Monday, November 15, 2010

Boston Book Fair: Sunday & Wrap-Up

The 34th Boston book fair finished up yesterday afternoon at 5, and by all accounts it seemed to be a good success for dealers and buyers alike. I was thrilled to see a pretty decent crowd of people still on the floor during the last hour of the fair (sometimes that can be a pretty dismal period) and I know of at least one dealer who actually ran out of receipts!

Michael Suarez's talk, "The Ecosystems of Book History: Acting Locally, Thinking Globally" was excellent, and ABAA officials promise that the video will be online shortly; I'll be sure to pass along the link. The talk and following discussion were very interesting, and the audience seemed to enjoy it. Asked how to encourage the next generation of collectors and biblio-humans, Michael encouraged attendance at RBS (which I heartily agree with), and noted that they're beginning a program next year to train high school teachers and librarians in developing print-centric curricula (a wonderful idea).

During the afternoon I staffed the MHS table, and got to chat with some readers of this blog (great to meet you all!), as well as several folks who've been in to use the MHS reading room in the past (or will be coming in the future).

As always, the fair offered some excellent opportunities to talk with the good folks who inhabit the biblio-universe - I hope all had fun, and we'll see you next year!