A Tale of Two Book Fairs

Two years on from the start of what will one day be called 'The Covid Years' we can look forward to two book fairs opening this month. One, in the USA, is a return to the traditional book fair as we used to know it…live and in person; the other, in Germany, still has to stick to the new format of online with a digital catalogue, due to another virus wave on the European continent.

After a two-year hiatus, organisers of the 54th California International Antiquarian Book Fair are thrilled to return to the Bay Area on Friday, 11th February through to Sunday, 13th February 2022, at the Oakland Marriott City Center. Sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). The fair will feature the collections and rare treasures of 120 booksellers from around the world. The three-day Book Fair offers a rich selection of manuscripts, early American and European literature, modern first editions, children’s books, maps and autographs, as well as antiquarian books on history, science, law, architecture, cooking, wine and a wide range of other topics. The fair will also be online from the Saturday.

It will include Rare Books and Manuscripts, Seminars, and this year’s Book Fair will include a major historical exhibit on wine and viticulture, courtesy of the library at the University of California, Davis, which has been described as "the greatest wine library in the world.” In addition to books and journals, the collection includes maps, pamphlets, wine labels, wine merchant and wine auction catalogues, menus and manuscripts from renowned grape and wine scientists, papers of wine writers and the archives of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) and the Wine Institute.

In recognition of the next generation of bibliophiles, the California Book Fair is also hosting the collection of Stacy Shirk, the winner of this year’s California Young Book Collectors’ Prize. The competition was open to collectors living in California aged 35 and under. All collections of books, manuscripts, and ephemera were considered, no matter their monetary value or subject. Ms. Shirk’s collection features books of fairy tales as “cultural and historical touchstones," reflecting transformations in society, such as Jewish tales published in the traumatic 1940s, or new twists on old standards that appeared after the rise of second-wave feminism.

Once the California fair has finished, all eyes will be on Europe for the next ILAB fair - the Rare Book Fair Stuttgart. Germany’s leading fair for rare books, autographs, illustrated and printed works will be virtual again and runs from 18th to 22nd February 2022, but the electronic version of the printed catalogue is already available for download. 

Every year, German and international rare book shops and galleries present valuable books, prints, autographs, maps and illustrated works at the Stuttgart Rare Book Fair. The fair has provided a platform for the German rare book trade but also international exhibitors since 1962 and showcases Germany's long history of printing and publishing as well as the book trade. All exhibitors are members of the German Antiquarian Booksellers' Association, Verband Deutscher Antiquare (VDA) or affiliated to the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).

This year’s fair will once again take place in the form of a virtual fair due to the ongoing pandemic and COVID-restrictions in Germany with a printed catalogue to accompany it. Seventy-three rare book shops and galleries from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, England and the United States will represent the entire range of the rare book trade.

"For the German Antiquarian Booksellers Association, VDA, it is of great importance to continue with the fair even in these challenging times and thus to maintain continuity. We were able to extensively test and further develop digital possibilities for a virtual fair in 2021 and can now use this proven technology once again. For 2023, we hereby hopefully invite you to the 60th Antiquarian Book Fair in the city of Stuttgart." Sibylle Wieduwilt, Chairwoman of the Board of the German Antiquarian Booksellers Association, VDA.

An electronic version of the fair catalogue, an important component of the Stuttgart fair each year, is available now.

You can see some of the catalogues launched for the California fair on today's newsletter and the Oakland Fair will be available online from Saturday, 12th February 2022 9am PST:

The Launch of the virtual Rare Book Fair Stuttgart will take place on 18th February 2022 at 12 noon German time at www.antiquariatsmesse-stuttgart.de