The International Antiquarian Book Fair is one of the biggest and most important exhibitions of old and rare books in the world. Held at the Grand Palais in Paris on a yearly basis, it consistently attracts thousands of people from around the globe, from collectors and historians to antique dealers and book lovers in search of out-of-print or rare book editions and documents. Here one can expect to see glorious illustrated books from the Renaissance, literature from celebrated ancient works,...
more »The International Antiquarian Book Fair is one of the biggest and most important exhibitions of old and rare books in the world. Held at the Grand Palais in Paris on a yearly basis, it consistently attracts thousands of people from around the globe, from collectors and historians to antique dealers and book lovers in search of out-of-print or rare book editions and documents. Here one can expect to see glorious illustrated books from the Renaissance, literature from celebrated ancient works, cartography and maps centuries old, and even personal letters to and from key players in historic, monumental events.
For us, the most interesting aspect of this exhibition was observing the reaction these books had on their enthusiasts, some intimately so, who seemed to disappear into the pages they perused. In a world of ipads and ebooks, what is it that inexplicably attracts people to these pieces of history?
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