Rare Book Monthly

Articles - September - 2006 Issue

Sacramento Antiquarian Book Fair September 16th

Shows are an essential experience for collectors.

Shows are an essential experience for collectors.


By Bruce McKinney

As he has for thirteen years Bill Ewald of Argus Books is again hosting the Sacramento Antiquarian Book Fair. This year sixty exhibitors are expected for the one day event which will be held at the Scottish Rite Temple, 6151 H Street, in California's capitol. Participating dealers are mostly local with a contingent from Oregon completing what is expected to be a full house by show time.

Dealers will be selling used, collectable and rare books, pamphlets, paper, ephemera, autographs, photographs, etc. in almost all categories including first editions; art books; aviation; California history; children's books; cookbooks; local history; military books; natural history; science fiction and western Americana.

The show owes its origins to Bill's desire to offer a satisfying and efficient event for both buyers and sellers. The show's life roughly corresponds with the emergence of the internet as an increasingly important venue for book buying. Over the years the net has been the uninvited guest that has increasingly affected both prices and what actually sells.

As Bill recently explained "Today the emphasis is on the more unusual material because multiple copies of the 'standard rarities' are available online, often at competitive prices." What you see at shows today are unique examples, signed copies, interesting ephemera and manuscripts. "Such material has always been uncommon and always will be."

Participants will bring as many as a thousand items but in almost every case it's only a small percentage of what they have in stock. For buyers then there are two purposes for attending: to see what's available to buy on the spot and to better understand which dealers have inventory that merits a trip to see their entire stock. Often the most important thing obtained at a show is the knowledge of who has interesting material at home.

The show is on Saturday September 16, opens at 10:00 am and runs until 5:00 pm. Admission is $5.00 for adults and free to all 17 and under when accompanied by an adult. About 800 visitors are expected.

Here is a partial list of exhibitors:

Argus Books & Graphics; Auburn, CA
B. W. Henry, Bookseller; Florence, OR
Bea & Peter Siegel Books; Walnut Creek, CA
Blake St. Books; Berkeley, CA
Book Merchant; Napa, CA
Books Remembered; Cameron Park, CA
Bud Plant & Hutchison Books; Cedar Ridge, CA
Carl Blomgren ?Fine Books; San Rafael, CA
Chanticleer Books; Sonoma, CA
Christophe Stickel Autographs; Pacific Grove, CA
Cobblestone Books; Sacramento, CA
CookBook Lady; El Sobrante, CA
Cultural Images; Portland, OR
Dan Glaeser Books, Modesto, CA
Discovery Bay Old Books; Walnut Creek, CA
Don Connor Fine Books; Sacramento, CA
Garcia-Garst; Turlock, CA
Geiger's Books; Scott's Valley, CA
Gilbert Trading Company; Lodi, CA
Good Sheppard Fine Books; San Francisco, CA
James Harrington Bookseller; San Francisco, CA
Kings River Press; Lemoore, CA
Macola Books; Loomis, CA
Magus Books; Sacramento, CA
Margaret Mannatt; San Diego, CA
Maxwell's Bookmark; Stockton, CA
Nick Adams & Co. Fine Books; Sacramento, CA
Patty Warren Antiques; Sacramento, CA
Picturesque Barque; El Sobrante, CA
Reed's Rare Books; San Francisco, CA
Robert Gavora, Fine Books; Talent, OR
S. Howlett-West Books; Modesto, CA
Sequoia Sunrise Old Books; Sacramento, CA
Stan Beecher Books; Oroville, CA
T. Cadman WW2 Books; Carmichael, CA
Tavistock Books, Alameda, CA
Toad's Haul Antiques, Merced, CA

