San Francisco Earthquake and one of the most impressive and beautiful urban plans in the history of American mapmaking. The purchase price is $45,000 from S.F. Bay Area-based ABAA dealer, Neatline Antique Maps.
Also at the show will be the original cover art, discovered at an estate sale in Oakland, for Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness. Mark Funke, Novato book dealer and ABAA member, will exhibit the illustration art (purchase price is $20,000).
