About the Fair
In 1976, a bookseller from Waltham named Harold Burstein suggested creating a book fair in Boston at a time when book fairs were becoming an essential part of the antiquarian book trade. After forming a committee that included Kenneth Gloss, Anne Bromer, and Michael Ginsberg, the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair was born.
For the first 10 years, the Fair was held in the grand environs of the Copley Plaza Hotel ballroom. Customers came from long distances to search for known and unknown treasures, as well as to immerse themselves in the atmosphere created by like-minded enthusiasts, collectors, and dealers. Many early participants reminisce fondly about the legendary all-night poker games that accompanied the event in those early days.
In 1987, the Fair outgrew the Copley and moved to the Castle at Park Plaza and then moved again to its current location at the Hynes Convention Center in 1990, where it has been held ever since. In the beginning, many old-line booksellers didn’t see the need for the Fair, but the bibliophiles and collectors who still flock to the Fair each year confirm the enduring value of a destination filled with books for browsing, as well as the browsers themselves. There are few pleasures as sweet as discovering a rare book you never knew existed, holding it in your hand, and acquiring it for your collection.
