Many attendees were captivated by the booth display with Lux Mentis Booksellers, Portland, Maine.
Review & Onsite Photos by Kiersten Busch
NEW YORK CITY — The hustle and bustle of New York City, the city that never sleeps, is always apparent upon exiting Grand Central Station after the almost two-hour train ride from Connecticut. Even in the evenings, when most suburban neighborhoods begin to tuck themselves in for the night, the city seems to take on a new vigor with marquee signs lighting up for blocks and people of all ages making their way to a plethora of evening events.
One such event on the evening of April 30 was the exclusive VIP preview for the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF), now in its 66th year. Located, as it is every year, at the Park Avenue Armory, the four-day event is a celebration of literature and works on paper from across the ages. The fair is officially sanctioned by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of American (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) and produced by Sanford L. Smith + Associates.
Melissa Olster, a representative for the NYIABF, shared, “We welcomed 174 exhibitors from around the world. There was a real sense of energy throughout the weekend — strong attendance, but as several dealers noted, it never felt overwhelming. Early sales were robust across categories, with a number of notable transactions happening within the first hours of the preview.”
The Park Avenue Armory’s entrance hall, where ticketing and coat check were located, was filled to the brim with attendees on April 30 for the exclusive VIP preview event. Over the course of the night, a record 2,400 attendees were recorded!
“One of the most exciting shifts we’ve continued to see is the broadening of the audience. There was a notable presence of younger collectors, along with guests from across fashion, design, film and the culinary world, which really speaks to the growing cultural relevance of the material on view,” Olster shared. “Opening night, in particular, had a wonderful mix of longtime collectors and new audiences, and the Ambassador Program continues to play an important role in that. Notable attendees included Patti Smith and Michael Stipe, among many others across the cultural and collecting communities.”
Our first stop of the night was in the booth of Peter Harrington Rare Books, where Asia specialist Dr Matthew Wills was ready to show off some highlights. He was quick to present a circa 1741 Japanese manuscript by Gensen Kanda titled Nitto gyofu (The Illustrated Fish of Japan), which included more than 300 hand-painted illustrations. “This is the first Japanese encyclopedic work on fish, most likely done by a team of artists,” Wills explained. “It documents the fish’s biological features but also gives them character.”
This year, Peter Harrington, which has locations in London and New York City, took up two booth spaces, expanding its offerings for the firm’s worldwide clientele. Wills winded through both booths with ease, pointing out additional highlights, which included the only known copy of Winston Churchill’s biography of his father with a dust jacket; a first edition copy of Richard Nixon’s The Memoirs, presented by Nixon to his successor Gerald Ford; a first Kelmscott Press edition of Shakespeare’s The Poems in jeweled binding by Sangorski & Sutcliffe; and a signed first printing of J.K. Rowling’s The Philosopher’s Stone in hardcover: the rarest there is. “Only 500 copies were made, and a majority went to libraries,” shared Wills.
This first Kelmscott Press edition of William Shakespeare’s The Poems (Hammersmith: 1893) was in a Sangorski & Sutcliffe jeweled binding, adorned with more than 100 precious stones and mother-of-pearl inlays. Peter Harrington Rare Books, London and New York City.
Following the show, owner Peter Harrington commented, “This was a record fair for us, with strong pre-fair catalog sales and our best opening night sales in years across private, institutional and trade buyers. Having our New York gallery on East 67th Street, just a few minutes’ walk away from the Park Avenue Armory, also made it very convenient to continue conversations and showcase all our material. We had a busy week and got to spend quality time with clients who attended the fair. We had several major sales, notably the Magna Carta copy, JD Salinger letters and a copy of [Laurence] Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. Overall, we were extremely pleased with both the turnout and the results.”
Next was McBride Rare Books, a Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.-based business that has been operating since 2018 and attending the NYIABF since 2019. “We specialize in the history of the Americas: the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada and the Pacific Rim,” explained co-owner James McBride. “It’s mostly Nineteenth to early Twentieth Century material, sometimes colonial.” Co-owner Teri Osborn chimed in to show off one of the pair’s highlights, a typed and signed Malcolm X letter, dated to 1962, in which he was writing to Peter Goldman about his conversion to Islam. McBride countered with a copy of the Texas declaration of secession from the Union dated to February 2, 1861, and printed on silk. “Usually, things printed on paper were distributed to the public,” McBride explained, “but silk printings were most likely handed out to convention delegates and politicians. This was a Texas state treasurer’s copy.” This reporter was even allowed to carefully touch the document, which was still in fairly good condition, despite some folding creases from storage.
One of the highlights in the booth of McBride Rare Books was this typed and signed 1962 letter from Malcolm X to Peter Goldman, discussing his conversion to Islam and his previous beliefs. It included the line, “Before being taught the religion of Islam… I was nothing…” Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Following up after the show, Osborne shared, “McBride Rare Books had a solid fair, with strong sales and many good conversations with librarians and other colleagues. Most of the other dealers I spoke with seemed to have had similarly positive results for the weekend.”
