Brooklyn Books Art Photos & Design a Two Day Affair September 19-20
- by Bruce E. McKinney
This September Impact Events Group of Lexington, Massachusetts is producing a weekend fair in Brooklyn on September 18th and 19th. The venue is the Brooklyn Expo Center. It is a new show and already looking like it may become a major development for the books, manuscripts, maps and ephemera crowd. After a long period of decline shows seem to be rising.
One hundred and forty-six firms have signed up, that number an indication that the fair will be an important selling venue for many of the principal dealers in the field. Regional fairs tend to be single day affairs attracting 35 to 80 exhibitors while the most important national examples attract 100 to 200 booth buyers and last two days. This fair starts, in size, midway among the largest ABAA fairs with 146 exhibitors and has the potential to attract a very large following because shows have emerged as an important proxy for what used to be thousands of mom and pop shops that have now closed. Its proximity to Manhattan easily accessible by subway, water taxi, or cab, makes it an attractive venue.
The timing is also well thought-out. For that weekend there are two other book-related events within a few miles, the Brooklyn [new] Book Festival and the New York Arts Book Fair in nearby Queens. All 3 events are within 6 miles and all on the “G” line.
Impact Events, whose president Marvin Getman, is managing the event had this to say,
“Shows are about organization and enthusiasm. We are encouraging exhibitors to give out free passes, also to tweet and post on Facebook and Instagram. I work to get the exhibitors involved and they are. As a consequence I expect both a great turnout and important sales. Book fairs are human enterprises.”
There will also be three features to add an element of entertainment to the event:
Richard Minsky, a fascinating character who founded the center for Book Arts in NY, will host an exhibit based on The Art of the American Book Cover 1875-1930.
21st Editions, the Art of the Book will host a major exhibit showcasing a magnificent collection of limited edition books of the works of 25 known artist/photographers Two New York artists, Michael Murray and Sheila Metzner, will meet and greet at the 21st Editions exhibit from 2 pm to 4 pm on Saturday.
In addition to the exciting range of booths and dealers, the Lewis Carroll Society of North America will host two readings from Alice in Wonderland to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the celebrated classic at the organization’s booth each day at 1 pm and 3 pm.
Sotheby’s, July 14: Henry De La Beche. "Awful Changes," 1830. $6,000 to $9,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 11]. Flight Plan, Complete Original Printing Signed by Buzz Aldrin. $5,000 to $8,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: Thomas Alva Edison. Documents Establishing and Ending the Edison Electric Railway Company. $20,000 to $30,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: Richard P. Feynman. Feynman's Lectures on Gravitation 1-16, Including the Original Transcriptions of Lectures 12-16 by Morinigo and Wagner, With Richard Feynman's Manuscript Notations, 1971. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [Apollo 9]. A Group of Manuals and Mission Documents used by Stuart Roosa as a member of the Astronaut Support Crew. $5,000 to $8,000.
Sotheby’s, July 15: [BYTE: The Small Systems Journal]. A collection of early foundational issues of Byte: The Small Systems Journal, with rare hardcover editions. $5,000 to $8,000.
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Inundation papyrus. P.Michael 4, the ‘Inundation papyrus’, a geographical account of the Nile near Canopus, in Greek, remains of two columns from a manuscript scroll on papyrus, Egypt, second century CE. £12,000-18,000
Forum, July 16: Book of Hours, use of Sarum, manuscript on vellum, 6 full-page miniatures, with famous Middle English inscriptions, Southern Netherlands for the English market, [c.1430]. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Qu'ran, Arabic manuscript on burnished, stencilled, and gold-flecked paper, 447ff., Sultanate Gujarat, Ahmadabad, [after 1411 but no later than 1442]. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Turner (William). A New boke of the natures and properties of all wines that are commonly vsed here in England, rare first edition of the first English book on wine, By William Seres, 1568. £20,000-£30,000
Forum, July 16: Spenser (Edmund). The Faerie Queene. first edition, Printed [by John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, 1590. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Shakespeare (William). The Comedie of Errors, extracted from the first folio, Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount, 1623. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Fleming (Ian). Casino Royale, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, 1953. £40,000-60,000
Forum, July 16: d'Agoty (Jacques-Fabien Gautier). Anatomie de la Tête, first edition, Paris, chez le Sieur Gautier, 1748. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 16: Martial Arts.- Lee (Bruce). 'Praying Mantis style' Kung Fu book, containing numerous annotations, diagrams and graphs in Bruce Lee's hand, c. 1960. £50,000-70,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Warre (Capt. Henry James). Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory, first edition, rare hand-coloured issue, 1848. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Norie (John William). The Marine Atlas, or Seaman's Complete Pilot for all the principal places in the known world..., 1826. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Mao Tse-tung.- Kim Il-sung.-[Note book for visitors from China to Korea], signed by Mao and Kim, [Beijing, 1954]. £10,000-15,000
