Dated between September 1977 and April 1978, this archive of ten pieces of correspondence/legal papers and a memorial program were saved by Horizon Press publisher Ben Raeburn about the death of theatrical legend Zero Mostel. Blind Horse Books, DeLand, Fla.
Review by Kiersten Busch
ONLINE — With our reliance on the internet and online spaces growing every single day, one must begin to wonder if the antiques and arts fields — which rely so heavily on interpersonal communication and physically examining objects of all shapes and sizes — will attempt to make more leaps into the virtual world. Most auction houses now use various third-party or in-house online bidding platforms to supplement their in-person attendance, but what about antique shows? If there were a way to trade the hustle and bustle of an in-person show with online “traffic” that could draw in dealers and customers from around the world, would it be accepted?
Marvin Getman seems to think so, as he launched his own virtual platform in 2020, after his in-person shows came to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After meeting Cape Town, South Africa, web developer Tony Mills that same year, the two were able to launch a platform “intended to emulate the experience of visiting a show by browsing booth by booth or searching for items by category or keyword,” according to the description on Getman’s website.
Fast forward six years and not only does Getman still host his own shows on the platform — named Getman’s Virtual — but he licenses it to show producers all around the world. Getman’s own passion, however, manifests itself in the form of First Thursday Book & Paper Marketplace, a monthly online show designed for those in the book and paper fields to stock up their electronic “booths” and sell their wares via phone and email to interested customers worldwide.
Offered by aGatherin’ (West Sand Lake, N.Y.), this 1818 letter addressed to a “Mr Henry Whittemore” referenced the Sea Fencibles, a British military reserve force raised during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.
This month’s iteration, which took place July 2-4, featured 21 dealers from across the United States, as well as one from Switzerland (Bouquinerie du Varis) and one from Italy (Studio Montespecchio).
Diane DeBlois, co-owner of aGatherin’, located in West Sand Lake, N.Y., had already sold several items around an hour into the first day. This included a circa 1875 artist’s proof for a seven stone chromolithograph of a US mailbox being serviced by pigeons by an unknown artist; a 1910s embossed heavy stock business card for E.H. Martin, a “Dealer in Dirt” from Pueblo, Colo., whose motto “I have the earth for sale” was stamped on the card; and an 1873 business card for G.W. Hollinger, a land agent for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in Ellinwood, Kan.
DeBlois shared her thoughts on the marketplace via email after the event’s conclusion. “The show was successful for me — as with previous First Thursdays, mostly manuscript items sold (not surprising, as that is what most interests me!). I’ve been doing the First Thursdays since the beginningh and have participated in many other Getman virtual fairs since the beginning of Covid. I certainly have repeat customers, but have only had to ship internationally twice (once to Canada, once to Ireland). Marvin Getman’s platform is very user friendly; I especially like the archive of previous items both sold and unsold, as well as the visitor metrics. It doesn’t replace in-person shows, but I am participating in fewer of those, and the monthly virtuals keep me processing new material.”
As a veteran in this online space, Antiquarian Bookseller’s Association of America (ABAA) member Richard Oates, owner of Blind Horse Books of DeLand, Fla., took the time to share some thoughts on his experiences with Getman’s platform thus far. “I first exhibited with Marvin Getman’s virtual book shows during the Covid era. Of the virtual events I participated in, Marvin’s were consistently the strongest — excellent presentation, good attendance, an easy process for exhibitors and, importantly, successful sales,” he started.
Sold in the booth of Blind Horse Books was this private-press artist’s book interpreting Lewis Carroll’s (1832-1898) “The Mad Gardener’s Song” with full-page etchings by Jeffrey Graber. DeLand, Fla.
“As live shows resumed, I stepped away from virtual events. Then, in January, Marvin introduced a new concept: a First Thursday of the month marketplace. I decided to participate, and after seven consecutive months, I could not be more pleased with the results. The format has allowed me to consistently present new acquisitions, particularly ephemera, archives and unique one-of-a-kind material. Sales have been strong, with purchases by institutions, collectors and fellow dealers.”
Oates, who operates the business alongside his wife, Dottie, specializes in travel, exploration, fine press and documentary material, with particular emphasis on printed ephemera, maps, photographic archives and institutional publications in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Some of his sold items at this month’s Marketplace included the private condolence and legal archive of Horizon Press publisher Ben Raeburn; a ten-piece, self-contained manuscript and ephemera archive documenting the aftermath and legacy of the sudden death of Raeburn’s closest friend, theatrical legend Zero Mostel.
Another sale of note was an “engaging and highly unusual” private-press artist’s book interpreting Lewis Carroll’s poem “The Mad Gardener’s Song,” excerpted from his novel Sylvie and Bruno, through an uninterrupted sequence of original full-page etchings by Jeffrey Graber. “Rather than functioning as a conventional illustrated book, the work unfolds into an approximately 80-inch visual narrative, allowing Carroll’s absurdist imagination to develop as a continuous panoramic experience,” wrote Oates in the item’s description for his booth.
