Around halfway through the night, aisles were crowded with interested attendees, who used the chairs positioned in the middle of each aisle to sit down and view the contents of booths that were too crowded to peruse through.
Review and Onsite Photos by Kiersten Busch
NEW YORK CITY — Despite the cool temperatures as of late, the weather in New York City on April 3 was calm, cloudy, yet pleasantly warm. As good a day as any to hop on a train, step on to the bustling subway, or walk down to the intersection of East 66th Street and Park Avenue to the historic Park Avenue Armory, where the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF) was held from the 3rd to the 6th.
Sanctioned by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the NYIABF is also produced and managed by Sanford L. Smith + Associates, headed by CEO Jennifer Stark. This year was a significant one for the NYIABF, in more ways than one. Not only was it the 65th iteration of the fair but it was the first without its founder, Sanford Smith, who passed away on May 25, 2024.
“It was certainly emotional to produce the fair without Sandy’s physical presence — he was such a visionary and a constant force behind this event for decades,” explained Stark. “But in many ways, this year felt like a tribute to the extraordinary foundation he built. We honored his legacy by keeping the integrity and spirit of the fair intact, while also looking ahead and building on that foundation. I know he would have been proud.”
Stark continued, “This year’s ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair was truly exceptional. We welcomed a fantastic number of both returning and first-time visitors, and dealers, and the energy throughout the Park Avenue Armory all weekend was electric. Attendance was strong and steady across all days, the best ever on record, and we saw a broad mix of seasoned collectors, museum curators, scholars, and new bibliophiles — all of whom made for a dynamic and engaged audience. We also continued our Ambassador program this year, with a robust roster including founding Ambassador Jesse Paris Smith and new Ambassadors Alex Assouline, Sarah Hoover, Levi Higgs, Isabella Boylston, Connor Holloway, Karah Preiss, Emma Roberts and more!”
The entrance to the historic Park Avenue Armory, where The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America’s (ABAA) New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF) is held every year.
The night of April 3 was the fair’s preview party, where — for an extra price — guests, press and dealers alike could enjoy early access to the range of collectibles in various disciplines offered, including art, science, medicine, literature, history, gastronomy, fashion, first editions, Americana, philosophy, children’s books and more. Some notable newcomers this year, or those back after a long hiatus, included Nick Aretakis Americana, Auger Down Books, Back in Time Rare Books, Division Leap, Librarie Pierre Coumans, De Simone Company, Dungeness Books, Nudelman Rare Books, Pingel Rare Books, Langdon Manor Books, Seth Kaller, Hyraxia Books, Champion Christophe Gilles Georges and Fugitive Materials.
“We have 183 dealers, spanning 14 countries, which is so exciting! It’s like visiting 183 bookstores all in one shot,” shared Sunday Steinkirchner, the East Coast chair of the ABAA, at the very beginning of the night. “We’re set up in a historic building, the perfect setting. It’s our most exciting fair, for sure.” Steinkirchner is also the owner of B&B Rare Books, located on Madison Avenue in New York City. Steinkirchner, who was at the show, emphasized their nontraditional and diverse academic backgrounds in an area of collecting usually dominated by the humanities. “Actually, neither of us majored in English literature. I was a psychology major, and Josh [Mann, co-owner] was a biology major. We just found that we have a shared passion for literature!” B&B Rare Books’ specialty is English and American literature, as well as, unusually enough, Nineteenth Century signed baseball material. The baseball material was managed by Mann, who was in the middle of a discussion with a potential client when we approached the booth. When asked what some of her favorite offerings were, Steinkirchner enthusiastically responded, “Virginia Woolf — we have a signed Woolf. And some props from the off-Broadway show Sleep No More, which closed in January. I’m obsessed with it!” The signed Woolf, a first edition of Orlando, was one of only 800 signed by the author, in her signature purple ink: “my favorite thing!” Steinkirchner confessed.
This signed note from J.R.R. Tolkien came with the first editions of the author’s The Lord of The Rings trilogy offered by B&B Rare Books, New York City. Reading “If you would like a signature for The Lord of The Rings, you can stick this in with my good wishes,” the autograph was most likely “given to a fan who wrote in,” explained owner Sunday Steinkirchner.
Hopping across the pond to Peter Harrington Rare Books, owner Pom Harrington shared that the London-based business brought an eclectic mix of books and manuscripts, including novels by Jack Kerouac, Little Red Books, early travel books and signed Winston Churchill documents, among others. It’s their 29th year in a row at the fair, and it’s Harrington’s favorite. “We enjoy it! We’ve also just opened our first flagship gallery in New York City, at 35 East 67th Street,” he said, a huge step into connecting with more US-based clients, both new and old. Harrington was also excited to show us one of the highlights of the booth: “This was the principal source of knowledge — how Sixth Century Europe knew the world,” he shared of a 1473 edition of Isidore of Seville’s Etymologiae. What made this encyclopedia particularly important? “It includes the very first map ever printed in a book,” Harrington said. The map in question was a T and O map, named as such after the map’s alphabetiform shape.
