Getting out to the Book Fair
September 12th, 2006 by Alan Chudnow
I attended the Santa Monica Book, Print, Photo & Paper Fair over the weekend. One of the smaller book fairs it nonetheless drew about eighty dealers primarily from up and down California with a few showing from out of state. When I got there the crowd was very light so I had no trouble getting in, talking with the sellers and seeing all the offerings at each booth.
As always at such events I was struck with the feeling that there is something simply wonderful with being in the presence of so many choice books. Each vendor had, quite naturally, brought out some of the finest volumes they had to offer. The subject matter spanned the gamut from military history to antique bibles and, of course Science Fiction, and was complimented with a few vendors offering authentic autographs and antique maps and prints.
As seems to be usual with such gatherings there were a number of sellers that seemed to be there solely for the benefit of being seen by others in their own field; dealers catering to dealers. It seems a typical pitfall for some speciality dealers that they end up doing business primarily with other dealers and lose sight of the general public. Fortunately they were not in the majority.
There were, as is more typical in the field, a great number of sellers who were amiable, friendly and helpful. I had a long discussion with Mike Tormey and Curtis Faville of Compass Rose Books/Mike Tormey Books about determining condition of various volumes and the advisability of what condition a book should be to add to a collection. Mike was very helpful, pulling books down off his shelves and illustrating how to determine condition of the book and dust jacket and what to look for in a collectible book.
Wandering around the show I had the feeling that attendance was pretty thin and I chanced to overhear more than one conversation confirming that this year a smaller than usual crowd had turned out. I asked several dealers about it and there seemed to be a consensus that except for the really large, prestigious shows like the American Booksellers Association (ABA) or the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), attendance at trade shows was down in general. Most ascribed this to the increasing tendency of buyers and sellers alike to conduct their business over the Internet.
Those conversations reaffirmed for me something I can’t stress enough. It’s all too easy, in the age of electronic buying and selling, to loose sight of the necessity of actually going to a bookshop, book fair or Science Fiction convention and actually handling the books there. Buying and selling on the internet is quick, convenient and, for those of us who are not professional booksellers, one of the only venues for offering books for sale. But what is lost with the online experience is the tactical thrill of being in the presence of the books themselves, as well as the people who buy and sell them.
There is an added component to the practice of book collecting that is often overlooked by many modern collectors; that of sociability. The very act of getting up and going to the bookstore, talking with the folks who work and shop there, is a crucial component in making the practice of collecting and selling book a nourishing, enriching pastime rather being isolating and ultimately unhealthy. There is no substitute for that kind of human contact. Email is no substitute, chat rooms are no substitute. It is human interaction with others who share your love and passion for Science Fiction, for books, for collecting that gives depth and meaning to the pursuit.
I had a very lovely time at the Santa Monica fair and although I didn’t walk out with a single volume to add to my collection I had a number of wonderful conversations, met several very nice people and was able to browse through some very suburb books. I think it‘s time to slip on down to my local bookshop and if there are any strays that need a new home.
Happy browsing!
Dear Alan: Mike and I also did the Seattle Book Fair in October, and attendance was quite brisk. We both sold a lot, and the place was hopping with browsers. I agree with you about the social aspect of antiquarian/collectible book trading. I got into the antiquarian business partly to meet and deal with people who liked to talk about these things, and many of my sales occur as a result of pleasant exchanges between seller and buyer. Knowledge of, and appreciation for, the material one handles is very important–though the internet has broken that down somewhat. Some customers (as some dealers) just want the basic order (slam bam thank you m’am), but certainly a large percentage of them want to know that you know what you’re doing, and even that you share their interest. People who sell collectible books as widgits are kind of inert–”I don’t know nothin’ about the book, if you want it the price is $200, take it or leave it” etc. I don’t specialize in genre books, as Mike does to a large degree, but I always try to give as much useful feedback to my customers as I can, and if I’m completely out to sea, I’ll refer them to someone or some place where they can connect. –Best, Curtis Faville (Compass Rose Books)
Thank You