For a number of years now, I have been attending the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Book Fair celebrates the written word and its important role in the human experience. Their mission is to encourage the collection and preservation of written and printed materials, to promote literacy, and to support educational programs and research into the study of rare books. At the Book Fair, attendees can see, touch, evaluate, and discuss fine books, maps, manuscripts, ephemera, photographs, and prints, and discuss with the sellers the history, condition, and special qualities of each book. As someone who has loved books since the first moment I could get my hands on one, there is no way I could NOT be in attendance each year! Simply put, browsing at the Book Fair is a true (although some might say "old fashioned") pleasure that can be re-discovered by people who have been confined to looking for books solely by means of electronic lists and search engines!
For the 2025 Florida Antiquarian Book Fair, there were 88 distinguished booksellers and specialists who gathered together on Saturday, March 1, 2025 and Sunday, March 2, 2025. It was a book-lover's paradise inside the walls of The Coliseum, the location of the Fair in downtown St. Petersburg in the local historic district. The unique design of the building only adds flair and a special feel to the already spectacular event. When you walk through those doors and onto the showroom floor, you almost get a sense of being transported back in time - the smell of all those books, the feel of those bindings and pages in your hands, the gorgeous painted covers, the hardbacks, the paperbacks, the autographed copies, the first editions, the centuries-old manuscripts, and so much more. In this age when more and more people seem to have become dependent on electronics and technology, it is absolutely wonderful to be able to experience the joy of holding the physical copies of these books, maps, cards, manuscripts, etc. in your hands. Truthfully, for anyone who loves books, there is no greater feeling in the world!
Matt Whalon, hailing from Lakeland, Florida, has been a vendor at the FABF for a number of years now, and his family were there with him to share the weekend of bookselling! Whalon Books specializes in children's series books (such as Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Judy Bolton, Cherry Ames, etc.), as well as history, science fiction, and horror. This year, Matt was celebrating Stephen King, with his booth showcasing a number of King's books for sale, including hardbacks, paperbacks, trade size editions, early printings and special editions. But most noticeable was a beautiful red leather bound set of the master of horror's novels ("Stephen King Library") that are stunning to see on the shelf! I can't imagine any Stephen King fan not wanting that amazing set as a part of their collection!
Just a few aisles away, you'll find some great pirate treasures at The Unbound Bookery booth! Here, you'll meet Sandy Silverman and her lovely assistant, who take joy in dressing up each year with a different theme. This year, Sandy focused on books with beautiful Margaret Armstrong illustrated covers, among other exciting pieces - including a gorgeous antique set of Egyptian history books that are stunning to behold in person. Sandy is another dealer who has been coming to FABF for some time, and her booth (as well as her store in Lakeland) always offers something for everyone. Thus, whether you are looking for art, for history, or for some great reading, Sandy and The Unbound Bookery offer it all up for you to find!
Now, if you are looking specifically for children's books, then you definitely have to stop by Jennifer Mentzer's booth, which is "Roses and Onions." The name comes from something her grandmother used to say: "Everyone's life has both roses and onions; things that make you happy and things that make you cry." And let's face it - books will do both of those things, and so much more! Jennifer, who retired after working in a children's library for quite a while, specializes in children's books - everything from Elizabeth Taylor paper dolls, to series books such as Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, and the Hardy Boys, to picture books, to Dr. Seuss books, to a first edition of
Little Rascal, the story about the famous raccoon! Jennifer says if you are looking for a specific children's book, they just might have it at their booth (and, honestly, I can attest to that, since I was able to pick up the third Connie Blair book in picture cover format, a book I've been trying to find for some time now!).
As you stroll through the showroom, make sure you check out those alcoves along each side, as they have some excellent treasures to find! In the last alcove on the right side of the hall, you'll find Mallory Books, where Kenneth Mallory (who travelled all the way from Decatur, Georgia to be here!) has a huge collection of vintage Dell paperbacks for sale, from authors such as Agatha Christie, Mignon G. Eberhart, John MacDonald, and countless other names you might recognize. Kenneth also had on display some nice pulp magazines, such as Weird Tales, as well as a number of African-American pieces of literature. He has a wide variety of books from a wide range of decades, so you would be hard-pressed to walk away without buying something. And I have to admit, I looked through those Dell paperbacks again and again, there were so many there, I felt as if I were going to miss something if I was not thorough enough!
Not far from the entrance is Cathy Graham's booth. Cathy, who runs the Copperfish Bookstore in Punta Gorda, Florida, sells both new and used books in her store; however, for the FABF, she brought mostly her older books. She has been attending the Book Fair for 15 years, and she brought a few gems with her this year - one of them being a very early copy of The Federalist! While not a first edition, it is definitely an early printing in really nice shape with the original leather binding. It is a beauty to behold! She also has a signed Maya Angelou book, she has Florida circus programs, all kinds of Florida cookbooks, some pop-up books and other children's literature. Cathy's love of books just bubbles to the surface when you get her talking about them, and you cannot help but share in that excitement as you browse her booth! She got me so excited, I just had to buy one of the Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators books she had on her shelves!
With nearly 90 booths full of books and other ephemera, it is nigh impossible to see everything the show has to offer in just one day. There are so many leather-bound copies just asking to be taken home; there were plenty of L. Frank Baum Oz books just calling my name; and countless first printings, early editions, signed copies, and special editions, that your eyes cannot possible take it all in. I think I walked the showroom floor at least three times, if not four, and I talked to so many wonderful dealers, shared the love of books with quite a few of my fellow attendees, and managed to find a few treasures for myself, as well as some friends of mine (including a first printing of the very first Hardy Boys book, The Tower Treasure!!!). But wait! That's not all ... the show is far from over! After all, it does run for two whole days...
RATING: 10 hard-to-find copies of Beloved Belindy out of 10 for providing book lovers and collectors with an oasis of books, books, and more books to bring a level of joy only fellow book lovers will ever understand!
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