Rare Book Monthly

  • Forum Auctions
    Natural History: The remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk, 1899-2026
    25 March 2026
    Forum, Mar. 25: Botany.- Andrews (H.C.) Coloured Engravings of Heaths, 4 vol. in 2, first edition, [1710,--94]-1802-1809-[1830]. £10,000 - £15,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Butterflies.- Cramer (Pierre) and Caspar Stoll. De Uitlandsche Kapellen voorkomende in de drie Waereld-Deelen…,, 5 vol., Amsterdam & Utrecht, 1779-91. £8,000 - £12,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Voyages.- Darwin (Charles) and others. Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle, 3 vol. in 4, including Appendix to vol.2, first edition, 1839. £8,000 - £12,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Butterflies.- de Graaf (Willem Diederik Vincent). [Inlandsche Kapellen in beeld], 170 fine original watercolours, [Enkhuizen], [1800-40]. £8,000 - £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Natural History: The remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk, 1899-2026
    25 March 2026
    Forum, Mar. 25: Birds.- Dresser (Henry Eeles). A History of the Birds of Europe, 9 vol., including supplement, first edition, by the author, 1871-96. £6,000 - £8,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Zoology.- Felines.- Elliot (Daniel Giraud). A Monograph of the Felidæ or Family of the Cats, first edition, for the Subscribers, by the Author, [1878]-1883. £25,000 - £30,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Birds.- Frisch (Johann Leonard). Vorstellung der Vögel Deutschlandes, 2 vol., first edition, Berlin, Friedr. Wilhelm Birnsteil, [1736]-1763. £40,000 - £60,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Birds.- Gould (John). The Birds of Great Britain, 5 vol., first edition, by the author, 1862-1873. £30,000 - £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Natural History: The remaining stock of Antiquariaat Junk, 1899-2026
    25 March 2026
    Forum, Mar. 25: Pomology.- France.- Poiteau (A.) Pomologie Française. Recueil des Plus Beaux Fruits cultivés en France, 4 vol., Paris, 1846. £30,000 - £40,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Botany.- [Robin (Jean)]. Histoire des Plantes, nouvellement trouvées en l'Isle Virgine…,, 1620; with Geoffrey Linocier L'Histoire des plantes, second edition, 1619-20. £3,000 - £4,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Asia.- Japan.- Siebold (P.F. von). Nippon. Archiv zur Beschreibung von Japan, 7 parts in 6 vol., first edition, Leyden, [1832]-1852. £35,000 - £45,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Asia.- Valentijn (Francois). Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën..., 5 vol. in 8, first edition, Dordrecht [&] Amsterdam, 1724-26. £8,000 - £12,000.
    Forum, Mar. 25: Botany.- Australia.- Redouté (P.J.).- Ventenat (Étienne Pierre). Jardin de la Malmaison, 2 vol.,, Paris, 1803-04[-05]. £30,000 - £40,000.
  • ALDE, Mar. 11: AUGUSTIN (Saint). De civitate Dei. Rome, Konrad Sweynheym et Arnold Pannartz, 1470. €20,000 - €30,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: [REGNART (LE LIVRE DE)]. [Le] Docteur en malice, maistre Regnard, demonstrant les ruzes et cautelles qu'il use envers les personnes… Rouen, 1550. €20,000 - €30,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: TRITHÈME (JEAN). Polygraphie et universelle escriture cabalistique. Paris, [Benoît Prévost pour] Jacques Kerver, 1561. €8,000 - €10,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: CAUS (SALOMON DE). La Perspective, avec la raison des ombres et des miroirs. Londres, John Norton, 1612.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: NICERON (JEAN-FRANÇOIS). La Perspective curieuse ou magie artificielle des effets merveilleux de l'optique. Paris, Pierre Billaine, 1638. €6,000 - €8,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: VONTET (JACQUES). L’Art de trancher la viande et toute sorte de fruits… S.l.n.d. [probablement Lyon, vers 1647]. €20,000 - €30,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: HUGO (VICTOR). [Paysage spectral avec une église], [vers 1837]. €20,000 - €30,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: [HERVEY DE SAINT-DENYS (LÉON D')]. Les Rêves et les Moyens de les diriger. Observations pratiques. Paris, Amyot, 1867. €3,000 - €4,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: GACHET (PAUL-FERDINAND). Les Chats de Gachet (Manuscrit). S.d. [avant mai 1873]. €6,000 - €8,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: [REDON (ODILON)]. PICARD (EDMOND). Le Juré. Monodrame en cinq actes… Bruxelles, Mme veuve Monnom, 1887. €7,000 - €9,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: [TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (HENRI DE) ET HENRI-GABRIEL IBELS]. MONTORGUEIL (GEORGES). Le Café-concert. Paris, [1893]. €4,000 - €5,000.
    ALDE, Mar. 11: [TERRY (EMILIO)]. Projet de fontaine. Dessin original au stylo et à l'encre noire. 1938. €2,000 - €3,000.

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