Full Text:

BOOKISH IN BOSTON

(with cuts)

By Bob Jackman

BOSTON, MASS. -- The Boston International Book Fair anchored both a commercial

and cultural success during the weekend before Thanksgiving.

The fair itself attracted record crowds, and exhibitors reported excellent

sales. Within strolling distance of the fair, four paper auctions and another

show also enjoyed large throngs and exceptional results. About 7,000

collectors along with professors, authors, rare book librarians, curators, and

printers attended these events.

The 100,000 books offered by 140 fair exhibitors touched upon every

conceivable subject. While literary first editions in original dust jackets

continue to have a following, nonfiction was more widely exhibited and sought.

Books offered as works of art featured exceptional illustrations, typography,

design or bindings.

The most aggressively traded item was the first edition of Sports Illustrated

magazine with a complete set of 27 baseball cards. All four copies that

arrived at the show sold before they could be photographed.

In addition to book dealers, a dozen specialists offered manuscript materials

ranging from Medieval illuminated pages and autographed letters to maps of

explorations.

Many manuscripts had historic significance. Exhibitor John Rexindoff of

Westport, Conn., suggested "This copy of this book may have shortened World

War II: It's General Patton's personal copy of the English translation of

Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. All these notes were written by Patton in an effort

to understand the working of Hitler's mind. Understanding Hitler's thinking

helped to anticipate his moves and weaknesses."

Most exhibitors were careful to offer merchandise in all price ranges.

Typically, booths featured works from $15 to $15,000. Dealers who shipped

their inventory by air freight limited their offerings to the upper end.

However, some distant dealers drove to Boston so that they could exhibit a

full range, such as the nation's largest rare book shop, Heritage Book Shop of

Los Angeles, Calif.

The global standing of this fair was demonstrated by the geographic

distribution of exhibitors and shoppers. There were 13 European and eight

Canadian exhibitors. American exhibitors by region included 50 from New

England, 21 from Mid-Atlantic states, 20 from New York State, and 14 from the

West Coast.

Shaker ephemera dealer Scott DeWolfe of Alfred, Me., commented, "It's been an

excellent, well-attended show. Our best show in Boston." Similar comments were

offered by dozens of other exhibitors.

While booth sales were important, dealer networking was sometimes more

significant. The accommodating setting, along with a rich geographic mixture,

provided a unique negotiating forum. In each row there were dealers discussing

possible six-figure transactions. In some cases a complete library was being

offered, and in other cases two or three books were under discussion. For

example, Jeff Weber of Glendale, Calif., was offering the entire personal

library of printer and designer Ward Ritchie.

Scholars attending the fair were eager to speak with book dealers who

specialize in their field. Stephen Jay Gould is perhaps the most popular

scientific writer in America, but this Harvard professor is also regarded as

one of the leading authorities on evolution. Dr Gould went directly to the

booth of Korn and Towns of London, where he described Eric Korn's book shop as

"the book store of my dreams."

Eric Korn gave some indication of the market growth in scholarly books. "When

I started in this business, a first edition, first printing of Darwin's Origin

of the Species sold for œ5. In the 1950s, it was œ10 to œ20. By the 1970s it

reached œ200. Today, it's œ30,000 to œ50,000.

A 1998 innovation at the fair was the creation of a cultural row at which

Eastern New England institutions with important libraries publicized their

services. The public was surprised to discover that membership was available

and affordable at such renowned institutions as the Boston Athenaeum, the New

England Historic Genealogical Society, and American Antiquarian Society.

Exhibiting dealers offering Smith and Little's Michelle Felice Corne in their

booths for about $80 were startled to find it was still available at $15 from

the Peabody Essex Museum's publications office.

The book fair was founded in 1977 by dealers Harold Burstein, Doug Harding,

and Christian Verbeke. This year's show was dedicated to Chris Verbeke, who

passed away earlier this year. Harold was the original chairman of the show

and remained in that position until his death. Doug Harding succeeded him.

After serving for a decade, Harding has turned the reins over to Ken Gloss.

Gloss was very pleased with the 1998 fair. "We always do well, but this year

has been even better. We want to achieve the critical mass which compels

distant dealers and collectors to travel here. We are definitely getting some

of that. One German dealer told me, `I travel to America once a year, usually

to New York. This year you had so much here that I had to come to Boston

instead.'"

"We want to improve the events even more," he continued, "and better convey to

the public the diversity and range of events occurring on this weekend."

Across Dalton Street, David and Bernice Bornstein presented an 89-dealer paper

show in the basement of a parking garage. Exhibitor Jean Babcock of Harsens

Island, Mich., volunteered, "We've done this show for five years, and it is

always a very good show compared to book shows elsewhere."

Connecticut dealer Richard Murphy added, "The fact that there are two shows

nearby gives it appeal and keeps everyone happy. Exhibitors shop each others'

shows as well as the public shopping both shows."

Across Boylston Street at the Back Bay Hilton Hotel, Kenneth VanBlarcom

auctioned 500 books on Saturday. Top lot was a seven-volume set of Audubon's

Birds of America, published from 1840 to 1844. An Audubon letter documented he

had borrowed the set when doing later research. The set fetched $56,100 from a

Connecticut couple who are collectors. The underbidders were a North Carolina

couple who flew up for the auction with friends. While attending the sale,

they learned of the book fair.

On Sunday morning, the Hilton was the site of a second book auction, when John

McInnis sold the library of a Beacon Hill estate. Selling individually and in

lots of 30 titles, the auction grossed $118,000. A phone bidder paid $30,800

for six volumes of Audubon's Birds of America. A dealer in the audience won a

bound set containing the first 60 volumes of Curtis Botanical magazine for

$28,600.

Less than a mile east, Skinner's auction gallery operated a split shift on

Saturday. In the morning, they auctioned more than 600 rare books and

manuscripts, and in the evening they presented 350 motion picture posters and

cards. The book sale was led by Johann Baptist Homann's (1663-1724) two-volume

atlas Atlas Novus Terrarum Orbis Imperia, which he published at Nuremberg

circa 1720. This beautifully illustrated and profoundly important record of

the development of Western thought, exploration, and armaments sold for

$64,100.

A completely different but equally well-heeled crowd attended the movie poster

auction, where King Kong leaped from the rear cover to seize center stage: a

huge three-sheet poster (41 by 81 inches) sold for a howling $70,700.

While dealers were excited to have six events on a single weekend, many

members of the collecting public were only aware of one or two events.

Promoters need to reach the public with a collective message that the weekend

includes a half-dozen events and together these justify flying to Boston for

the weekend.