NY Book Fair(s) update

I think this picture sums up the West Side Loft book fair quite nicely. Pictured here is John Spencer (owner of Riverow Books and new ABAA board member) and my neighbor at the WSL. The fair had opened about an hour earlier...it was clearly time for champagne. John was a great neighbor. Fun, interesting and had several nice things that went home with me (notably a signed copy of Calder's, Aesop's Fables (with the naughty sketches).

On the plus side, the WSL fair was reasonably well lite (though we were able/needed to use our lights), nicely polished hardwood floors (slightly easier on one's feet) and was interestingly laid-out. It had, as has been mentioned elsewhere, a "feel" often associated with EU shows. Cozy, close quarters, diverse spread....interesting and nice.

There was good food and drink available for free during set up and for cash during the show. There was also a very nice area to sit and eat (or sleep, as some did). My son and several new friends made good use of it...especially when a very nice young lady with a Gameboy Advance DS joined them (picture three young boys (5-11ish) sitting around this young woman gazing adoringly...it was too cute).

Load in was, for many, a genuine pain. 37th Street is narrow with parking on both sides. When trucks started "standing" to unload, local PD showed up and started writing $120 tickets. I managed to avoid this and, best yet, was directed by another officer to a legal spot immediately "in front" of the line. It was sort of interesting, there was a big long line of ticket-getting vans with about 4 spaces open "in front" of the line.

There were plenty of porters, two freight elevators and not too much chaos. We were there early...I have learned through hard lessons that I need every available moment of set-up time (whether 5 hours or 12...really quite pathetic).

The show itself was, I think, quite good. It seemed to have a slow start (though it started at 8am...people should be asleep then) but picked up steadily on the first day (Friday). EU dealers were there in force and it is always nice to have people like Christian Jonkers and Simon Finch stop by to say hi. Unlike last year, I did not sell a great deal to dealers from across the pond (which was sad, given the exchange rate)...but have it on good authority that they were purchasing aggressively elsewhere. I did have an interesting exchange with someone from overseas actively seeking psychedelic material...I may be able to sell my entire collection of such material en banc, which would be nice.

I definitely got a very positive vibe from most dealers. Sales seemed quite strong, overall. It was a very strong show for us. All the better because most of the significant sales were to "new" clients (that is, not dealers...or old clients ).

The buying was also really quite good. I picked up a great little Maine item (expect it at the Portland Fair in June), a great early, handwritten cookbook, etc.....and the very slick Calder item.

I was very skeptical about the fair. I hate it when a fair moves. This space was *much* smaller than the 25th Street Armory and had MUCH more difficult move-in logistics. I do not "know" NY well...but when I mentioned it was at West 37th, more than one of my clients said words to the effect of, "that is nice, will you meet me at the Princeton Club"...which I did not take as a good sign. That said, I am extremely pleased we did the show.

I can not speak for the ABAA event to any great extent. I went there on Sunday for a few hours. The major item I was seeking, a collection of handwritten material, did not make it across the pond. I touched base with just about everyone for whom I needed to say hi, was able to catch up with several a lot of folks and picked up a nice thing or two for some clients. Then there was the...you know...window shopping.

The NY ABAA show is really something you must see to believe. You can buy $25 books there (though not that many), as you can at any show. You can also find the expected $250 and $2500 books that show up with some frequency. What really sets it apart is the sheer number of $25,000 and $250,000 books in one place. It is an amazing place to go just to see the depth and breadth of just what is "out there." From exceptional book arts to maps to fine leather, it is just a wonderful weekend for book lovers of all sorts.