After the fair, Harrington gave us a little bit of insight into some of the business’ sales over the weekend: “A standout sale for Peter Harrington was a rare early Spanish edition of Marco Polo’s travels, last seen in commerce over 75 years ago. We sold our copy to an out-of-town collector for $150,000. Our other US concern, William Reese Company, also had a strong fair with several high value sales, a highlight being the sale of a striking hand-colored Revolutionary War manuscript map ($185,000), commissioned and executed by the British during the New York campaign in 1776 as they prepared to invade Manhattan. Maps of this kind — contemporary, signed and produced as part of active military operations — are extraordinarily scarce in private hands.” He continued, “Despite fewer institutional buyers due to budget constraints triggered by recent events, it was hugely positive to see the fair very well attended and enjoying strong engagement from private collectors.”
“This is how Sixth Century Europe knew the world,” said Pom Harrington, Peter Harrington Rare Books, London, of this 1473 edition of Isidore of Seville’s Etymologiae.
“We just recently purchased the collection at The General Theological Seminary, so we’ve brought several original early bibles printed before 1500,” said Jeremy Markowitz of James Cummins Bookseller, New York City. They also brought an original John James Audubon manuscript, a copy of Frederick Douglass’ famous July 4th oration and a copy of Cortés’ second and third letters, complete with a rare first plan of an American city. “[The Douglass] is an extremely rare piece, and his most famous piece. [The Cortés] includes the first accurate mapping of the Gulf of Mexico,” Markowitz said.
First time dealer at NYIABF, Obadiah Baird, owner of The Book Bin, reported his satisfaction with how his debut night had been going so far: “It’s an incredible book fair, and it’s so exciting to be part of it. I’ve been seeing a lot of colleagues in person for the first time, and it’s really nice to get out and meet new people, too.” The Corvallis and Salem, Ore.-based business has done shows in California and Seattle for more than 15 years, but this is Baird’s first out of the West Coast. The Book Bin is a love letter to all things science fiction, fantasy and horror, and Baird was excited to show us some first editions he brought of the works of Jules Verne, “one of the fathers of sci-fi,” he mused, “I love the way these present.” Baird also brought out a signed first edition of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and a volume of poetry written by J.R.R. Tolkien during his time at Oxford University, of which he noted, “He wrote these poems in college, they’re very rare.”
“It’s the same business with dealers as usual. Not bad, in fact, quite good,” shared Paolo Rambaldi, founder of Mayfair Rare Books & Manuscripts, London, who began attending the fair in 2010. Among a smattering of illustrated and early printed books, Rambaldi selected two as his personal favorites: a first edition of François Levaillant’s final published work on exotic birds (1801-1806) with “beautiful plates” and a 1603 printing of Abraham Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first regularly produced atlas.
This compilation of 21 engravings is generally considered the first Western study of Chinese architecture, made around the Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century, according to Bryan Bilby, owner of Appledore Books, Waccabuc, N.Y., who was offering the set for $5,000.
We ran into an Antiques and The Arts aficionado in the booth of Appledore Books, Waccabuc, N.Y., run by the enthusiastic Bryan Bilby. “Every year we look forward to reading [the NYIABF review]!” Bilby said, a grin on his face. “We drive over 40 minutes to pick up physical copies of the paper.” Bilby is also passionate about the NYIABF, which he has been attending as a dealer for more than two decades. One of Appledore Books’ specialties is art and architecture books that are “more recent, but older (200-300 years),” according to Bilby, along with other antique ephemera. His favorite items in the booth reflected this. He first showed us an Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century folio of architectural illustrations that are widely considered the first Western study of Chinese architecture, as well as an 1896 copy of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s first published book, The House Beautiful. “It was his mother’s copy, and it’s actually signed by her,” Bilby explained. He was also partial to a set of University of Michigan baseball ribbons from the 1890s, which he gave some context on: “Back in the Nineteenth Century, players, coaches and managers had to wear ID ribbons to identify who they were — you can’t imagine that happening today! It’s a nice collection.”