The First Edition Rare Books, based in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, was offering political and presidential pieces, as well as some modern works and African Americana, all specialties in their wheelhouse. Head cataloger Callie Bross was happy to share that “the best of the best already sold,” less than 30 minutes into the fair. However, she still pointed out a handwritten manuscript by John Steinbeck, which contained parts two and three of his “Making of a New Yorker” essay for The New York Times Magazine. “We also have a few of his letters back and forth between him and his editor,” Bross added. Also in the company’s front-facing display cabinet was a first edition, first issue copy of The Peoples Ancient and Just Liberties Asserted in the Tryal of William Penn, and William Mead (London: 1670) and a copy of Irving Chernev’s Chessboard Magic! (New York: 1960) signed by Bobby Fischer, Sam Reshevsky, Edward Lasker, Robert Byrne and more.
“We had a great show with some pretty solid sales, both to the public and to fellow book dealers,” shared Bross in an email post-fair. “Since we primarily sell books online, I had a great time describing our unique pieces to people in person, like the Steinbeck manuscript I shared with you! The New York fair is an excellent opportunity for us to meet face-to-face with clients we speak with regularly online, whether they buy or sell with us. I also thoroughly enjoyed visiting other booths to learn about materials from time periods and genres we do not personally handle at our shop.”
The bottom shelf of this display case featured a handwritten and autographed manuscript for “Making of a New Yorker” by John Steinbeck (middle). To its left were correspondences between Steinbeck and his editor, and to its right is the edition of The New York Times Magazine that the essay was published in. The First Edition Rare Books, Cincinnati and Indianapolis.
Les Enluminures, based in Paris, New York City and Chicago, has been attending the NYIABF for “decades,” so said collection manger Anna Holmes. The company specializes in original illuminated manuscripts, books of hours, miniatures and works of art from the Middle Ages and Renaissance and had a few of their most eye-catching offerings displayed in the very front of their booth. Holmes explained that the books of hours they had were “commissioned prayer books that incorporated hymns and songs. Think of them as devotional items with ‘remixed songs’ personalized per household or person.” One example, referred to as The Towneley Hours, was done in Bruges in the 1420s and incorporated 12 full-page illustrations by the Masters of the Gold Scrolls. “The resurrection scene displayed here just sparkles,” Holmes added. “Those scenes are always so beautiful!”
After the show, Holmes followed up with us, sharing a few words on behalf of the company: “We love the New York Antiquarian Book Fair. It is by far the best book fair in the United States (maybe in the world). The attendance is extremely good, all the dealers highly professional and the management is efficient and well organized. We see many librarians at institutions from coast to coast with whom we work throughout the year, and we often — as this year — reconnect with private clients with whom we have lost contact. Sales vary, but they are always worthwhile and usually across our entire inventory — as this year — text manuscripts, miniatures and books of hours. We also try to purchase, usually with some success. The fair is a ‘must’ in our packed annual calendar of events.”
Les Enluminures had many illuminated manuscripts on display, including The Towneley Hours (Use of Rome and Rouen), a book of hours in Latin and French made for export for the French market in Bruges, the Netherlands, in the 1420s. It had 12 full-page illuminations by the Masters of the Gold Scrolls, including this one of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. New York City, Paris, Chicago.
Traveling all the way from Lavardin, France, was Knuf Rare Books, run by Anita van Elferen. It was the company’s 15th year at the fair, shared assistant Martijn van Elferen, who was happy to show off Knuf’s carefully-curated selection of female-focused material, including La Sainte Messe – Bénédiction des époux – Messe de marriage, an illuminated French prayer book for newlyweds done in 1914, and Les robes de Paul Poiret, a hand illustrated 1908 catalog, perhaps considered the first modern fashion catalog. He also showed us an unbound collection of illuminated pages; however, they only had their black ink outlines completed. “It was designed so that you could color it in yourself!”
“New York is the biggest and most important book fair in the world, and we always enjoy being there and meeting wonderful people and seeing all the treasures that are shown,” explained Anita van Elferen in an email post-fair. “It is a highlight of our year, and this year was no exception. It was very busy with lots of people attending. The last couple of years we have seen a more diverse group of visitors and more younger people who are enchanted by what is on offer at the fair. And they are interested in the book as an object, not just a text. We have met so many wonderful people. Librarians, booksellers and private collectors that we have known for a long time and that we are happy to connect with from year to year. But also, many new contacts whom we hope to meet again next year, because we will be back!”
After the fair’s conclusion, Olster happily shared, “This year was truly a standout across the board. Opening night drew 2,400 guests, marking a 20 percent increase over last year and the highest attendance in the fair’s history. Overall attendance reached approximately 15,400, up ten percent from last year. We’ve seen consistent growth each year since the fair resumed, up 62 percent from 2022 to 2026. The last four editions have each outperformed any previous year, which has been incredibly exciting to watch.”
The New York International Antiquarian Book Fair will return to the Park Avenue Armory April 15-18, 2027. For additional information, www.nyantiquarianbookfair.com.