Sold by Carpe Diem Fine Books, Monterey, Calif., was this first edition copy of The Pooch by Ross Santee (New York City: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, 1931).
“This most recent show was positive, we sold several items mostly to new customers,” shared Mary Hill, co-owner of Carpe Diem Fine Books, based in Monterey, Calif. “We sold one item listed at $1,000; the rest ranged between $50-$250.” Hill, along with fellow owner James Bryant, specializes in out-of-print and out of the ordinary books of all fields, but has a special interest in the history and literature of California and the West.
Hill shared a few items that were sold during the show, which included a 1931 first edition copy of The Pooch by Ross Santee (New York City: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation), which was inspired by the author’s personal experiences as a working cowboy on Arizona ranches, and a 1935 first edition of Frank J. and Ruth Taylor’s Our U.S.A. A Gay Geography (Boston: Little, Brown and Company). The latter work, which included a color map with descriptive text for each state, was written by Frank while his sister illustrated.
Hill also touched on more details concerning the show, explaining, “We began doing this show from its inception and have only missed a handful over the years. We exhibit at three to four in-person book fairs annually. We find that doing this online book fair monthly is a good discipline which generates regular sales and interactions. The First Thursday Marketplace is a user-friendly platform, it’s easy to populate our ‘booth’ with items and the fair management is quickly responsive should we have any questions.” She also shared that, in general, their repeat client base is filled with regular customers, as well as fellow booksellers and institutions.
This first edition copy of The Story of the Harlem Globetrotters, 1949-50 Edition (Chicago: Craftsman Printing Company, 1949) was sold by InkQ Rare Books, LLC, Addison, Texas.
Addison, Texas-based InkQ Rare Books, LLC, is owned by Blake Thompson, who proudly explained that his business is “Home to the collections of Larry McMurtry; screenwriter and author William Goldman; the Ronald K. Siegel collection of books on psychoactive drugs, as well as books on hunting and fishing, modern first editions, children’s and illustrated books, travels and voyages, history, Texana, ephemera and more.”
“This most recent sale was good, but for whatever reason, some are better than others,” Thompson continued. “We had a few good sales this time around, mostly African Americana. We also do well with LGBTQ+ items, ephemera, occult and psychedelia. We get some pretty good institutional and library orders, even from large, prestigious libraries, which means that the special collections librarians are paying attention to the virtual fair and buying. I think our best library sale was $8,500.”
During the July Marketplace, Thompson sold a first edition copy of James Weldon Johnson’s poem “Saint Peter Relates an Incident” (New York City: The Viking Press, 1935), which came in its publisher’s black cloth binding and had provenance to the Dr Joseph A. and Aaronetta Pierce collection of African American literature and history. Also from that collection was The Story of the Harlem Globetrotters, 1949-50 Edition (Chicago: Craftsman Printing Company, 1949), an illustrated first edition of the 15-page, staple-bound text.
“We first started doing these shows at the beginning of the pandemic and quickly realized it was a convenient and easy way for us to make some additional sales,” Thompson emphasized. “The platform is extremely convenient and easy to use and gives us an opportunity to put our items in front of lots of eyeballs who might not know about us otherwise. It would be great if many more dealers did it to create a critical mass and develop new customers.” As for his own customers, Thompson has certainly gotten global reach. He mentioned, in a follow-up email after the marketplace’s conclusion, that in the June iteration of the Marketplace, he sold an inscribed edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass for $9,500 full retail to a poet in Australia.
Sold by Pied Oxen Printers, Hopewell, N.J., was an archive comprising an unknown printer’s preliminary sketches for the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights, which also included these first editions of the declaration in English and French.
Pied Oxen Printers also had a successful show, as the Hopewell, N.J., business, which specializes in book arts, fine press and typography, had one completed sale and two items placed on hold at press time. “Since my items tend to be relatively expensive, a single sale or two can make a successful show,” explained owner David Sellers.
Sellers elaborated on what he’d sold, saying, “The sold item was a unique archive of printer’s sketches and letterpress printed proofs, and first editions in English and French, for the 1949 UN Declaration of Human Rights, arguably one of the most influential publications of the Twentieth Century.”
He continued, “I’ve participated in Getman’s show several times over the past year or so, though I don’t participate in every show. Generally, I have new customers for each show. It’s the only virtual show I do, so I can’t compare it to any others. In addition to the occasional sale during the fair, some purchases have taken place after the fair. It has been good for directing potential buyers to my website, where I sell books that I make and publish, resulting in sales outside the fair.”
The next First Thursday Book & Paper Marketplace will be August 6-8. For information, [email protected] or www.getmansvirtual.com.
