The California International Book Fair February 7th - 9th
- by Bruce E. McKinney
The 47th California International Antiquarian Book Fair
The every other year ABAA book fair in South California returns to Pasadena for a three-day engagement Friday February 7th through Sunday the 9th. This is the second time that the fair is being held in Pasadena. In alternate years an ABAA west coast fair is held in the Bay area. In recent years such fairs have assumed an increasing importance as rare book dealers continue to close their shops and increasingly rely on such event to meet their customers.
The fair organizers have gone to great lengths to provide a deeper experience than just wading through several acres of dealers. For those looking to be immersed there are the following opportunities:
Book Signing. Saturday, February 8th at 11:00 am. Nicholas Basbanes will be signing his latest book, ‘On Paper-The Everything of its Two-Thousand-Year History.”
What Shakespeare Ate. Dining in the Elizabethan Age Panel Discussion. Saturday, February 8th at 1:00 pm
A Talk: Printing the Declaration of Independence – and Selling it. Saturday, February 8th at 3:00 pm. A talk by Selby Kiffer, International Senior Specialist, Books and Manuscripts Department, Sothebys.
Seminar: Rare Books 101. Sunday, February 9th at noon. Presented by Katy Carter, Brad Johnson and Carol Sandberg. Noted rare booksellers will provide a speed course on the essentials you need to know to start collecting.
Discovery Day. Sunday, February 9th, 1:30 to 3:00 pm. Presented by the 47th California International Antiquarian Book Fair. Free appraisals on up to three books. Limited to first come, first served.
Still making notes? There is more.
“Book Arts. You won’t want to miss as local “book art” artists and organizations come together to create an interactive, informative, and entertaining special event area. Local libraries and universities will be exhibiting one-of-a-kind works from their collections. Calligraphers, bookbinders and a small press operator will once again be creating unique souvenirs for you to take home. Fun for all ages.
Join us in Celebrating Shakespeare’s 450th Birthday! Fine art books, posters, lobby cards, playbills and other collectibles will document Shakespeare’s enduring influence on literature and the arts. Participating organizations include the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Honnold/Mudd Library at the Claremont Colleges Library, Ella Strong Denison Library at Scripps College, Huntington Library, and University of California San Diego Library.”
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
