Each May The London Antiquarian Book Fair commands center stage in London. This year the fair is to be held Thursday to Saturday May 24-26. One hundred and sixty firms are exhibiting. To handle an increasing number of exhibitors and an expected increase in attendance the show is moving next door to the larger National Hall at Olympia. Hours are 3:00 pm to 8:30 pm on Thursday 24 May, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on Friday 25 May and 11:00 am to 5:30 pm on Saturday 26 May. Four lectures on Friday, each in a 30 minute discussion, 30 minute Q & A format are being offered:
The Libraries of the National Trust. Lecture by Mark Purcell at 1:30 pm.
And all men kill the thing they love. A bookseller, surrounded by fiery legions of all the books he has loved and sold, attempts to square the circle of having but not holding. Lecture by Ed Maggs at 3:30 pm.
Telling good books from bad. Sound advice in a difficult market. Lecture by Jolon Hudson at 4:30 pm.
Libraries of the Mind. Lecture by Donovan Rees at 5:30 pm.
An updated website www.olympiabookfair.com organizes the fair for those thinking about attending. Under the heading More About the Fair a personal perspective on the history of the fair is offered by Keith Fletcher.
As is becoming the norm links for Visit us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter are provided, tools that imply either a younger audience, an older audience that is quite hip, or of course both.
The organizers of this event have gone to great lengths to connect what has always been interesting but complex and obscure with fresh approaches that will appeal to a generation seeing collectible books through the prism of 2012.