“So far, so good,” reported Christiaan Jonkers of Jonkers Rare Books, Henley-on-Thames, UK, when we checked in with him around an hour into the evening. “We’ve sold a few things. Actually, we just sold a collection of Tolkien letters, [the client] just bought them! It’s a good start to the fair.” The booth contained literature from Shakespeare to the present day, with a focus on first editions, original manuscripts and presentation copies: “really special examples,” Jonkers emphasized. One of those special examples was a copy of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, which was one of 50 copies the author circulated for friends one year before its official publication. “This copy is actually inscribed to Diana Cooper, who a recurring character in the novel was based off of. It’s in perfect condition, which means she may not have read it,” Jonkers joked. He also pointed out an original marked up transcript for Ian Fleming’s penultimate James Bond novel, You Only Live Twice, which included numerous handwritten annotations. Speaking of Fleming, just as we ended our conversation, a customer came up to get Jonkers’ opinion on a book signed by the Bond author’s brother.
Jonkers Rare Books, Henley on Thames, UK, was representing agent 007 with this original marked-up transcript for Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice, the penultimate Bond story and the last novel the author published during his lifetime.
Books of Wonder, New York City, gave attendees the chance to walk down memory lane with a booth decorated top to toe with posters and original prints from infamous childhood classics such as Charlotte’s Web and Where The Wild Things Are. Headed by Peter Glassman, the bookstore deals mainly in children’s and illustrated books. Their highlights included a first edition of Edith Nesbit’s The Story of Columbus, illustrated by Will and Frances Bundage and J. Pauline Sunter, which tells “the story of Columbus, but everyone is children. It has gorgeous, gorgeous illustrations. It’s from 1892, a 40th anniversary edition,” added Glassman. He also brought “some really cool signed stuff,” including a first edition copy of Stories from Hans Andersen, signed by the illustrator, Edmund Dulac.
It was hard to miss the Jolly Roger decorating the center case in the booth of Bruce Marshall Rare Books, Cheltenham, UK, which immediately drew customers in to find out more about the company’s new catalog, Under the Black Flag. “We specialize in travel, natural history, witchcraft, demonology and, of course, pirates, for which we’ve just done a new catalog,” explained Clare Marshall, daughter of Bruce, the owner. “Dad has been doing the fair for 50 years, but I’ve been for the last 11. It’s a great fair; one we look forward to.” Marshall’s favorite swashbuckling item in the booth was a first edition copy of Captain Charles Johnson’s A General History of the Pyrates, which is only one of two copies that have appeared at auction. “It’s very rare to get a first edition,” Marshall said, “and it includes all of the famous pirates: Blackbeard, Mary Read, Anne Bonny and Calico Jack.”
All pirate lovers could let their Jolly Roger flags fly at the booth of Bruce Marshall Rare Books, Cheltenham, UK, who was offering a whole selection of literature on pirates.
After the fair’s conclusion, Marshall reported: “We brought a new collection this year, Under the Black Flag, which was really well received — and so was the Jolly Roger stand décor! This year we saw a real uptick in interest for our books on demonology and witchcraft, and in particular we sold a lot to collectors venturing into this area for the first time. It’s great to see this topic becoming more popular amongst collectors, because it’s an area of both American and European women’s history that has been often overlooked.”
“It’s been going pretty well. When we set up, we get to interact with the other dealers. The trade is such a well-interlinked system,” shared Callie Bross of First Edition Rare Books. The Cincinnati-based shop focuses on presidential material, inscribed pieces, association pieces and African Americana, of which there was an abundance of in the glass cases adorning the back wall of their booth. Bross guided us over to said cases to point out her favorite item: a signed first edition of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr’s, Stride Toward Freedom, inscribed by six additional Civil Rights activists, including James Farmer and Jesse Jackson. “I just cataloged this piece,” she explained excitedly. Bross also pointed out unusual signatures on the top left and righthand sides of the autographed pages: “Whoever owned it pasted in additional signatures!” Another highlight was a first edition advanced copy of Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill A Mockingbird.
“We had a pretty good show with some solid sales,” shared Bross, in an email post-fair. “Since we primarily conduct sales online, the New York Fair is a great opportunity for us to meet with clients face to face and chat with newcomers in person about our favorite books. As a younger member of the rare book trade, it was exciting to see people my age at the fair enjoying the world of antiquarian books and rare materials. I’m already looking forward to next year’s show!”
A first edition, first printing of Stride Toward Freedom by Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, which was signed by Dr King (middle of right page) and other Civil Rights activists, such as James Farmer and Jesse Jackson. First Edition Rare Books, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Initially drawn to the booth of Knuf Rare Books due to the radiant energy and wonderful fashion sense of assistant Martijn Van Elferen, it turns out the Lavardin, France-based company is more than what meets the eye. “We’re doing great, always happy to be in New York. We just managed to put everything together a few hours before!” admitted Van Elferen. “We specialize in architectural books, books about books and art in general, especially women painters, women engravers. More and more women!” Van Elferen was happy to show off an 1899 copy of Psaumes Paris, a collection of 14 psalms written by Laure De Waldie, which was hand-illuminated by various female illuminators. “It’s 130 years old, and contains illuminations of flowers, dragons and other animals, and uses gold and blue shimmery metal ink,” Van Elferen said of the manuscript. “I love everything that has color in it! We usually deal in black and white when working with prints, so it’s nice to have something like this.”
