What a great weekend...a triple threat draws a trip to NY

ILAB has a book fair...very neat, but not really enough to justify a trip to NY alone.

Fine Books hosts the first annual Collegiate Book Collecting competition awards presentation a the Grolier Club...really wonderful, in more than one way, but not quite enough to justify a trip to NY alone.

I have a moderate amount of books (including the elephant folio set of the Monograph of McKim Mead) that need to be delivered to a client in NY...great fun, but not something to drive justify a trip to NY alone.

All three...in one day...totally justify a drive to NY. So I did.

I arrived shortly after the ILAB event started on Saturday. It was a relatively small fair (60ish dealers)...but by and large, what great dealers. Very international (possibly more foreign than domestic...which was strangely pleasing) and simply exceptional material from nearly all genres. Jonkers was there with, among many wonderful things, some truly exceptional illustrated juvenalia; Between the Covers had their usual (exceptional) collection of modern lit (I had a nice chat with them about their absolutely exception website...it is almost too much fun). Donald Heald brought an absolutely amazing collection of folio to double folio sized books...simply a stunning collection of books. Nicholas Basbanes was there, chatting and signing and was, as always, charming. Sadly, I ended up only able to spend about 2 hours there...for two reasons. First, I had to meet with my client in the afternoon and wanted that to be leisurely. Second, 2 hours is the parking garage was $30, over 2 hours was $50. I love NY.

I then proceeded to the Park. Or, rather, very near it...to visit a client and deliver his books. I, as he, love good books and good architecture. We had a nice visit and good chat. All one's clients should be a nice.

I then moved on to the final event of the day, arriving somewhat early for the Grolier Club event. This turned out to be a very good thing. I had a nice bite to eat nearby and visited the Apple Cube...Apple, it seems, is as good at designing their retail space as they are their hardware. The elevator alone is worth the trip. Best of all, however, is that I had about two hours to wander through the Grolier Club. They have two exhibits on display the moment. One is a collection of miniature designer bindings and the other is the Guild of Book Workers Centenary Exhibition...simply exceptional art bindings. In retrospect, these exhibits alone justified the trip to NY and I recommend any and all to make the trip. It was wonderful. To top it off, there was a very nice awards presentation. I had the pleasure of meeting the winner, a charming, (reasonably) young man with an exceptional collection on Japanese prints/printing. The event was well attended and was key-noted by Nicholas Basbanes...the start and finish to an all together lovely day.

The trip itself was rather fun. I listened to an unabridged version of an utterly entertaining bit of escapism and had the surreal experience of stopping in at a rest stop where TWELVE bus loads of Boston Red Sox fans had just unloaded (hidden, behind the building) on their way to play the Yankees...or some such thing. I have never seen a 40 person line to use a Men's Room. I have now. I did not return the same day...though I came close. My sister, however, lives in Guilford and is encumbered, at the moment, with a parasite that will in a month or so, be my nephew...so I spend the night there which was great fun, too. Business, play and family...what a great weekend.