Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair & Virtual Counterpart Set for July

on May 04, 2022

The Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair and the Minnesota Virtual Antiquarian Book Fair, the former to be held at Schoenecker Arena at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul on July 8-9, 2022, and the latter to be held online from July 7-9, 2022, are pleased to announce a new partnership with CABS-Minnesota and its Diverse Voices Fellowship.

The CABS-Minnesota Seminar, an annual week-long boot camp for librarians, booksellers, and collectors, will be held at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, July 10-15, 2022, with a special event at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. The Saturday CABS-Minnesota session at the book fair will feature a panel of three seminar alumni. They'll talk about what the programme means to them, how it's affected their jobs, and how they plan to use it in the future.

“This special event is in keeping with the Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair’s mission to make regional and national rare book fairs accessible and welcoming to communities of color, folks with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, and others who have been excluded by institutional marginalization,” says Jennifer Phillips, the book fair’s Show Manager.

how the rare book trade may contribute to existing efforts for equity for anyone interested in starting their own rare book business. The 2022 Diverse Voices Fellows will be given free entrance to the fair.
The Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair is a cross between a book fair and a flea market. Its in-person version will feature exhibitors from the Twin Cities, wider Minnesota, and a variety of other areas around the country. Rob Rulon-Miller, the Bookhouse in Dinkytown, Ken Sanders Rare Books, Midway Rare Books, and others from the Minnesota book community will be on hand at the University of St. Thomas to meet their clients in person.

The fair is looking forward to welcoming retailers who aren't well-known in Minnesota, such as Type Punch Matrix, Uncharted Books, and Lorne Bair Rare Books, among others. Because the virtual format is more accessible for booksellers in remote locations, the virtual book fair will feature booksellers from around the country.
Getman's Virtual Book Fair Platform, which was created during the outset of the epidemic when book fairs across the country came to a sudden end, is being used to produce the virtual element of the fair. "I am so delighted to be collaborating with Jennifer Phillips and CABS-Minnesota and the exciting Diverse Voices Fellowship," said Marvin Getman, an experienced book fair producer headquartered in the Northeastern United States.

The fair invites both experienced and beginning collectors as attendees. “Our fair is a celebration of the rare book community, both locally and nationally,” Phillips says. “We host vendors that have decades of experience in bookselling and offer items of major historical and literary significance. Many of our dealers also pride themselves on offering books and manuscripts connected to underrepresented groups in the historical record.”

CABS-Minnesota’s new Diverse Voices Fellowship is a crucial step in ensuring bibliophiles of all communities see themselves reflected in the rare book trade. For decades, CABS- Minnesota has led the rare book community in recruiting young and fresh perspectives. The fellowship benefits the book trade and the cultural heritage community at large by expanding perspectives and encouraging new collaborations. “We’re very excited to have five fellows who are deeply knowledgeable in their areas of expertise and who are enthusiastic about engaging with the antiquarian book trade,” says Michele Wan, coordinator of the Diverse Voices Fellowship. “We welcome them to the community of antiquarian and rare booksellers and look forward to our continued work together.”

Rob Rulon-Miller, an exhibitor at the book fair and a faculty member of the CABS- Minnesota seminar, says, “We are very excited about this year’s Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair. This will be the first time a Minnesota book fair has backed up to CABS- Minnesota. It is the common goal of the Minnesota Book Fair and CABS–Minnesota to help bring diversity to the book trade. Together, we recognize that many talented professionals in the cultural heritage professions do not see themselves reflected in the trade and have found themselves isolated or distanced by reason of race, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and/or income.”

The Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair will take place 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. on Friday, July 8 and 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. Tickets will be $7.00 for both days or $5.00 for Saturday-only admission. Kids under 12 get in for free and complimentary parking is available for attendees.

The Minnesota Virtual Antiquarian Book Fair will take place on an online platform beginning at 11:00 a.m. central on July 7th, and open continuously until 7:00 p.m. on July 9th.