Tucked away in a booth shared with Kagerou Bunko, an East Asian art and literature dealer from Tokyo, was Michael Steinbach Rare Books from Vienna, Austria. Assistant Iudita Lucusa reported that things were going “slowly,” but that she wasn’t worried because it was only the first night. The company brought an abundance of literature and other items from 1900s Vienna, which included a copy of Austrian author Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s play Der Kaiser und die Hexe (The Emperor and the Witch) (1900). “It is so beautifully made,” Lucusa said fondly of the rare edition, which was one of only 200 numbered copies. “All of these bindings are so beautiful.” Another personal favorite of Lucusa’s was a wallet designed between 1910-28 by architect and designer Josef Hoffmann for the Wiener Werkstätte; it was made from black goatskin and contained four parts, one with a compartment for coins.
Kagerou Bunko brought a plethora of Asian art and illustrated books all the way from the Chiyodaku province of Tokyo!
Peter F. Blackman of White Fox Rare Books and Antiques, New York City, was finishing up a sale when we made our way over to his booth, a little less than an hour before the end of the evening’s festivities. Once he finished, he was able to share, “It’s been very good so far, with a big turnout. There’s been lots of enthusiasm.” White Fox has a focus in what Blackman refers to as “the decorative arts side of antiques,” including books and ephemera that are hand-painted or hand-colored. One of the standout examples of this in his booth was a leporello — a style of artwork or printing where parallel folds are made, alternating between front and back — of a royal procession, which “goes on and on, repeating,” explained Blackman. “It’s an accurate representation of how long an actual royal procession would be, and what would be a part of it.” Blackman also emphasized the importance of rarity in what he likes to collect and sell. “I really like things that were not done in many copies, things like specialized manuscripts not done for resale, or a personal sketchbook. Something very elaborate and well-done.”
After the show, Blackman followed up with us and reported, “While my sales at this point are considerably off of prior years, I did have what seemed like an enthusiastic sale, and I was satisfied given the anxieties about the economy and everyone’s shrinking stock market portfolio, and the concern of institutions about losing federal support. So, in the context of widespread apprehensions, it was a good fair.” He also added, “In terms of spirit and atmosphere, there was an electricity in the room at times that surpassed even the fairs pre-Covid. Generally, the fairgoers were polite, respectful and a pleasure to engage. Often our booth was very crowded, but never did I feel I was losing control of things.”
After the fair’s conclusion, Steinkirchner shared with us that the fair had a record-setting 14,000 people in attendance over the course of its four-day run, a 10 percent increase over 2024’s attendance. It was “the very best year in at least 15… so I’m going to have to go out on a limb and say it’s the best attended fair ever,” she explained.
Even less than an hour before the end of the preview party, attendees still packed the aisles, conversing with dealers and one another.
She also shared her personal thoughts, as the East Coast chair of the ABAA, about the feel of the fair this year, in light of uncertain times in the US: “I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, the feeling during set up… until the crowds were let in for the opening, and all of a sudden everything seemed much different. And then I could tell what had happened. Everyone was nervous, I think we were all a little bit concerned about what’s been going on in the world and whether people will still want to attend a book fair while there are so many other pressing things at hand; every day something is changing and different, and it’s so hard to predict where we will be even a week from now or a day from now. But as soon as the crowds arrived on Thursday, I think everyone in the Armory breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was palpable. I could feel like we all relaxed a bit and knew that the crowds would be fine, and for sure they were all weekend. For most of the exhibitors I spoke to, they did well or extremely well, and that is always good for me to hear. I know I can’t please everybody, but I sure try to! It can’t always be everyone’s best fair every year, but especially with our Ambassador program and a lot of new outreach we’ve been doing since I have become chair, we have seen a lot of young people coming in, and young people that are sophisticated and educated, and already buyers of rare books, not just readers, or well on their way to becoming collectors. The new flux of younger energy in the fair has been a huge difference in recent years, and I think the sales also reflect that.”
Stark also added, “We’re grateful to the incredible community that continues to support this fair — from our partners at the ABAA and long-standing exhibitors to our new dealers, institutional partners and of course, the visitors. The response this year reaffirmed just how vital and inspiring this event continues to be. The world of rare books and ephemera continues to evolve and the passion behind it is stronger than ever.”
The 66th New York International Antiquarian Book Fair will be held from March 30-April 3, 2026. For information, www.nyantiquarianbookfair.com.
