The 63rd ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair returned to New York City

On April 27, the 63rd ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF) returned to the Park Avenue Armory. Over 1,500 visitors enjoyed authentic antique books from nearly 200 exhibitors from many different countries. Once again, the NYIABF lived up to its reputation as a highly-regarded international antique fair. The NYIABF invited book lovers everywhere to hunt for rare books.

The fair is officially sanctioned by Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) and International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Sanford L. Smith + Associates managed and produced the fair. Fair organizers saw a 15% increase in attendance and noted the higher presence of younger visitors. On opening night, the NYIABF saw major sales from dealers.

Notable guests included Manhattan Borough President Mark D. Levine, Alexander Cunningham Cameron, and Jill Krementz. Sanford Smith, owner of Sanford L. Smith + Associates, attended April 27’s exclusive preview. 

Imperial Fine Books sold a signed and illustrated copy of Hansel and Gretel by Kay Nielsen. Profits ranged from $4,500-$20,000. James Gray Booksellers sold three items, including a mint condition copy of Albertus Magnus Secretis Mulierum et Viroru(m). The dealers identified it as an influential medieval science document. Urus Books, Ltd. saw similar success.

The dealers sold a whimsical children’s book called ‘El Pintor’ to a Dutch collector. The picture book saw success in the Netherlands during World War II. A Jewish couple created the story and pictures. The authors donated the proceeds to resistance groups. The collector planned to donate the artifact to Amsterdam’s National Holocaust Museum. Eric Chaim Kline, Ltd. and Kate Mitas had artifacts as well.

On opening day, Eric Chaim Kline, Ltd. received an order for Theresienstadt (concentration camp) currency. Kate Mitas sold a civil rights activist’s archive. In the 1960s, the campaigner worked with Misissipii’s CORE. Then, the reformer became involved with San Francisco’s LGBTQIA+ liberation movements.

Honey & Wax Booksellers sold a copy of 25 Cats Named Sam and a Blue Pussy, by Andy Warhol. The 1962 artist book came from George Balanchine’s library. Another dealer named Peter Harrington bought the collection. The fair’s second day featured unique finds as well.

Brooklyn’s Schubertiade Music and Arts sold mint condition sheet music and receipts relating to famous musicians. The dealers had a receipt for Billie Holiday’s Ritalin prescription and a beer tab signed ‘Lady Day.’ They had a typed letter restaging of an opera by Frederico Fellini. It contained the words, “The restricted space of a theatrical stage frightens me.” 

Appledore Books exhibited a meticulously-crafted album of twenty-nine Yellowstone National Park photographs. Unknown photographers captured exquisite nature in 1887. Then fourteen years old, the park might have purchased some pictures. The dealer displayed a complete 1993 edition of ‘Six Rooms’ by John Baldessari. It contained six offset lithographs on sommelier bristol paper. Baldessari signed in pencil on the last page.

Tokyo’s Kagerou Bunko displayed early Chinese manga by Feng Zikai. In the display case, the book showed an elegant drawing of a woman with a black border. The dealers featured an early printing of the first Japanese book on mermaids and unicorns. In 1795, Gentaku Otsuki and Kenkado Kimura co-authored the book. Shiba Kokan provided simple, black-and-white illustrations.

Paris’s Rodolphe Chamonal featured an Alabama Claims’ first international court of justice document. The authors intended to address the Civil War consequences. In Washington in 1871, the book was sewn together. The dealers displayed a Winckler Company commercial catalog of arts and crafts. The drawings reflected 19th-century Japanese fashion.

Maine’s Sandra L. Hoekstra Bookseller featured a mint condition copy of A Story of the Virgin Islands by Sally Kelsey. It contained illustrations by her father, Luman Kelsey. “It was written by a young woman who was eleven years old at the time. It’s very unusual,” said owner Sandra Hoekstra.

The United Kingdom’s Voewood Rare Books exhibited eight telegrams to John Lennon by Curt Claudio. In the 1970s, Claudio experienced infatuation with Lennon. The pieces of paper were glued to high-quality poster board. The dealers featured “Photograph of Auguste” by Henry Manuel. The Paris 1910 document contained an inscription by Rodin to his model/lover Eve Fairfax.