One of the largest antique shows takes place in Baltimore Labor Day weekend, and this show features a special area for collectors and sellers of rare and antiquarian books. The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show runs from August 28-31, and takes place at the Baltimore Convention Center. Along with over 500 antique dealers displaying just about anything that is old and interesting, there is a separate Antiquarian Book Fair with 60 booksellers participating. First editions, manuscripts, autographs, and bibliographic material are among the items offered.

Additionally, a series of lectures are being given by experts in various fields of antiques. For book collectors, the most interesting will be Biblio Esoterica: The Hunt for Forbidden Fruit. This lecture is given by Ian Kahn of Lux Mentis. He will be recounting certain "biblio adventures," the chase for great books, the hunters who sought them and the libraries they built. You just might come away with new collecting interests and a new passion yourself. The lecture will be given on Sunday, August 31.

To learn more about the show, click here.

Last month we published an article on Microsoft's decision to drop out of the business of scanning and posting the content of older books online. They have left the field to Google and some smaller non-profit enterprises. We received a letter from James Keeline, former antiquarian bookseller and current web developer concerning the various online book searches with much in the way of information and tips. To read his letter, go to our Letters to the Editor (click here) and look for the one dated July 31, 2008.