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Some visitors to the Carriage House Book Fair.

The Carriage House Antiquarian Book Fair, New York City

By: Douglas Diesenhaus
Photography by: Lindy Settevendemie

“The shuttle bus to the Park Avenue Armory will be leaving in five minutes!”

That was one of the first things I heard when I ducked in from the rain through the 15 foot-high mahogany and glass doors of the Altman building, the site of the Carriage House Antiquarian Book Fair on Friday, April 11, 2003 in New York City. The show was held simultaneously with the ABAA show at the Armory, and the free shuttle service, rather than detracting from the Carriage House fair, provided a convenient and efficient mode of transport allowing visitors and dealers to move between the two shows.

“We arranged the shuttle and underwrote a 32 passenger motor coach,” said Gary Austin, co-organizer of the show. “We did this to simplify the logistics for patrons who wanted to visit both shows, but had concerns about getting across town and parking.”

Riverow's movie posters from 1929 and 1930, with original artwork painted on cloth. Priced at $3,500

Planning the Carriage House fair to overlap with the ABAA show is a concept the organizers call a “shadow show,” and it's a strategy that gives non-ABAA collectors and dealers a chance to participate. “It's a smaller show that tries to create a synergy with the larger, more prominent event,” said Austin, owner of Austin's Antiquarian Books in Wilmington, Vermont. “Our goal was to provide an atmosphere where the ABAA dealer gets to buy from an enlarged market. Our business is defined as selling books, but the life-blood of the business is buying books.”

Riverow's Uncle Bernac: A Memory of the Empire, Arthur Conan Doyle's own edition of his book, with nine corrections by the author. Priced at $5,000

Comparing the energy of the two shows to similar multiple-venue fairs in Boston and the UK, John D. Spencer, of Riverow Books in Oswego, New York, saw value in the idea. “I like to see something like the London Book fair week, where there's a lot of shows and activity and a lot of interest in books developed.” Spencer's display ranged from huge movie posters from the infancy of talking movies ($3,500), to Arthur Conan Doyle's own edition of his book Uncle Bernac: A Memory of the Empire, complemented with nine corrections in the author's hand ($5,000). “I felt this was a good idea, just one-day in and out of the city.”

Sue Gryzb, of On The Road Bookshop in Canton, Connecticut, another of the 37 vendors, was particular happy with the ease of the show. “The booth rent was very reasonable ($375 for two tables, among other sizes) and Bruce and Gary were very helpful and nice.” In addition, Gryzb, who featured an exhibition catalogue of original lithographs by artists connected to Ediciones Polígrafa, including Henry Moore and Joan Miró ($250), commented on the convenience of the porters, who helped with loading, and the cost efficiency of a one-day fair. A quick show reduced hotel, dining, and booth costs, an important factor for smaller dealers. In addition, Gryzb spoke about selling some books that she had listed on the Internet for quite some time, indicating that some dealers and collectors prefer to hold a book in their hands before they buy.

Some of Locus Solus's series of handmade collage books by Bertrand Dorny, the French book artist who has collaborated with many poets of the New York School. Each volume, done in a limited edition of nine, is priced at $1,800. Dorny's work will be featured in an exhibit at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris beginning in May, 2003

Other dealers were not originally as certain about the concept, as James Goldwasser, of Locus Solus Rare Books, Ltd. in New York City, spoke about bringing some of his higher-end books to the ABAA show. “It's a bit of an experiment to see whether a one-day fair simultaneous with the ABAA fair can draw enough people,” he said. He featured In the Future, a series of limited edition, handmade collage books made by the French book artist Bertrand Dorny in collaboration with the poet Ron Pageant. Each wildly illustrated book, filled with bright colors and reflective materials, is priced at $1,800.

Goldwasser remained optimistic, however. “It's too bad it's a rainy day. It certainly is a nice room to have it in, and it's fun and inexpensive to do. Let's see what happens.”

On The Road Book Shop's exhibition catalog of original lithographs from the Redfern Gallery in London. This cover is by Miro (one of 1000 copies).

Design Books of New York's La Lune, a mid-19th century satirical French newspaper with an illustration by Andre Gill. Priced at $2,000

Bruce Gventer's Book Shop's gigantic Spanish choir book, large enough so everyone in the congregation could see it. Held together by ½" of wood covering in leather and metal. The book is priced at $12,000 and originally cost Gventer $120 to ship

Overall, response seemed positive, as many vendors, addled by coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts in the morning and pizza in the afternoon, were wowed by the venue. The Carriage House, named for its role as the carriage house for the famous B. Altman department store, made for a gracious host.

In fact, apart from the books, the 1896 building, now an official New York City landmark, was the biggest attraction. With beautiful ash wood floors, a 17 foot-high curved vaulted arch brick ceiling, and exposed wood rafters, the 10,000 square foot floor space was full of shelves, books, and patrons, but avoided the cramped feeling that can overtake some shows. Attractive dark wood and glass display cases offered for rent from a supplier showcased many dealers' best material, and served to pleasantly divide up the space and set off dealer areas in a comfortable, inviting manner.

The building has come a long way. “Prior to its renovation by Ken Ruby and Mike Mace, the building it was used as a sheet metal factory,” said Gventer. It would take a powerful imagination to envision a fully functioning factory inside the airy locale now, however, and the space proved to be a nearly perfect venue for a book show.

Among his many items, Gventer, a specialist in medieval and Renaissance manuscript pages, displayed his infamous ninety-pound, 16th C. Spanish choir book, which has become a visitor favorite. Each page of the enormous $12,000 book, decorated with liquid gold and lapis lazuli, is made of one sheep skin, a fact that leads Gventer to point out that the book contains a herd of 331 sheep.

According to the organizers, the fair was a critical and financial success. “We make it a point to check with our dealers to see how they've done and get their input,” said Austin. “All had nothing but praise for the venue and the ease of loading, and were pleased with their sales and the turnout.”

For those unable to make the show, next year's is already planned for Friday, April 16, in conjunction with the ABAA show.

For dealers and visitors alike, the Carriage House Antiquarian Fair, a scrappy younger brother to the ABAA show, allowed them to participate in what Austin called “a major 'book-ing' weekend in New York City,” or, in other words, as good a weekend as many book lovers could imagine.

Douglas Diesenhaus is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn. He can be reached at:
douglasdiesenhaus@hotmail.com.