“There are now 35 statewide celebrations, and that has gone up tremendously in recent years,” said John Y. Cole, director of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. Mr. Cole arranges for authors to appear at the annual National Book Festival, which drew 100,000 literature lovers to the National Mall in Washington last month. The center also helps organizers put together local book fairs.

The article lists a number of fairs happening next month in various cities across the country including Miami, Las Vegas, Chicago and Wooster, Ohio. Wooster, Ohio? Who am I to quibble? The Miami fair alone, reports Greenfield, draws about 300,000 people for its weeklong event. Not bad for a bookish crowd.

Along a similar line Science Fiction and Fantasy author signing events are also alive and well. Locus magazine list 38 author appearances between now and this time next month. Notables include Peter Beagle, Spider Robinson, Ellen Kushner, R. A. Salvatore, Harlan Ellison and illustrator Syd Mead among many others.

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!