Mixed in with the many books at the fair you can also find rare maps, prints, photos and sometimes items so unique they are hard to categorize.

There were several standout items for me at this fair, and just choosing a few to share was challenging. Here are just a few of the items I loved:

By far, my favorite at this fair was a small illustrated songbook manuscript presented by White Fox Rare Books, which can also be found on AbeBooks, Cahier de Chansons Commence en Captivite Le 1/10/1941.

The manuscript was made by Leo Osteng, a French prisoner held in a German POW camp during World War Two. Vibrant and lively illustrations accompany the hand written song lyrics.

White Fox Rare Books also brought along another of my favorites, a Monogram Album with Monograms Incorporated into Watercolors and Ink drawings. Monogram albums were common place in the Victorian era. People would cut out and save the crests and monograms found on letters and envelopes they received and then past them into albums. Some books were very simple and others more detailed and decorative, such as the one I found at the New York Book Fair. There are many great examples of Monogram albums on the AbeBooks site.

Lux Mentis Books always has unique books and ephemera and this time they brought some beautiful miniature books, each one no larger than a few inches.

The art historian in me loved this small, untitled but signed oil painting by poet E.E. Cummings that Massachussetts bookseller Ken Lopez brought to the fair.

If you’re interested in paintings by E.E. Cummings, there are many more on the AbeBooks site.

This is just a small sample of the incredible books and ephemera that you can find at an antiquarian book fair. Everything you see at the book fair is accessible and available to handle, and there’s nothing quite like picking up a book that is being sold for $10,000.

What I love most about these fairs is the friendliness and accessibility: although there are many high-priced books, there are also always items for new collectors, and the booksellers are more than happy to answer your questions and help you enter the world of collecting.

Guest post compliments of Maria Hutchison, AbeBooks Account Manager for our rare and collectible segment.

Walking into an antiquarian bookshop is a bit like opening a treasure chest; you never know what you are going to find and there are always hidden gems. I love knowing that I can walk into these stores and find something that I know has had a long and interesting life and belonged to people that cared enough to preserve and share them.

One of the shops I visited was Argosy Books in midtown Manhattan. Argosy Books was founded in 1925 and is now in its third generation of family ownership. There are books on the shelves, books in stacks and piled on tables. All combined with great lighting and small pops of colour from flowers placed throughout the store to make you feel instantly comfortable and welcome.

Argosy specializes in Americana, modern first editions, autographs, art, maps & prints and books about the history of science and medicine. If those aren’t up your alley, you will also find many other books in a wide variety of topics and with a wide variety of prices. If you have the time and you’re in New York, Argosy is definitely a store you should visit.

Another shop I visited was the Complete Traveller Antiquarian Bookstore on Madison Avenue. This store evolved from The Complete Traveller Bookstore which was the first travel bookstore in the US. As the name states, this shop specializes in collectible travel literature and has one of the best collections of authentic Baedeker travel guides. Baedekers are considered to be the first modern travel guides and can be easily identified by their distinct red cover. The books were treasured for their detailed historic accounts and the many fold out maps they contain.

This is a unique and specialized shop and definitely worth a visit if you love travel, history and culture.

No visit to New York is complete for me until I visit The Strand. Strand never disappoints and I always walk away with at least one, well really several books. This time I came home with something for my children, but I love it too: This is New York by Miroslav Sasek. We love these books in my house and have many others in the This Is…. series.

Most people know that Strand is a great place to go for affordable books, but it also has a fantastic Rare Book Room. Hop in the elevator and go up to the 3rd floor, and you’ll walk into a room filled with lovely old books, many of which can be found on AbeBooks.

Strand also has many affordable and collectible signed first editions. The day of my visit, they were getting ready for a book signing and talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz, discussing his newest book This is How You Lose Her.

Bookstores in New York offer a slice of history and small pieces of beauty that will draw you in and make you love books even more.

Guest post compliments of Maria Hutchison, AbeBooks Account Manager for our rare and collectible segment.

Back in 1937, the first Governor General’s Literary Award came into being under Lord Tweedsmuir (also known as prolific author John Buchan). Originally, they were awarded to English-language authors only, and just two per year.

To celebrate 75 years of the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the world’s most extensive collection of Governor General Award for Fiction winners in the world is currently on display at the University of Toronto. The collection belongs to John H. Meier of the W.A. Deacon Literary Foundation. It consists of over 500 volumes and includes numerous highly rare and collectible editions such as galleys, uncorrected proofs, trial dust jackets, advance review copies, association copies, author copies, and more.

