books:: SEPTEMBER 29, 2004

Auction is weekend highlight of 40th Antiquarian Book Show

40th Michigan Antiquarian Book and Paper Show
9:30 a.m .to 5 p.m. Sun., Oct. 3, at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave. Tickets are $4.50 and go on sale at 9 a.m. Children 13 and under are free. The book show auction begins at 7 p.m. Sat., Oct. 2. Admission to the auction is free and a preview starts at 4 p.m.
For more information call Curious Books at (517) 332-0112 or visit www.curiousbooks.com.By BILL CASTANIER
The “Return of the Jedi Storybook,” by Joan D. Vinge, was at the top of the best-sellers list when the first Book and Paper Show kicked off a Lansing area tradition in 1983 on its way to becoming the largest antiquarian book sale in the Midwest.

The show, with local book impresario Ray Walsh as the host, has settled into a comfortable two-a-year program attracting buyers and sellers from across the United States in search of collectible books and ephemera.

“It’s a trip down memory lane for everyone who attends,” Walsh said.

With 109 dealers, the selection is vast and the pricing is across the board — or books, in this case — but don’t look for a flea-market style event, Walsh said.

According to Walsh, who owns Curious Book Store and Archives Book Store in East Lansing, the prices are reasonable with a wide range of choices for both collectors and readers.

Walsh said dealers hold back stock for this show, and with 10 new dealers the selection will be especially fresh. New dealers include booksellers from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vermont and Ohio. In addition, the Capital Area District Library’s Book Burrow will have space at the show.

A relatively new addition to the show is a Saturday night auction that Walsh said will be especially interesting, featuring 300 lots of books and ephemera. Included is a first edition “Catch 22,” numerous volumes of the “U. S. Patent Office Official Gazette” from the 1800s, the first American edition of Charles Darwin’s “Descent of Man” and three volumes of “U. S. Coastal Surveys” (1851, 1853 and 1854).

The highlight of the auction could be the consignment from a collector who has amassed 7,000 children’s books and is beginning to sell them off. At this auction, books by authors A-D will be on the block. So you will have to wait for the Nancy Drew series but look for Oz books by L. Frank Baum. The auction is conducted by Ohio auctioneer Ronald Huber who specializes in vintage books. A complete listing of the books for sale will be posted on www.ronhuberauctions.com.

The auction will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Lansing Center. Admission to the auction is free, and a preview starts at 4 p.m. Walsh said the auction should last about three hours.

One phenomenon that has changed since the show was launched in the pre-Internet days of 1983 is there are now buyers looking for the bargain or niche book to put on E-bay.

“There are always finds to be made. This is not a show of experts,” Walsh said.

He said one of the reasons the show has had such a successful run is it gives buyers and browsers a chance to pick up and touch the item before purchasing it.

“You know what you are getting,” Walsh said. Sort of like kicking the tires on a car.

It also encourages impulse buying, especially of ephemera.

What’s ephemera? Basically, it’s paper items that include minor everyday documents such as postcards, broadsides, tickets, posters, baseball cars and photographs.

In the 20 years of the show, Walsh has seen tastes in books change dramatically. Michigan history, military history and sports are still strong categories, but cookbooks, children’s books and illustrated books have come on strong in recent years, he said.

The only caveat that Walsh points out is guests should not bring items for appraisal due to both security concerns and the fact that dealers are just too busy to take the time to look at items.