Discover rare books at the Boston Book Fair

Visit dozens of national and international unique book purveyors at the fair, taking place Nov. 11-13.

Evertgoers at the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair at Hynes Convention Center. Courtesy of Boston Book Fair

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The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair returns to the Hynes Convention Center Nov. 11-13. Over 100 book sellers from around the world will gather for three days of exhibitions of one-of-a-kind books, signed manuscripts, maps, first editions, and more.

The fair is free and open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, while $25 tickets for opening night are available on Eventbrite.

The weekend-long event includes lectures and roundtables, such as “Women in the American Wilderness” on Saturday and “The Trials and Triumphs of Collecting Romance Novels” on Sunday. The fair also hosts free book appraisals Sunday afternoon outside the main exhibit hall entrance. Visit this link for the full schedule of events.

Celebrating its 44th year, the fair offers something interesting for all visitors, from museum-quality pieces for curators looking to expand their collections, to low-ticket items for hobbyists or those shopping for a great gift. This year’s dozens of vendors include local sellers like the Boston Book Company and Bromer Booksellers Inc., while some vendors come from other New England cities, New York, Florida, Texas, and California. Still other vendors come from as far away as Italy and Germany. Find the full lineup of vendors and the exhibitor map here.

All vendors at the fair are members of either the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America or the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers.

A Waltham bookseller named Harold Burstein started the fair in 1976, held in the Copley Plaza Hotel ballroom. “Many early participants reminisce fondly about the legendary all-night poker games that accompanied the event in those early days,” according to the event’s website. Outgrowing the plaza, the fair moved to Hynes in 1990. Even in the digital age, bibliophiles and collectors flock to the book fair yearly to connect with other enthusiasts, browse books in person, and stumble upon rare discoveries.

This fair is separate from the Boston Book Festival, which takes place this year on October 29 in Copley Square.