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News and Announcements
Important libraries are purchased. Movies and television commercials are filmed. Famous people visit. Shopping at the Argonaut Book Shop can be exciting. What bookshop was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo? What kind of primitive sculpture did Vincent Price find for his collection? Why did Red Skeleton always shop at the Argonaut when in San Francisco? What happened when Robin Williams and his wife stopped by? What kinds of books did Danielle Steel purchase for her personal library? Things happen at the Argonaut. Stop here to find out the latest news and special announcements.

44th California International Antiquarian Book Fair

What: The 44th annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair was a huge success. This three-day book  fair has always had a reputation for offering superb material with a broad range of subject matter and pricing. This year, the book fair did not disappoint. There was literally something for everyone with antiquarian book dealers offering an immense and diverse array of rare books, manuscripts, maps, prints and ephemera to visiting collectors.

Where and When: The 44th annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair has passed for this year. In February of 2013, it will again take place in San Francisco at the Concourse Exhibition Center at 635 8th Street (at Brannan), San Francisco, CA 94103.

Who: The Argonaut Book Shop exhibited at this year's show along with approximately 250 colleagues from around the world. We had on display our usual assortment of fine and rare books on California and Western American history, Literature, and much more. For us, the show was exciting, profitable, and (of course) tiring.

For more information, please visit the The 44th annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair web site.

Web Site for the ILAB

The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers has its own web site. This site can be found at www.ilab-lila.com. The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers is an organization that encompasses national associations of antiquarian booksellers around the world. It speaks for twenty-one nations and two thousand leading booksellers. Its logo stands for the integrity and professionalism of the trade worldwide.

The League (or ILAB, as it is often known among English-speakers; LILA among French) was founded in Amsterdam at a meeting of major European booksellers in 1947. It was born of the spirit of international co-operation and fuelled by the determination to sweep away national differences that inspired the postwar world. Since that time its aims, objects and ideals have been adopted across the continents, and the ILAB network now extends into America, Asia and the Southern Hemisphere.

The objects of the ILAB (formulated in 1947) are to uphold and improve professional standards in the trade, to promote honorable conduct in business, and to contribute in various ways to a broader appreciation of the history and art of the book. All of the national associations, including the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, uphold these objects.

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) was founded in 1949 and joined the International League. The Argonaut Book Shop, a founding member of the ABAA, urges you to visit and explore our international league's web site.

Send mail to ArgonautSF@PacBell.net with questions or comments about this web site.
This site last updated on 05/27/2011