Behind the Scenes of the California Antiquarian Book Fair

In recent years, many fairs changed or tried new approaches, reached out to new audiences and invested in fresh marketing ideas, often with very positive results. Their continued success shows how much these fairs still matter, and how much they depend on the people who make them happen.

The California Antiquarian Book Fair, organised by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) and officially supported by ILAB, returns to San Francisco’s Pier 27 on the Embarcadero from 27 February to 1 March 2026. After last year’s devastating fires in the Pasadena region led to the cancellation of the 2025 fair, the California Antiquarian Book Fair returns to San Francisco this year with particular resonance.
We felt that this was an excellent opportunity to recognise the work of the team behind the scenes: organisers and board members, whose year-round efforts ensure that a fair remains both resilient and relevant in a changing book trade.

Speaking to Julie Roper, Fair Director

Julie Roper, Operational Director of the fair, is reflecting on nearly two decades of experience. “The 2026 California Book Fair will be the nineteenth ABAA fair that I have organized,” she explains. “I began in 2007 with my first Boston fair… and when the ABAA brought the California fair back to San Francisco in 2024, I joined the ABAA management team as Book Fair Administrator and Director.”

Over those nearly two decades, antiquarian book fairs have become central to her professional life. “Antiquarian book fairs have certainly grown into a foundation of my business,” she says. “I have had the privilege of learning a great deal about not only the rare book trade, but also the many passionate and dedicated booksellers that make these fairs possible.”

Organising both the Boston and California fairs offers a unique perspective on regional character within an international framework. “The Boston and California ABAA fairs share many of the same elements,” Roper notes. “But bicoastal nuances emerge through the cultural influences on display, art, music, literature, history, academia, technology, entertainment, and so much more.”

Behind that cultural richness lies extensive invisible labour. “The planning process for an ABAA fair is a year-long endeavor,” she emphasises. “There are countless behind-the-scenes details that most never see, and for good reason: a well-managed fair looks easy from the outside.” Ultimately, she sees her role as creating “an opportunity - and increasingly important, an in-person destination - for booksellers to showcase and sell their unique collections to interested audiences.”

For 2026, that destination will be shaped by a timely theme: Revolutionary Moments in America, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the many political, artistic, and social transformations that followed.

Mark Funke, California fair board member, exhibitor, and bookseller

For Mark Funke, the fair’s significance is deeply personal. “The very first book fair I ever attended was the California Antiquarian Book Fair in San Francisco in the mid-1990s,” he recalls. “That was my first exposure to the world of rare books, and it had a huge impact on my life as I later decided to enter the trade.”

That formative experience continues to motivate his service on the fair’s board. “I believe that healthy book fairs are a sign of a healthy book trade,” he says. “I joined the book fair board to do my best to help guide the trade in a positive direction.” He is also quick to credit the organisers: “Julie Roper, our Fair Director, and Susan Benne, the ABAA’s Executive Director, have taken on the lion’s share of work… The 2026 fair will be a success, and it will be so primarily due to their efforts.”

San Francisco itself remains a powerful draw within the international fair calendar. “People travel from all over the world both to shop world-class books at our fair and to experience all San Francisco has to offer,” Funke observes, adding with characteristic humour that “the weather in California at the end of February is often better than in many other locales.”

On the fair floor, what continues to excite him is the human connection at the heart of bookselling. “The best part of being a bookseller is connecting a special book with the special person for whom it is perfect,” he says simply. He recounts recently giving passes to a 19-year-old enthusiast of incunabula: “While it is unlikely that he will buy an incunable this year, this initial exposure to early printed books might spark a serious collecting interest years from now.”

Such encounters speak to the fair’s long-term cultural role, introducing new generations to the material history of print and collecting.

The 2025 Pasadena fires...

The cancellation of the Pasadena edition in 2025 tested the bookselling community. “In the face of challenges, we all have to be nimble and adjust,” Funke reflects. “The LA fires were a huge tragedy and any book sale business losses of course pale in comparison.”

What will the 2026 San Francisco event offer?

As the 2026 fair approaches, anticipation centres on the thematic exhibition. Funke is “very curious to see what my colleagues are bringing to mark the many subsequent revolutions: scientific, artistic, industrial, political, cultural, that have shaped this nation.”

For ABAA president and San Francisco bookseller Alexander Akin, the moment also carries symbolic weight: “This fair will be the final major event of my term as ABAA president, and I am proud to go out on this note - hosting booksellers from around the world in the city where I live.”

If fairs such as the California Antiquarian Book Fair continue to flourish despite changing market conditions, it is largely thanks to the dedication of the people who organise them. As Julie Roper’s and Mark Funke’s reflections show, the fair is far more than a marketplace: it is a meeting place for booklovers and enthusiasts that cannot be replaced by an online forum. Fairs remain vital events where booksellers, collectors, librarians, and book lovers from all walks of life gather for a few days to share their passion. Seeing these fairs come together makes a year of planning worthwhile.

We now look forward to the 2026 California Antiquarian Book Fair, returning to Pier 27 on San Francisco’s Embarcadero from 27 February to 1 March.

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