California Book Fair
All book fairs have tales to tell and the 42nd Annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair is no different. The choppy, grey waters of the San Francisco Bay were cold and ominous, and rain and wind pounded the Concourse Exhibition Center mercilessly. Despite the ravages of the winter weather, the yearly gathering of bibliophiles was all the more inviting, because on the inside of the large building the world's largest book fair was about to begin.
With the fair opening on the rather auspicious date of Friday, February
13, a few booksellers worried about bad luck. A worsening
economy, transportation troubles, and cases of books that arrived
almost too late for the fair's opening contributed to the nervous
anticipation many booksellers experience before the start of a book
fair.
They needn't have worried.
The fair was busy and attended by customers of all types - browsers and buyers, talkers and tire-kickers, note-takers, and checklist-makers. With 225 booksellers in attendance, books of all types and all prices were ready
for purchase. The fair offered something for everyone. Seminars about book collecting, the terminology of antiquarian books, and free appraisals were also conducted during the fair. Exhibitions by the Book Club of California and the California State Library complemented the amazing bookseller displays.
By Sunday evening, the fair's end, most of the bibliophiles in attendance -- whether booksellers or book buyers or interested browsers -- agreed that, despite the Friday the 13th opening, they were fortunate indeed.
They needn't have worried.
The fair was busy and attended by customers of all types - browsers and buyers, talkers and tire-kickers, note-takers, and checklist-makers. With 225 booksellers in attendance, books of all types and all prices were ready
for purchase. The fair offered something for everyone. Seminars about book collecting, the terminology of antiquarian books, and free appraisals were also conducted during the fair. Exhibitions by the Book Club of California and the California State Library complemented the amazing bookseller displays.
By Sunday evening, the fair's end, most of the bibliophiles in attendance -- whether booksellers or book buyers or interested browsers -- agreed that, despite the Friday the 13th opening, they were fortunate indeed.