The collection is on display now at U of T’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, and will be until December 21st. The Fisher Library houses the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, and has been in its present location – a brief walk from where the first GGLA was presented by Lord Tweedsmuir in 1937 – for just shy of 40 years.

For any lover of rare and collectible books, avid reader or Canadian history buff, this exhibit will be a rare feast.

University of Toronto
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
120 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario
October 8th to December 21st, 2012
Library open: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9am-5pm Thursday 9am-8pm Closed weekends.

You can find the fair, sponsored in part by AbeBooks.com, in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the hours are 5pm to 9pm on Friday 12th, 11am to 6.30pm on Saturday 13th and 12 noon to 5pm on Sunday 14th.

There will be booksellers from Canada, the United States and Europe, including Paul Foster, Bernard Quaritch and Peter Harrington from London, Bauman Books from Philadelphia, Aquila Books from Calgary, Donald A. Heald from New York, Steven Temple from Toronto, and Bjarne Tokerud from Victoria.

Learn more about the Toronto International Antiquarian Book Fair.

Mark your calendar – the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair is coming up soon on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 October. Find the fair at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall on Mercer Street just east of 3rd Avenue North.

Tickets are just $5 on the door and you’ll be good for both days. Under 12s are admitted for free.

Sponsored in part by AbeBooks.com, the fair will feature 93 booksellers from the United States, Canada and Europe. Lots of top-tier rare booksellers will be there, including Bauman Books, John Windle, Rulon-Miller Books, Ken Sanders Rare Books, Voyager Press Rare Books, Wessel & Lieberman, Books Tell You Why and the Heritage Book Shop.

See amazing rare and collectible books from the Pacific Northwest and much further afield. Learn more.

Here is a preview in the Vancouver Sun.

I saw some true gems including a copy of The Vicar of Wakefield illustrated and signed by Arthur Rackham, the first French edition of Captain Vancouver’s journals from 1800 (printed two years after the English edition),  lots of collectible children’s books, a few Britain in Pictures books, art books, lots of British Columbia themed books and Canadian literature. Most of the sellers are from Vancouver and its suburbs and Vancouver Island although there was one seller from Winnipeg. The Alcuin Society is also at the fair and we had a great chat with Markus Fahrner, a freelance book designer, and also his wife who was running the cloakroom in a very efficient manner.

Here are few snapshots from the fair on Saturday afternoon.

Visitors will see a variety of gorgeous literary treasures, both modern and antiquarian. The fine books on offer will include Detective Fiction, Fine Bindings, History, Literature, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Antique Maps & Prints, Art and more, from many of the top booksellers in British Columbia.

When: Saturday, September 22nd & Sunday, September 23rd, 10am to 5pm both days
Where: UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson Street (convenient parking both nearby and underground)
How much: $5.00 Admission (good for both days)

Some of the exhibiting booksellers include:

• Ainsworth Books
• Carillon Books
• Bjarne Tokerud
• Brown’s Books
• Hourglass Books
• Kestrel Books
• Murdoch’s Bookshoppe
• Purpora Books
• Sorensen Books
• Stillman Books
• Thompson Rare Books ABAC/ILAB
• The Wayfarer’s Bookshop

The fascinating thing about the event is that there is so much more to see than just books. Maps and atlases, original artwork, letters, prints, and many other kinds of paper-based ephemera is on display. Many booksellers who sell on AbeBooks will be there. There is also a programme of book-related lectures, and there are numerous demonstrations and activities.

The Olympia Exhibition Centre is on Hammersmith Road. Travel to Kensington (Olympia) on the District line from Earls Court and the venue is next to the station. Tickets to the Fair are free if you register in advance, or may be purchased on the door for £10 each, £15 for two. Learn more.

This is your opportunity to enter for a chance to win admission to attend the event, including instructional materials, breakfasts and lunches, and accommodations. There will be two lucky winners. Each prize package is worth U.S. $1,543.00. Transportation to and from the event is not included.

The Book Seminar provides an opportunity for leading specialists to share their expertise and experience in a comprehensive survey of the rare book market, both antiquarian and modern. Basic procedures and problems are discussed both formally and informally through a series of lectures, discussions, demonstrations and practical hands-on workshops with emphasis on the Internet, computers and Internet bookselling, as well as traditional methods.

Learn more.

Just a drop in the bucket of events include the unveiling of a bronze statue of Frye (who will live outside the Moncton Library, reading on a bench), a 24-hour playwriting competition, a chat about the role of the critic today at Culture and the Critic, and much more. Some of the talented and critically-acclaimed authors in attendance include Marina Endicott, David Gilmour, Rudy Wiebe, Marie-Louise Gay, Terry Fallis and many more.

For more information, please see The Frye Festival Website.