I only sell books at book fairs. There is no database of stock here and no categories to search. The internet can never replace the serendipity of a good fair. ‘You never know what you’ll find‘ is not just a slogan – it’s true for the Antiquarian Book Company! I make a big effort to bring fresh material to every fair because collectors have made a big effort to turn up and support the fair. They deserve to find the best books.
My stand at Oxford, April 2022. The full set of ‘Books As They Were Bought’ are on display on the table.
‘You never know what you’ll find’ is not just a PBFA book fair slogan! Here are ancient vellum tomes on the same stand as punk rock fanzines.
Have you ever been to a book fair? If you like old books, you’ll love them. They are a superb opportunity to spend a day surrounded by beautiful books. A good book fair is like a massive ‘pop-up’ bookshop coming to town for the day. It’s also a great place to meet fellow addicts and add wonderful material to your collection. I sell at about 40 fairs a year from the South Coast to York and I’m always happy to meet new collectors along with regular customers. In general I sell at the Etc Fairs Bloomsbury Book Fair each month and at their sister fair, the Bloomsbury Ephemera Fair, which is now six times a year. I also sell at The Ephemera Society fairs and of course many PBFA Book Fairs.
At each fair I always have an interesting stock of Victorian publishers’ bindings and bibliomysteries. In addition to that I bring new general stock, manuscript material, maps, original art works and plenty more. Please contact me first if you are visiting a fair specifically to see me!
The Lewes Book Fair deserves a special mention. There are five a year at the Town Hall, BN7 2QS. I do not like to carry around ‘old’ stock. So I sell it off at the Lewes Fair for £1, £2 or £3 an item, no matter what it cost and no matter what it’s worth. I’m opposite the door – turn up early and bring a box. Lewes is a great fair in a great town and I’ve been doing it on and off for twenty years, although the old-stock-clearout scheme is relatively recent. I absolutely love this fair – great place, great people, great books. And great bargains!
You can find out more about it here.
Resources
The main PBFA page is here; it has a book fair section. Please note that these fairs are run by the PBFA and all the exhibitors are PBFA members and therefore professional book sellers.
Larger PBFA fairs get their own website with exhibitor highlights, always worth a look.
The ETC Fairs page is here.
