Even if you set up camp and attend all three days of the California International Antiquarian Book Fair, this weekend at Oakland Marriott City Center, it will be impossible to see all of the rare and valuable books, maps, manuscripts, photographs, and other printed materials on display. The fiftieth anniversary of the annual event boasts 200 booksellers, a special exhibit from the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley, and discussions, seminars, and hours-upon-hours of impassioned chit-chat with bookbinders, authors, artists, small-press operators, graphic designers, and fellow literature lovers. Free appraisals, tips on book-collecting, and a special emphasis on hands-on book arts and California history and fiction books might please investors and scholars. But for those of us who treasure the throwback tradition of real life page-turning, the book’s the thing, and the fair has plenty of ’em. Bring the kids; there are interactive exhibits, and they’ll thrill at the novelty of non-screen activities.
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