The Philadelphia Rare Book Fair Will Be Held on December 8-10
- by Michael Stillman
Philadelphia's Trinity Memorial Church, site of the book fair.
The Philadelphia Rare Book Fair is set to take place Thursday, December 8, through Saturday, December 10. The Philadelphia fair has drawn 25 booksellers from across the eastern states to exhibit. Naturally, there are dealers from Pennsylvania and nearby New Jersey, but others will be coming from Maryland, Virginia, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York (city and state) and Washington D.C. Fine Book Fairs, manager of the Philadelphia fair, noted that all are welcome, browsers, seasoned book and manuscript collectors, or those looking to find a special gift for a special person.
The dates and times are as follows.
Thursday, December 8 is preview night. There is a $50 fee for the preview but that includes canapes, wine, beer, soft drinks, and “literary-themed cocktails.” You can reserve your tickets on the fair's website (link at bottom of this article). Hours are 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 9, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Saturday, December 10, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.
While not required, online reservations are requested for Friday and Saturday to help the organizers with planning.
The fair will be held at Trinity Memorial Church on Spruce Street. Detailed directions and a map, along with information about parking and public transportation, are also found on the website.
There will be a three-course dinner for exhibitors and guests at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia beginning at 6:30 on Friday night. As December 1 is the stated cut-off for reservations, there is no guarantee here, but if interested, you can reserve a ticket on the website and see if it is accepted. The cost is $125. If you are a student of American history it will be well worthwhile. The speaker will be Dr. Kermit Roosevelt, David Berger Professor of the Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law. He has written numerous books and articles on the law and Constitution and will be speaking on the thesis of a recent book. He traces American identity and values not from the founding and Revolution but from the Civil War and Reconstruction. America emerged from the Revolution basically upbeat and united, while the Civil War and its aftermath left America divided. Those divisions, largely over the same issues, tear at the seams of unity almost as much today as they did then. Dr. Roosevelt has a particularly strong relationship with American history as the great-great grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, and part of a family of enormous service to America.
On Saturday, December 10, from 2:00 – 4:00, David M. Szewczyk and Cynthia Davis Buffington will be on hand to appraise your books. Mr. Szewczyk and Ms. Buffington founded the Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts Co. (PRB&M) in 1984. Mr. Szewczyk has been in the book business for over 40 years, holds a masters in history and Spanish, and is a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America, qualified for donors' IRS tax appraisals. Ms. Buffington has also been in the book trade for over 40 years and holds a Ph.D. in English. She has taught at several universities, most recently and longest at the University of Pennsylvania.
To learn more about the Philadelphia Rare Book Fair and make reservations, click on the following link: finefairs.com/philadelphia
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Galileo Galilei. Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo tolemaico, e copernicano. Firenze, 1632
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Saverio Manetti. Storia naturale degli uccelli. Firenze, 1771-76
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Fortunato Depero. Depero futurista. Rovereto, 1927
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Nicolas Visscher. Atlas minor sive totius orbis terrarum contracta delineat ex conatibus. Amsterdam, circa 1649-95
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Andreas Vesalius. Anatomia. Addita nunc. Antiquorum Anatome. Venezia, 1604
Aste Bolaffi, June 17-18: Tristan Tzara and Salvador Dalì. Grains et Issues. Parigi, 1935
June 25, 2026
Doyle, June 25: Houdini's biography, boldly signed. $3,000 to $5,000.
Doyle, June 25: A volume from Abraham Lincoln's library, signed just before heading to Washington for his inauguration. $20,000 to $30,000.
Doyle, June 25: A very early Confederate recruiting manual belonging to the chief commissary in Lee's Army. $600 to $800.
Doyle, June 25: Rare hand-colored lithographs of the life of Napoleon. $20,000 to $30,000.
Doyle, June 25: The "Holster Atlas" of the American Revolution. $5,000 to $8,000.
Doyle, June 25: Jewish ceremonies in fine hand-colored engravings. $7,000 to $10,000.
Doyle, June 25: A very rare work on Turkish military costume. $1,000 to $1,500.
June 25, 2026
Doyle, June 25: The most important illustrated work on the Mexican-American War. $10,000 to $15,000.
Doyle, June 25: The finest illustrated book on Afghanistan. $10,000 to $15,000.
Doyle, June 25: Henry Justice Ford St. George rescues the Princess from the horrible Dragon. $2,000 to $3,000.
Doyle, June 25: A rare work of Prussian Army uniforms under Frederick William II, with exquisite hand-colored engravings. $800 to $1,200.
Doyle, June 25: Lenny Bruce typed letter signed to a Village bohemian during his obscenity trials, with a manuscript note and drawing. $300 to $500.
Doyle, June 25: Schiff's scarce Shanghai Sketchbook. $300 to $500.
Doyle, June 25: The first accurate published representation of the American flag. $2,000 to $4,000.
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 123. Celebrate 250 Years of Independence with Original Stars and Stripes (1790) Est. $1,400 - $1,700
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 20. Keulen's Spectacular Chart of the World Featuring California as an Island (1728) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 42. Schedel's Ancient World Map with Fantastic Humanoid Creatures (1493) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 591. Matching Set of 3 Stunning Globe Gores of Eastern Asia from Coronelli's 3.5 Foot Globe (1688) Est. $5,500 - $7,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 9. Speed's Popular World Map with Allegorical Representations of the Elements (1651) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 168. First Separate Map of Kansas & Nebraska Territories (1854) Est. $5,500 - $7,000
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 43. Only Macrobius Map with Britain Attached to Europe (1515) Est. $800 - $950
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 250. Rare Map of Boston and One of the Earliest Maps of the Revolutionary War (1775) Est. $2,000 - $2,300
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 79. Schenk's Uncommon Map Featuring Two Figurative Title Cartouches (1696) Est. $1,200 - $1,500
Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 681. Hand-Colored Image of the Annunciation to the Shepherds (1502) Est. $800 - $950
Sotheby's Book Week 2 June - 9 July
Sotheby’s, June 25: Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations, on its 250th anniversary. $180,000 to $250,000.
Sotheby’s, June 17: Fontana, Lucio. Concetto Spaziale. 1967. Leporello en papier doré. Bel exemplaire signé. €4,000 to $€,000.
Sotheby’s, June 25: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”. $150,000 to $200,000.
Sotheby’s, June 25: Washington, George (as First President). Washington decries “an ostentatious imitation, or mimickry of Royalty” in his Presidency. $250,000 to $500,000.
Sotheby’s, June 17: Lope de Vega. Rare manuscrit autographe signé de la préface dédicatoire de "El Cardenal de Belen" (le cardinal de Bethléem), pièce composée en 1610. €40,000 to €60,000.
