The New York Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Armory
- by Bruce E. McKinney
The World's Largest and Most Important Antiquarian Book Fair
The New York Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Armory on Park Avenue at 67th Street, New York City over the weekend of March 7-10. This fair is perennially the most important rare book event in the world and, as such, attracts participation from every continent except Antarctica. For book collectors with a heartbeat this is your digitalis.
The four day event opens at 5:00 pm on Thursday the 7th. Experienced attendees tend to visit the event on opening night before the hundreds of shelves of important and collectible material have begun to be picked clean. That said, so much material will be available that even, on the last day, appealing opportunities will remain.
On Friday the fair opens at noon and continues into the evening to 8:00 pm. On Saturday the hours are noon to 7:00 pm and on Sunday noon to 5:00 pm.
On Saturday the two nearby symbiotic book fairs, the New York City Book and Ephemera Fair, and the Manhattan Vintage Book Fair, will see their audiences surge early as the morning on Saturday is free before the main show opens at noon.
On Saturday many events are scheduled and it’s suggested you reserve seats. Here are the events:
1:00 p.m.
Books, Estates, & Deaccession: Finding Your Library's Next Home
Presented by Allan Stypeck, Second Story Books (ABAA member)
hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the ABAA
2:00 p.m.
Voices from the Rare Book and Manuscript Section (RBMS): A Special Collections Roundtable
Dr. Jesse Ryan Erickson, Coordinator of Special Collections; Assistant Professor, English; Associate Director, Interdisciplinary Humanities Research Center, University of Delaware Peter Kruty, Peter Kruty Editions, Brooklyn Karin Suni, Curator of the Theatre Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia
Moderated and introduced by Diane Dias De Fazio, The New York Public Library
hosted by RBMS
3:15 p.m.
Expect the Unexpected: Uncovering & Appreciating Manuscript Diaries
Rick Stattler, Book Department Director & Americana Specialist, Swann Auction Galleries Holly Mengel, Manuscripts Cataloging Librarian, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Penn Libraries
Kenneth Gloss, Second Generation Bookseller and Proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop (ABAA Member)
hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the ABAA
5:15 p.m.
An Introduction to Poster House, A New Museum in New York
Alphonse Mucha and Cyan
Presented by Julia Knight, Director, Poster House
hosted by Poster House
It’s good idea to see where the dealers are located that you particularly want to see. The show is both large and it’s easy to get lost. That will make your time employed for useful.
The show has a very good website. Here’s a link to it.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
