Calling All Book Townies ... And Others: Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair, October 1st -- Be There!

- by Maureen E. Mulvihill, Guest Writer

 

A Benefit for the William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

 

Bibliophiles on the Ann Arbor-Detroit circuit will be at the 43rd Annual Antiquarian Book Fair this Sunday, October 1st, in the lovely college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Fair welcomes an impressive gathering of booksellers. This Forty-Third Annual Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair is being held on Sunday, October 1st, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, at the Michigan Union on the campus of the University of Michigan. For antiquarians, there is nothing more tantalizing than a crowded room of old books. And an opportunity to meet kindred spirits.

The Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair has brought together booksellers and dealers from across America for nearly five decades; and it offers a wider range of old and rare books, Americana, children’s books, autographs and manuscripts, maps, prints, ephemera, photography, fine press material, and more.

 

With special pleasure, we include some good words from Paul Erickson, Randolph G. Adams Director,

Clements Library, University of Michigan:

 

"We are so delighted to have the Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair as a fixture of our fall calendar on the Ann Arbor campus, and we are so grateful for the support it provides for the Clements Library. I go to a good number of book fairs every year, but this one is special: it's the only one I know that takes place on a major university campus when school is in session. Seeing the future generation of collectors learn about the world of rare books and prints from some of the nation's leading dealers is one of my favorite things about the Ann Arbor fair."

 

Thank you for that, Paul Erickson. And special thanks to Emiko Hastings, Curator of Books & Digital Projects Librarian, Clements Library, for bringing his voice into this article.

 

And others merit a deep bow: Jay Platt, Book Club of Detroit member/bookseller, helped organize the Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair in 1976. Mr Platt has been the director of this event since the 1990’s. All hail, Jay Platt!

 

For information about the Ann Arbor Book Fair, contact Jay at the West Side Book Shop, (734) 995-1891, or visit annarborbookfair.com

 

Here’s the hearty list of the Fair’s exhibitors:

 

Autumn Leaves Books, Crown Point, IN

Lorne Bair Rare Books (ABAA), Winchester, VA

Bookleggers Fine Books (ABAA), Park Ridge, IL

Capitol Hill Books (ABAA), Washington, DC

Caroliniana Rare Books (ABAA), Aiken, SC

Carpetbagger Books, Woodstock, IL

Centigrade 233, Ann Arbor, MI

Curious Book Shop, East Lansing, MI

Dawn Treader Book Shop, Ann Arbor, MI

Doyle’s Books, Fayetteville, NY

gallerybfa (ABAA), Prospect, PA

Martin Hartzold, bookseller, St. Louis, MO

Jeff Hirsch Books (ABAA), Wadsworth, IL

Little Button Rose, Elkhart, IN

Peter Luke Americana, New Baltimore, NY

Mossback/McCormick Books, Hartland, MI

Motte & Bailey Booksellers, Ann Arbor, MI

Doug Price Photographs, Ann Arbor, MI

Garrett Scott, Bookseller (ABAA), Ann Arbor, MI

Shell Beach Books, Ypsilanti, MI

Third Mind Books, Ann Arbor, MI

Walnut Street Paper, Kutztown, PA

West Side Book Shop (ABAA), Ann Arbor, MI

White Raven Books, Ypsilanti, MI

Jett W. Whitehead Rare Books (ABAA), Bay City, MI