Book Fairs | July 11, 2016

The September 2016 Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair to Offer the Finest Antique Books and Ephemera

BABF-PostersMarch24.jpgBrooklyn, NY, July 2016 - What happens when you combine a world-class selection of the antique books and ephemera with three days of special displays, live literary-related entertainment, and family fun?  The third annual Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair, of course!  This highly anticipated event will be held at the Brooklyn Expo Center, located at 79 Franklin St., in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on Friday, September 9th through Sunday, September 11th, 2016.

The Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair features more than 100 top-tier dealers from all over the world who will present a full spectrum of collectible and antique books and quality ephemera.  Ephemera are items made from paper that were not made to stand the test of time, and have since become collectible.  Popular ephemera categories include correspondence, advertising, historical documents, posters, tickets, brochures, cards, and others.   

In addition to the breathtaking array of works on paper available, this celebration also features many special events and exhibits designed to reflect Brooklyn’s distinctive personality, quirkiness, and central roles in American literary history.  You won’t want to miss these outstanding highlights!

Opening Preview Night Celebration to Benefit 826NYC

The fair opens with a bang on Friday, September 9th with a preview event to benefit 826NYC, a local organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.  From 6:00pm-9:00pm, guests will have first dibs on the event’s 25,000 items on offer while enjoying locally sourced refreshments, including treats from Jessy's Pastries.  Jessy’s is known for their home-made, fresh empanadas and alfajores, Peruvian cookies which the Huffington Post calls “the best cookie you've never heard of.” And, as a special thank you, each preview guest who purchases their ticket in advance online will receive a free limited edition fair poster.  

The Haiku Lounge

The Haiku Guys & Gals and Pop Productions will present “The Haiku Lounge,” an immersive, poetic hideaway featuring interactive performances, artful food and drink selections, curiosities, crafts, and other analog and antiquarian delights.  These remarkable Haikuists will be authoring free, one-of-a-kind poems and spreading the syllable love through their unique blend of performance, audience interaction, and humor.  

Book Shots

Book Shots and Photography Expert Panel Discussion

Stacy Waldman, from House of Mirth, will present a lovingly curated, exclusive exhibit of vintage snapshots featuring books, readers, libraries, and other literary themes.  In addition Stacy will be moderating an expert panel discussion entitled Lost Souls Found Photos: Obsessive New Yorkers Talk About The Insanity Of Collecting Snapshots.   This conversation will focus on the collection of vintage photographs, those “everyday” shots we all took with our Kodak and Polaroid cameras of our friends and relatives at family gatherings, at the beach, or wherever our camera happened to be. What was it in these collector’s lives that prompted them to start collecting vintage photos of people they have never met and what is the thought process which goes into assembling their collections?    Participants in this discussion include: WM Hunt, Brian Wallis, Jane Hammond, Billy Parrott, and Barbara Levine, all well-known experts in the field of vintage photography. 

Book Signing

Rebecca Rego Barry, the editor of Fine Books & Collections, will be greeting visitors and signing her newest book, Rare Books Uncovered: True Stories of Fantastic Finds in Unlikely Places, on Saturday, September 10th from noon to 3:00 pm.  This book recounts extraordinary discoveries from the world of book collecting, like a stash of vintage comic books worth $3.5 million long forgotten in a basement closet or a first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird purchased at a Philadelphia flea market for a few dollars.  The Washington Post called Barry’s book "…a welcome gift for a passionate reader or collector.”

Free Drop-in Family Make-a-Book Workshop

Book author and artist Esther K. Smith will present her latest book, Making Books with Kids: 25 Paper Projects to Fold, Sew, Paste, Pop, and Draw, and will give a hands-on demonstration of simple pop-ups and movable books on Saturday, September 10th from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. Smith’s publications have been on display at the Metropolitan and the Victoria & Albert museums, and are in international collections including the MoMA, Whitney, Tate, Cooper Hewitt, and The National Gallery of Art, among many others. 

Special Exhibit by The Center for Book Arts 

Brooklyn-Mitsui_0331_2 copy.jpg

Visitors will be treated to a remarkable display of artist books highlighting a variety of form and content from the permanent collection of this esteemed Manhattan based contemporary arts organization.  The Center for Book Arts, the first not-for-profit organization of its kind in the nation, was founded in 1974 and the only location in New York City where visitors can view book arts exhibitions in the context of an active, working studio. The exhibit, which will on display throughout the three day event, will highlight works by Tadasha Mitsui, Shana Agid, and others. 

According to Marvin Getman, producer of The Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair, "It’s not too early to mark your calendars for what undoubtedly will be one of the most exciting, interesting, and quality book and paper events of the fall season.  Although this show is only in its third year, its number of national and international dealers, as well as range of items on offer, confirm its location and format as the perfect fit for Brooklynites and their borough neighbors.  It’s going to be a great show indeed.”

The third annual Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair will be held at the Brooklyn Expo Center, on Friday, September 9th from 6-9pm; Saturday, September 10th from 11am-7pm; and Sunday, September 11th from 11am-5pm.  A variety of ticketing options are available ranging from $7 for a Sunday only ticket to $25 for the preview opening benefit; for more information and to purchase tickets please click here.  The Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair is sponsored by AbeBooks and brought to you by Book and Paper Fairs.  

Book and Paper Fairs produces the top book and ephemera fairs in the Northeast US.  Our professionally managed events have a long history of bringing together the finest buyers and sellers in the industry, and are held in major locations including Boston, New York City, Brooklyn, Concord, NH, and Lexington, MA. For more information and a calendar of our shows, please click here or visit www.bookandpaperfairs.com.

Image Credit: Tadasha Mitsui.