Over the weekend of October 14th and 15th, the Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair was held on the grounds
of the 1962 World's Fair. It was the perfect setting for the well-attended affair. The fair was
organized, as it has been for the past 9 years, by Louis Collins of Louis Collins Books and David
Gregor of Gregor Rare Books.
Ninety-one exhibitors, primarily from the Northwest, brought on average about 300 items to sell. On
Saturday morning, promptly at 10:00 am, the doors opened to an energetic crowd that passed 400 by noon
and reached 1000 late in the day according to the show promoters. On Sunday another 600 visited. By
all accounts and standards the attendance was very good. In an exit survey conducted by AE, buyers
were ebullient, mostly pleased or very pleased with what they found and bought. They did not however
spend exceptional amounts of money.
Dealers who brought what they wanted to sell did less well than those who brought what the crowd wanted
to buy. By this I simply mean that roughly a thousand motivated people spent 2 to 3 hours of their
weekend looking for what they wanted to buy and nothing changed their predetermined course. Ninety
percent wanted to buy inexpensive books and did so. Larry Ewing of Bainbridge Island who sells 20th
century military material summed it up this way. "It was a great fair. I sold 65 books for almost
$3,000." The audience was interested and determined, knew what it would spend and spent it.
Michael Elmer of Michael's Books had a similar experience. He brought 500 books, a mixture of
collectible and inexpensive material, sold more 10% of his titles and has already signed up for the
2007 show.
For Mark Wessel of Wessel & Lieberman "it was a good fair for many, a good fair for us" but he also
said "the jury is still out on the future of fairs. Their place in bookselling is changing and it's a
challenge to make them work."
For Jerry Shepard of San Francisco it was a learning experience. "This is my third show and they are
a necessary part of bookselling." He too has already signed up for 2007.
For Thomas Goldwasser of San Francisco, "It's always a pleasure to exhibit in Seattle. I came with
three goals: to meet new collectors, buy inventory and sell books and I went home 2 for 3."
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.")
