It’s been two years since the ABAA has held a sanctioned in-person event and 2022 opens with the ABAA’s biannual fair in the Bay Area on Friday 11 February. One hundred and two exhibiting dealers are soon expected to arrive. The event is being held over 3 days, opening Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm at the Oakland Convention Center.
The exhibiting dealers represent a broad swath of the ABAA’s west coast membership as well as English and European merchants who are members of ILAB, the world’s largest association of book sellers. Bookfairs have long been are a vital component of dealers’ selling channels and there is a profound sense of relief that traditional fairs are about to open.
The ABAA is also hosting a simultaneous online bookfair for those too far away or otherwise engaged, so they can experience the fair. While the world has been locked down with Covid-19 the ABAA and Marvin Getman organized electronic bookfairs, creating a new sales venue that is expected to continue to be part of the field’s ongoing marketing mix.
Here are the social and learning opportunities that are scheduled during the fair:
BOOK FAIR HOURS
Friday, February 11, 2022 • 3 pm to 8 pm
Saturday, February 12, 2022 • 11 am to 7 pm
Sunday, February 13, 2022 • 11 am to 4 pm
THE FAIR
Recognized as one of the largest prestigious antiquarian book fairs in the world, this three-day event features the collections and rare treasures of booksellers from around the globe, including manuscripts, modern first editions, children’s books, ephemera, maps and autographs, as well as antiquarian books on a vast array of topics. As an officially sanctioned fair of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, buyers can be assured of the highest standards and professionalism of participating dealers.
In addition to the outstanding assembly of exhibitors, the fair is particularly pleased this year to feature a special exhibit on wine and viticulture, courtesy of the Shields Library, University of California, Davis. The grape growing and winemaking collections at the University of California, Davis are the finest such collections in the world. A representative selection of the collections will be on display.
Additional Fair Features include:
- Book Arts and information about local library and university collections
- Book Fair Finds – Gems for $100 and Under
- Exciting Seminars & Presentations
- Good Words Make Better Wine: Building the UC Davis Library's Wine Writers Collection
- The UC Davis Library Wine Collection: Origins, Highlights, and Use
- Collecting Oakland’s Activist Roots: the Black Panthers and Beyond
- Sherlock Holmes in Popular Culture - a presentation courtesy of the Grolier Club - The California Young Book Collector’s Prize
TICKETS
Friday, VIP Ticket -- $25 / VIP ticket is good for reentry throughout the Fair
Saturday - $15 / Saturday tickets are good for reentry on Sunday
Sunday -- $10
FREE admission for students with current valid student ID.
ABAA and ILAB members receive free admission upon showing their membership card.
If you have been given a VIP Complimentary Pass from an exhibitor, please exchange your pass for a 3-day ticket at the door.
For those unable to travel, there will be a simultaneous virtual book fair at abaa.org/vbf. The Virtual Book Fair: California Edition will begin at 9:00 am PST on February 12, 2022 and doors will remain open until 5:00 pm PST on February 14, 2022.
VENUE
Oakland Convention Center
& Oakland Marriott City Center
1001 Broadway
Oakland, California 94607
TRANSIT AND PARKING INFORMATION
BART:
The Book Fair is BARTable!
(510) 465-2278
www.bart.gov
Lines that serve the Oakland 12th Street City Center Station:
Richmond-Fremont
Richmond-Daly City/Millbrae
Pittsburg/Bay Point-SFIA/Millbrae
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit:
(510) 891 5470
http://www.actransit.org/
Twelve local bus lines service the 12th Street City Center Station. Bus service runs throughout the Contra Costa/Alameda area.
Ferry:
(415) 705-8291
http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/
The Oakland Ferry Terminal is located at the west end of Jack London Square, a half-mile from the Oakland Marriott City Center. There are 9 terminals throughout the Bay Area, including Angel Island, San Francisco, South San Francisco, Alameda, and Vallejo.
Parking:
There is ample parking in the lot behind the Oakland Marriott City Center (entrance on Clay Street between 10th and 11th Streets), in addition to parking around the neighborhood.
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