Book Fair tickets are now available; save on the special offer

This is grand news for book lovers (and, of course, you're a book lover or you wouldn't be reading this post, would you?) Tickets for the 2022 Florida Antiquarian Book Fair are now on sale at Eventbrite.com.

Between now and the end of the year, you can save money when you buy four tickets together in the Holiday Special Offer. You get four tickets for the price you'll pay later for only two tickets. Now that's a deal. And the money you save is money you can put toward books to add to your collection.

Of course, you're welcome to just purchase an individual Weekend Pass, if that's what you'd rather do. You can also purchase a Saturday-only ticket or a Sunday-only ticket, if that's all the time you have. Still, we'd recommend spending more time at the book fair. There are so many booksellers with so many beautiful and interesting volumes, not to mention ephemera of bygone eras, vintage maps, old photographs, autographs of famous people. Point is, if you're going to take it all in, you really need to plan to devote more than one day for a book fair visit.

We'll go into more detail later of what you can expect at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair. If you've been before, you know what we mean. If you haven't, you're in for a delightful surprise. 

Years ago, one of the booksellers described the book fair as "a little book city" that materializes in The Coliseum. We think of it as the mythical Scottish location known as Brigadoon, in the 1950s Lerner and Lowe musical -- a beautiful place where it's easy to fall in love (in this case with all the amazing books and other materials offered at the book fair.)

Check back here periodically for updates as we learn more about the treasures that will be found at the book fair. There's still time to anticipate the event. It's April 1-3, 2022 at The Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg. 

 Meantime, don't miss this opportunity to same some bucks on tickets for you and your family or friends. The more the merrier, right?

 
 

Manager Sarah Smith is a guest on Rare Book Cafe

Florida Antiquarian Book Fair manager Sarah Smith is the featured guest on Rare Book Cafe, the weekly streamed program on Facebook and YouTube dedicated to rare and collectible books, maps, prints, and ephemera. 

Sarah is discussing the upcoming book fair, which is planned for April 1-3, 2022. Because of the pandemic, this is the first time since 2019 that the book fair will be presented in person. As has been the case for many years, the book fair will be at The Coliseum, originally a 1920s music and dance venue that now serves as a space for many kinds of events.

The 39th Florida Antiquarian Book Fair's theme is The Children's Hour, celebrating books for young readers and the people who love them. The theme is based on the beloved poem by William Wadsworth Longfellow, which first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in 1860. The poem is about the relationship of Longfellow and his three daughters, who, as youngsters, would invade their father's study at the end of the day for some time and attention.

Sarah's visit on Rare Book Cafe includes mentions of her own children, Quintin, Grace, and her new baby, Guinevere, who is only months old. Longtime patrons and booksellers at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair have watched the youngsters grow up in the book business.

Please leave comments or questions for Sarah here or on the platform where you watch Rare Book Cafe. 

 We'll see you in 2022 at The Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg. Until then, be safe, stay healthy and watch Rare Book Cafe on Facebook and YouTube.