On Saturday and Sunday February 1st and 2nd the every other year San Francisco Antiquarian Book, Print & Paper Fair will be held at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion on the north side of the city. More than 170 dealers have signed up, many of them set to exhibit the following weekend in southern California at the Pasadena Convention Center. The San Francisco fair is a pure selling event with the emphasis on reasonable cost to participate.
While books will be well represented this fair, that has had a strong ephemera theme for the past decade, will be providing a widening window on what has become over the years a consistently strong category in the collectible paper field. For shows ephemera is the ideal material. It often doesn’t explain well but is understandable when seen. Given that ephemera tend to sell for low prices, often as not, dealers show it more effectively than they describe it. Expect there will be early lines for a crack at the ephemera bins.
What will be interesting is what proportion of bay area ephemera collectors will come. Many monitor the ephemera flow on eBay and bid daily. Whether they can be induced to visit Fort Mason is an open question. Certainly the parking is plentiful, metered close by the pavilion and free if you are willing to walk the beautiful three blocks from Crissy Field that rims the northern shore providing clear views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The show usually provides opportunities to buy food but for the penurious two blocks away the Safeway will feed the multitudes for a few bucks. Elsewhere in the neighborhood there are easy snack and dining choices and on nearby Chestnut Street and further up the hill on Union busier crowds and more upscale possibilities. Finally, for the adventurous there is the brisk one-mile walk to North Beach. The community there is younger and more well to do and the food even better. And it’s also where most of San Francisco’s early storied authors pitched their tents.
Hours:
Saturday: 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Here are links to the show.
The official show site:
http://www.sfbookandpaperfair.com/
A link to a discounted $8.00 show ticket
