Edward Lemon and The Atlanta Rare Book Fair: It's a week before the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair in St. Petersburg

Edward Lemon of Fine Book Fairs is our guest and Rare Book Cafe co-hosts Lee Linn and Richard Mori are particularly elated because they’re anticipating participation in The Atlanta Rare Book Fair at Oglethorpe University February 27-March 1, 2026. 

 It has been several years since there was an antiquarian book in Atlanta, and so Lee, who lives near Atlanta is quite excited, about you might expect. Richard is becoming an old hand at doing Fine Book Fairs events, so he’s elated, too. 

 The discussion morphed into Edward recounting how the Fine Book Fair started and also into the news that Kermit Roosevelt III, the great-great grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, will offer a talk during the book fair event. 

A SPECIAL REQUEST: Please SHARE this program with your book loving friends. If this is the first time you've watched Rare Book Cafe, let us know what you think in the comments. If you're a regular watcher, tell us in the comments how often and what you enjoy about the show. 

Our Rare Book Cafe COFFEE BREAK series offers short programs, usually on a single topic. Watch for more in the series. Co-hosts Lee Linn and Richard Mori are veteran antiquarian booksellers. Lee owns The Ridge Books in Calhoun, Georgia. Richard owns Mori Books in Franklin, New Hampshire. 

Lee, and Richard will exhibit at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair on March 7-8, 2026 at The Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg.

 More information at floridaantiquarianbookfair.com The event is the oldest and largest rare, used, and collectible book fair in the southeastern United States. Rare Book Cafe is made possible by the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair. 

************** Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by Brendan Kinsella Piano Sonata in B-flat major III Allegretto Grazioso Creative Commons Copyright-only Dedication (based on United States law or Public Domain Certification. http://www.chosic.com/download-audio/... ************** 

Rare Book Cafe is a gathering of collectors and lovers of old, rare, and collectible books. It is a virtual cafe, accessible anywhere in the world, where the subjects are priceless and the conversation is free. It is truly the book lovers' rendezvous. Join us on our Facebook group Book Lovers’ Rendezvous. 

Rare Book Cafe is based in Florida. Rare Book Cafe The Book Lovers' Rendezvous™ YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Also as a podcast on YouTube Music 

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Victorian ephemerist Barbara Lowe's Vinegar Valentines

Collectors know that funny Valentine somebody gave a friend a century ago was never meant to still be around today. And, yet, it is. They also know that’s exactly what makes it fascinating, at least to some.

It’s a glimpse into another era, how people lived and what they cared about. Collectors of ephemera delight in discovering arcane details as well as a big-picture perspective of days gone by. 

In this episode of Rare Book Cafe, Victorian ephemera collector shares some of the funny (or blatantly cheeky valentines with insulting poems) in her collection, and shares some background and insight into these novelty items. 

Suffice it to say that these bits of ephemera carry a sentiment that’s far from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart song My Funny Valentine. 

You can see valentines from Barbara Loe's collection as well as ephemera collections of other exhibitors at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair March 7-8 at The Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg. 

A SALUTE TO VETERANS DAY and our onward march to the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair on the weekend of March 1-2

 IN HONOR OF VETERANS DAY, here’s the next installment of our images leading up to the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair in March.

Here we have a book lover so fascinated with the history of World War I that a transformation takes place as he reads. We’re showing it visually but avid readers are familiar with the phenomenon. We get so caught up in the subject at hand that everything else melts away.

As seen here, it’s as if a giant picture window has opened up and thrust our reader right into the world he’s reading about.

We thought it appropriate to feature this image on the observance of Veterans Day, which marks the end of World War I on November 11, 1918. Though the Treaty of Versailles wasn’t signed until the following June, fighting had already ended.

As followers of the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair know, our theme for 2025 is Discover Your Treasure. We’ve gone into detail elsewhere about our salute to the swashbuckling history of our region. If you missed it, be sure to read our blog.

Meanwhile, as longtime visitors to the book fair know, there will be a wide variety of offerings on every subject imaginable. Leading up to opening day on Saturday, March 1, we’ll highlight some of the topics we’ll see at the book fair, so stay tuned.

The Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2 were right there in the studio when two exhibitors appeared on Channel 10

Florida Antiquarian Book Fair exhibitors Richard Mori and Duane Stevens were guests on Channel 10's morning program Great Day Tampa Bay with hosts Java Ingram and Janelle Martinez on Thursday. 

They persevered amid the chaos that is what you get when you pair up The Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2 to let everyone know about our celebration of Dr. Seuss on Saturday, the 120th birthday of the beloved author and illustrator from whose fertile imagination sprang that frolicsome trio. You can watch the entire festivities right here.

Richard brought along some unusual items created by Dr. Seuss in the 1930s and during the World War II era, when Theodor Seuss Geisel did his patriotic duty and aided the war effort. Duane brought a beautiful book with illustrations of insects published centuries ago in England.

You can see all of these items at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair this weekend at The Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg. On Saturday, as reported in the previous blog entry, the Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2 will be on hand for the Dr. Seuss birthday party.

🔴 Rare Book Cafe COFFEE BREAK No. 13: Amazing letters of poet and critic Ezra Pound

In 1908, Ezra Pound, who was to become a major American poet and critic, left the United States for Europe. By the 1920s, as his reputation and career grew, he helped in the discovery and development of such writers Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, and James Joyce.

Recently, Rare Book Cafe co-host Ed Markiewicz drove down a road in rural Oregon to meet with a book collector with volumes for sale. He also had a surprise — a collection of original letters of Ezra Pound, which Ed promptly bought. In this episode, Ed shares the contents of his amazing find, to the delight of co-host Lee Linn.

Please SHARE this program with your book loving friends.

This is another one of the earliest episodes of Rare Book Cafe COFFEE BREAK, our new series offering short programs, usually on a single topic. Watch for more in our Rare Book Cafe COFFEE BREAK series.

Rare Book Cafe is on YouTube and Facebook and will soon be available on podcast. Please SUBSCRIBE to our show on your favorite platform, share Rare Book Cafe with your book-loving friends, and LIKE us. Join us in the Book Lovers’ Rendezvous. This program is prerecorded.

Co-hosts Ed Markiewicz and Lee Linn are veteran antiquarian booksellers. Ed owns Montgomery Rare Books & Manuscripts in Portland, Oregon, and Lee owns The Ridge Books in Calhoun, Georgia.

Rare Book Cafe COFFEE BREAK is made possible by the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair, the oldest and largest rare, used, and collectible book fair in the southeastern United States. The Florida Antiquarian Book Fair will be presented March 1-3, 2024 at The Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg. More information at floridaantiquarianbookfair.com

The program also is made possible by Biblio.com, a website featuring used, rare, and out-of-print books from independent booksellers. Biblio is celebrating 20 years of serving book lovers. It’s better than ever. Biblio spotlights “the core of our business model: the independent booksellers who bring their expertise, enthusiasm, and professionalism to soon the used and rare book trade.”

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Music by Kevin MacLeod Hyperfun Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

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Rare Book Cafe is a periodic gathering of collectors and lovers of old, rare, and collectible books. It is a virtual cafe, accessible anywhere in the world, where the subjects are priceless and the conversation is free. It is truly the book lovers' rendezvous.

Rare Book Cafe is presented periodically on Facebook and YouTube, and will also be available on podcast. Rare Book Cafe features conversations about antiquarian books, rare books, collectible books, unusual books, vintage photographs, antique maps, rare prints, and a wide variety of ephemera.

Guests include antiquarian booksellers, authors, collectors, and anyone else with an interest in and knowledge of these topics.