Monster Gathering of Rare Book Lovers Will Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Publication of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- From February 9 - 11, 2018, Southern California hosts the nation's largest rare book exhibition as thousands of book lovers, dealers, and scholars converge at the 51st California International Antiquarian Book Fair.  The Book Fair also celebrates the 200^th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with a special exhibit spotlighting holdings from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Occidental College Library's Ned Guymon Mystery and Detective Fiction Collection, University of California Riverside Library's Eaton Collection of Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Sara Karloff, the daughter of Boris Karloff.

Recognized as one of the world's pre-eminent exhibitions of antiquarian books, this eagerly anticipated bi-annual fair gives visitors the opportunity to see, learn about and purchase the finest in rare books, manuscripts, autographs, graphics, photographs and more. 

Featuring over 200 booksellers from the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the Book Fair presents volumes from five centuries of printing, as well as original manuscripts many of which predate Gutenberg.  Books cover every imaginable area -- from the history of travel and exploration, early science and medicine to classic literature, modern first editions and children's and illustrated books. Items range from a few dollars to six figures.

"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has captured our imagination for 200 years and has spawned a complete genre of literature, movies and pop culture," said Michael R. Thompson, Book Fair Co-Chair of the Southern California Chapter of the ABAA. "We hope the myriad expressions of the Frankenstein story in this exhibition will excite Book Fair visitors about the possibilities of collecting in subject areas that interest them."

"The 2017 edition of the Book Fair will have an especially strong international flavor as many of the foreign dealers assembled for the ILAB Congress in Pasadena the preceding week will stay on to exhibit," said Book Fair Co-Chair Jennifer Johnson. "We are particularly excited to welcome a group of Japanese dealers, who are exhibiting at our Book Fair for the first time."

This weekend extravaganza of books will also include talks and seminars including a session on the basics of collecting. Two sessions on Saturday will be devoted to Frankenstein. 

Professor of Communication at Simmons College, and professor of Library and Information Science at Simmons and at the University of Illinois, Sidney Berger will discuss the character in visual culture.  Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan moderates It's Alive: How Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Changed the World with panelists Miranda Butler, scholar of 19^th Century literature, science, and technology; David J. Skal, historian and writer on horror literature and film and author of The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; and Sara Karloff, the daughter of film's most famous portrayer of Frankenstein's monster.

Discovery Day on Sunday lets attendees present three items to experts for free examination. Designed with the budding collector in mind, Book Fair Finds is a program in which dealers spotlight items priced at $100 or less.

The Book Fair takes place at the Pasadena Convention Center at 300 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA.  Tickets on Friday, February 9 are $25 for three-day admission.  Proceeds from Friday tickets benefit and offer free admission to the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in February. Tickets on Saturday or Sunday are $15 and include return entry and free admission to the Huntington during the Fair.

Downloadable images are available here. For more, visit cabookfair.com or call 800-454-6401

Media contact:
Roberta Silverman
[email protected] 
818-207-1363

SOURCE Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America

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