Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair Returns in November

The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair (BIABF) celebrates its 47th year at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston’s Back Bay running November 7-9.

More than 100 rare book dealers from Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Serbia, and 22 U.S. states will exhibit a wide range of items for a full range of prices including illuminated manuscripts, modern first editions, ephemera, photographs, maps, and autographs, as well as antiquarian books.

“Rare book collecting is taking on new life among younger and more diverse audiences, drawing everyone from rare book connoisseurs to new audiences intrigued by the power of the printed word and image,” said Julie Roper, CEO of Capricorn Event Management which has managed the Fair since 2015. “Younger collectors are redefining the concept of collecting and rare books as a whole. What once catered largely to scholarly circles has grown into a full-fledged cultural showcase, elevating itself well beyond a bibliophile’s paradise. This is an event where literary collectibles, academic, and high-end art sensibilities collide.”

The fair begins with an Opening Night celebration on November 7 from 4-8pm with in-person talks all weekend, then 12-7pm on November 8, and 11am-4pm on November 9. Talks include:

• Visibility Through Invisibility: Black Librarianship in the Early 20th Century
• Edgar Allan Poe: A Life
• Condition, Condition, Condition: How to Spot a Repair
• Boston in Transit: Mapping the History of Public Transportation in The Hub
• A Mistress, A Spy, and a Rare Book: The Ephemera of a Gilded Age Scandal
• The Ticknor Society Collectors' Roundtable: Collector-Built Collections in Libraries