Marlene Dietrich’s Private Library Stars in Berlin Rare Book Fair
Detail of Berlin Rare Book Fair 2026 poster
In the year marking the 125th anniversary of Marlene Dietrich’s birth, Rare Books Berlin is dedicating a special exhibition to the artist in collaboration with the Deutsche Kinemathek Museum für Film und Fernsehen.
Berlin Rare Book Fair, part of Rare Book Week run by the Verband Deutscher Antiquare (Association of German Antiquarian Booksellers), will run September 18-20 at the Kronprinzenpalais on the Unter den Linden boulevard, welcoming more than 100 exhibitors from 15 countries, making it the second largest ILAB-affiliated fair after New York in 2026.
Among the highlights on display will be the Ich hab noch einen Koffer exhibition featuring 80 volumes from Marlene Dietrich’s private collection, many personally annotated with handwritten notes. The selection of books traces the key stages of Dietrich’s life from Berlin via Paris and New York to Los Angeles.
Among the actress’s closest friends were some of the most significant writers of the 20th century including Ernest Hemingway, Erich Maria Remarque and Alfred Döblin, and the exhibition reflects Dietrich’s eventful life, her affairs, and her passion for literature and intellectual discourse. She was a particularly keen reader of Goethe.
All the items on display are on loan from the Deutsche Kinemathek which preserves Marlene Dietrich’s extensive estate including her private library comprising around 1,800 books.
Since 1949, the Verband Deutscher Antiquare association has been the most important network for the German antiquarian book trade, and organising international fairs for more than 60 years.
The fair will run September 18 4pm-9pm, September 19 11am-7pm, and September 20 11am-5pm.
