Among the antiquarians: Why there’s optimism in the old book game

Red carpets for the superheroes: “The 11th annual Toronto International Art Fair — known by its sexier handle, Art Toronto — took over much of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre last weekend. It was a glitzy affair, as far as trade shows go: There was a red carpet leading to the escalator, which was protected by a security guard on the lookout, one imagines, for international art thieves. The red carpet was surrounded by speakers, which blasted the sound of a screaming crowd and paparazzi yelling “Over here! Over here!” on an endless loop. A BMW was parked nearby, reminding the artists, perhaps, that if they worked hard enough they, too, could afford such a stylish vehicle. There was even a VIP entrance, though neither Damien Hirst nor Banksy was spotted.

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‘There are a lot of happy dealers,’ said Adrian Harrington, the world’s foremost purveyor of James Bond first editions, as he walked through the fair on Saturday afternoon. He counted himself among them. The dealers who attended the festival are all part of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, a superhero-sounding collective encompassing 23 individual associations around the world, including the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of Canada.”

>>> Among the antiquarians: Why there’s optimism in the old book game, by Mark Medley. Read the whole article in The National Post