Collectors’ paradise: Northampton Antiquarian Book, Ephemera, and Book Arts Fair returns this weekend

Collectors and fans of rare books and the book arts will find good company at an upcoming book fair in Northampton.

The eighth Northampton Antiquarian Book, Ephemera, and Book Arts Fair (also known simply as the Northampton Book Fair) will be at 33 Hawley on Friday, Nov. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The fair will feature 37 vendors selling “a variety of books and ephemera ranging from rare travel books to literary first editions, paper Americana to historic account books and manuscripts, fine letterpress printing and fine bindings, small press poetry books, mystery and science fiction, books on the counterculture and queer studies, signed books and first editions,” among other goods, according to a press release.

As it happens, a number of vendors will sell works by Smith College professor Barry Moser, whose illustrations for the Herman Melville novel “Billy Budd” were recently featured in an exhibit in New York City honoring the book’s 100th anniversary.

A full list of vendors and profiles on a select number of vendors is available at northamptonbookfair.com.

Book Fair producer Mark Brumberg said in an email that he expects this year’s book fair to draw the largest crowds yet due to “increased publicity, new community sponsorships, and access to a larger set of professionals selling their wares.”

Guests who are interested in old books but are unfamiliar with collecting them will find a “congenial setting” to do so at the book fair, he said, and many items are available for under $100. In any case, though, rare books have a unique value.

“Rare books have a history of their own, beyond the content, including their prior ownership, whether they are signed or inscribed, first editions, limited printings, and special bindings,” he said. “The artisanal printers, designers, papermakers, binders, and artists who produced fine books throughout our history live on in today’s book artists who celebrate the printed word.”

Admission is $8, tickets benefiting Forbes Library are $12, and students and children can attend for free. On-site parking is also free. Tickets are available at the door or at northamptonbookfair.com.