@rarebooksla
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When: Saturday, October 5 / 10AM-6PM
Sunday, October 6 / 11AM-4PM
Deets: All routes lead to Los Angeles’ historic Union Station for Rare Books LA! Presenting leading specialists in antiquarianbooks, ephemera, and maps, this exciting event takes place October 5 and 6, 2024, in the historic Ticket Concourse at Union Station, the backdrop for numerous classic films and television shows as well as the 2021 Academy Awards. Union Station is transit friendly, offers ample affordable parking, and is close to numerous restaurants and hotels.
For fans of hardboiled detective fiction, among the amazing rarities you will see at the book fair is Raymond Chandler’s own copy of Farewell, My Lovely, which he called his favorite Philip Marlowe novel. Offered by London bookseller Peter Harrington, this first edition is inscribed to the husband of Chandler’s private secretary. Owl Creek Books of Los Angeles is offering a signed, limited edition of George Gershwin’s Song Book, and johnson rare books & archives of Covina will feature a first edition of The Langston Hughes Reader, inscribed by the Harlem Renaissance writer to Random House publisher Bennett Cerf.
Rare Books LA is about more than just rare books. Exhibitors also offer rare maps, vintage photographs, unique ephemera, original works on paper, and more. McBride Rare Books of New York is offering a collection of nearly 30 broadsides, song sheets illustrated by Jose Guadalupe Posada, the legendary printmaker of Mexico. Kent Tschanz of Salt Lake City will display a collection of vibrant vintage posters, including a World War I book drive lithograph.
Union Station is transit friendly. Join our Metro partners, and hop onboard Metrolink, Metro Rail ,or Amtrak for this transit-friendly book fair. Union Station also offers ample parking starting at $8. Complete information about Union Station parking here.
In conjunction with the book fair, a series of talks by local authors, historians, and collectors will be presented. List of talks and links to FREE tickets:
11AM - Metro Archivist Claire Kennedy & Tales from the Metro Archives
1PM - Collector Stacy Shirk provides new insight into the fairy tale books she collects
2PM - Podcaster Jaime Roque discusses preservations efforts to save Boyle Heights’ controversial America Tropical mural
3PM - LA City Librarian John Szabo reveals some of the secrets of the stacks
4PM - To Be Announced
5PM - The Magic of Book Collecting - How Collecting Books Turned into a Novel
Hint for the Average Socialite: Tickets to the book fair are $20 on Saturday and $15 on Sunday. Save by purchasing a weekend pass for $25!
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