Firsts Online talks and Fry's Fair Favourites
This summer's Firsts Online features talks with The Book Collector and Stephen Fry picks his Fair favourites
We are delighted to announce that we have worked with the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA) on some online talks for this summer's Firsts Online programming schedule to coincide with the Fair held from the 20th to 25th May 2021. The ABA’s fifth online event since launching the digital platform in mid-2020 also includes a more extensive online programme. In addition to the webinars there will be online fair tours and an exclusive selection of items from participating booksellers, picked by actor and author Stephen Fry during the first days of the fair.
The three talks will be moderated by our editorial board member Michael Caines, Assistant Editor of The Times Literary Supplement, and see him in conversation with book dealers, librarians and collectors.
The first panel discussion takes place on Friday, 21st May at 5 pm BST /10 am PDT and focuses on 'Collecting Online: The advantages and disadvantages of collecting rare books on the internet'. Laura Massey (Alembic Rare Books), Daryl Green (Head of Special Collections at University of Edinburgh) and collector Anthony Davis will be discussing the benefits and downfalls of using the web to locate and purchase rare books.
Saturday's talk will be a fascinating insight into collecting Botanical Prints & Illustrations. Isabelle Charmantier (The Linnean Society), Chris Saunders (Henry Sotheran Ltd.) and a specialist from Shapero Rare Books Ltd will be discussing elements of working and collecting illustrated books and prints relating to botany and natural history.
The final talk will take place on Monday, 24th May and will be exploring particular genre & fiction books and how to collect them in the 21st century. Christian White (Modern First Editions) and Clare Trimming (Beaux Books) are joined by collector and freelance journalist Musa Igrek, who recently one a prize for his rather niche collection.
All talks will be held at 5 pm BST/ 10 am PDT and are free to attend, please join us by registering at www.firsts-online.com under 'Events'.
Visitors to the fair can expect to browse thousands of items from over 100 international reputable booksellers, with new items added daily throughout. With each event, the platform has been improved and tailored following extensive feedback from exhibitors and visitors to the site, therefore providing a high-quality option for dealers and book sellers to showcase their work while physical fairs are still on hold. The fairs now see on average over 8,000 unique visitors throughout the event, with exhibitors recording total sales upwards of £400,000.
Firsts Online
Dates: 20-25 May 2021
Time: The fair is live from 2PM BST on Thursday 20th May
Website: www.firsts-online.com
Attendance is open and free, guests can register their interest via www.firsts-online.com under ‘Events’.