The Boston Shadow Fair: November 8th

Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire. MW Book Fairs, a collaboration between Wiggins Fine Books ABAA, SNEAB and Richard Mori Books, is pleased to announce that 40 outstanding antiquarian book, ephemera and photo dealers have signed on to the second annual Books in Boston @ Hilton Back Bay, an antiquarian book & ephemera fair to be held on Saturday November 9, 2024 from 8 am to 4 pm at the Boston Hilton Back Bay’s Belvidere Ballroom located at 40 Dalton Street in Boston, Massachusetts, within four minutes walking distance from the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair to be held at the Hynes Convention Center from November 8-10, 2024. The Hilton offers ideal amenities for dealers and attendees, including restaurants, parking garage, comfortable rooms, and easy access to the Prudential Center across the street.

Dealers exhibiting will come from ten states, Canada and the UK. In the distinctive book category, Bauman Rare Books will have a variety of outstanding books from their stock, while Americana will be well represented with Peter Luke, James A. Arsenault, Aaron Benneian Historical Americana, William Hutchison and several others bringing a wide variety of rare books, maps, pamphlets and broadsides. Counted among the bright young stars entering the rare book trade, Timeless Tales Rare Books will be presenting an array of early books, and literature high spots including noted works by Newton and Audubon.

Children’s book dealers include Enchanted Books, who will be bringing a wide variety of children’s classics including several Madeline first editions by Bemelmanns, children’s serials and related ephemera. Along with his usual eclectic variety of children’s books, Boy Scout material and White Mountains, Richard Mori will have on offer a first edition first issue copy of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in a contemporary binding with the original wraps bound in. Photo dealers include House of Mirth who will be bringing a wide variety of collectible photos, albums and the like.

Coming from the UK, Small Circus Rare Books will be showcasing fine press books as will Wiggins Fine Books, who will be bringing fine examples from the Cheloniidae and Pennyroyal presses. Complete Traveller of Westport, CT will be offering an extensive collection of travel books including Baedeker’s Travel Guides, travel books and related material. Also on the floor will be Faenwyl Bindery offering book conservation, paper repair and hand bookbinding as well as custom boxes and other enclosures.

Continuing a 25-year tradition, this year’s Shadow Show; Books in Boston @ Hilton Back Bay will open on Saturday, November 9 at 8 am, four hours prior to the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair that opens at noon and features 120 dealers from around the world and 5,000 visitors.

The principals of MW Book Fairs are Duane A. Stevens of Wiggins Fine Books ABAA, ILAB, SNEAB of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts and Richard Mori of Richard Mori Books of Nashua, New Hampshire. Duane was the co-developer of the Northampton Book and Book Arts Fair held for several years at Smith College and the Center for the Arts in Northampton, Massachusetts and along with Richard developed and promoted the recent antiquarian book and ephemera fair held at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In addition, Richard Mori has also promoted the Northern New England Bookfair in Concord, NH. Duane and Richard hope to make Boston Rare Book Week the most successful yet! As many of you know, collectors and librarians are thirsty for live shows as evidenced by the record attendance at the book and antique events in Florida, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, central New York and New York City. What is truly noteworthy is the large number of attendees under the age of 40 at all these events.

As the markets are shifting so are the dealers with many new dealers in the trade under 50 years of age.