NOBS to Host 35th Antiquarian Book & Paper Show at John S. Knight Center
Committee members Tess Kindig and Jim Best. Best is one of the founding members of the paper show. (Photo courtesy of Patti Russell)
February 21, 2018
The Antiquarian Book & Paper Show by the Northern Ohio Bibliophilic Society, the biggest Antiquarian book show in Ohio and the second largest in the Midwest, will take place at the John S. Knight Center in Downtown Akron.
The book and paper show will take place on Friday, March 30 from 3-8:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The admission to the paper show is $5 for adults and $3 for students.
The book show will offer vendors who market rare and collectible books, maps, posters and other printed materials. Ron Syroid, the publicist for the book show, said vendors typically offer used items that are first edition or antiques from the 19th and early 20th century.
The vendors come from all over and each one has specialties, Syroid said, such as history, cookbooks, the sciences, movie posters and more. For instance, in the past, a vendor from Canada had brought a copy of Ben Franklin’s 1751 essay about electricity to the book show, he said.
Attendees who are interested in books can find items such as novels written by Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Syroid said a collectible folio copy of Frankenstein, provided by Tess Kindig, who runs an antiquarian online bookstore, will be a door prize at the book show. This may have significance since this year marks the 200th anniversary of the novel.
“It’s a treasure hunt for people who like printed materials and you just don’t know what you’re going to experience,” Syroid said.
The collectibles offered at the book fair come in all price ranges, however, some collectibles are modestly priced at $10 or less.
This year’s book and paper show is the 35th that has occurred. The book fair is currently chaired by Patti Russell, the granddaughter of Frank Klein, one of the founding members of NOBS.
Russell said that Klein was instrumental in starting the first book show, which took place in 1983 and NOBS formed later that year.
Food and beverages will be sold at the Akron Antiquarian Book & Paper Show. Parking will also be available on decks nearby, which are free after 6 p.m. on Friday and all day Saturday.
The John S. Knight Center is located at 77 E. Mill St. in Akron.
