14 — Antiques and The Arts Weekly — August 7, 2020 The ‘Sifting’ Goes Online In Getman’s Virtual Book Fair ONLINE — Marvin Getman Eastern time on July 7, allow- first 15 minutes of opening. Five tion is a silver lining of sorts The search functions are very is having such great success ing visitors to virtually browse minutes later, his webmaster from all the disruption to the robust, making it very easy to with virtual book fairs that he and shop autographs, rare reported that 54 items had been market caused by the COVID- find all of the items in any cate- decided to present one July 7-9. books, ephemera, maps, vintage marked as sold for a total take 19 pandemic. “This is my vision gory.” The online emporium featured photography and more. of $30,018. Not too shabby, one being fulfilled!,” he told Getman, unlike many online 150 dealers, all accessible by An ebullient Getman reported might say. Antiques and The Arts Weekly. selling siters, charges no com- clicking an eblast link at noon about a dozen items sold in the For Getman, the show’s trac- “It was very successful by all missions. All sales are made accounts, with a little more directly between the buyer and than 5,000 people who “attend- the seller. He believes his “rent- ed” or visited the site over the al” fees are reasonable — rang- three-day fair. During the fair, ing from $75 to $225 per space 378 items valued at $245,000 per fair for up to 15 items. “I sold, which amounts to about 22 limit the number of items to percent of all items listed from keep the listings fresh each 150 dealers. That is the maxi- month. I am not competing with mum number of dealers allowed the traditional bookselling sites to exhibit. And after our first that have millions of items. I two fairs, we are now starting a have seen a rapid rise in visits wait list for dealers wanting to in the two months since I start- get a spot. These will be allowed ed the virtual fair. as current dealers turn over.” This most recent edition’s In mid-July, Getman was still offerings included the usual tallying sales based on a dealer gamut of material associated survey. It so far indicated that with rare books and ephemera. quite a few dealers sold items Lion Heart Autographs, for that were not listed to people example, showcased signed pho- Greg Gibson of Ten Pound Island Book Co. sold who contacted them to purchase tos of women in the arts, mate- The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Esq. F.R.S., London, listed items, and there were a rial relating to naturalist John John Bumpus, 1889. Pepys, who kept these jour- fair amount of sales of posted Burroughs, cartoonist Saul An English love letter dated London, nals on a daily basis between 1660 and 1669, also items sold after the fair. This Steinberg and King Hussein of September 2, 1717, from Richard Shep- served as administrator of the navy of England addresses one wrinkle in the Jordan. There were signed herd to Mrs Penelope Fleming was a and Member of Parliament during that time. Gib- online world with respect to the books by poet and activist Amiri sale for Richard Thorner, Resser- son described the six volumes as “a pretty little ephemera market. Baraka and Mexican artist and Thorner Antiques, Manchester, N.H. set of the work of this famous diarist.” An important audience for writer Dr Atl, as well as letters Beautifully written and presented as a dealers, he said, are institution- written by photographer Bras- rare survivor, the billet doux begins al buyers, librarians and cura- sai, American journalist Horace “Dear Madam-A Lady of your good tors of university libraries and Greeley, sculptor Barbara Hep- qualities can no more avoid the Review by museums. “There were many worth, physicist Otto Hahn, addresses of Young Men, than can you W. A. Demers, Senior Editor sales to institutions during the fantasy writer Lord Dunsany, desire them.” Photos Courtesy of Show Dealers fair,” Getman reported. “Among artist John Flaxman and Brit- the 20 or so institutions listed ish officer Charles Gordon. by dealers, two popped out at Zac Marconi, assistant shop me — the University of Hawaii manager of Brattle Books in library and the National Boston, said the July show went Library of Scotland in Edin- very well for his firm. “We did burgh. Librarians have com- the first fair and the most mented that they appreciate recent one. I like Marvin’s for- the ease of searching all 2,000 mat. He limits it to a digestible items listed without having to number of items for each dealer. travel to fairs. I believe the vir- It definitely is different from a tual format will outlive the pan- live show where we typically demic as more people discover bring 50-70 boxes of material. the ease of browsing the fair. But this format lets you really focus on some key things and you don’t get overwhelmed clicking though page after Lion Heart Autographs presented this autograph page.” A benefit from a live musical quotation of a work by Frédéric Chopin, event that is not easily replicat- signed by Alfred Cortot (1877-1962) the French- ed in the virtual sphere is the Swiss pianist and conductor known for his inter- ability to meet new customers, pretation of the Romantic composers. Captured although Marconi said there in the 1937 piece were three double measures were a couple of new customers from Chopin’s “Berceuse,” Op. 57, neatly written introduced to the firm through on a small pale green sheet. the Getman show. As for notable sales, there was a book of poetry A total of 98 original photos of early by William Carlos Williams, Oklahoma, circa 1910-20, were offered Robert Frost first editions and a by Ivy, Va., bookseller Jerry N. Showal- large hand colored map of Hon- ter. Taken by an unknown amateur duras from the 1870s. photographer, the scenes show town One of Getman’s dealers, Jen views, railroad cars unloading, Native Selling among the material Johnson, also produces a suc- Americans, fields being plowed, hors- shown by English booksell- cessful book fair in Los Angeles. es, military men, the railroad station er Maggs Bros Ltd was this “She will be using my platform at Fort Sill and the one at Danville, 1919 mimeographed copy of to run her virtual fair in Octo- what appear to be schools or munici- Star Shell, US Army General ber. Due to inquiries from orga- pal buildings and horse-drawn bug- Hospital No. 17, Markleton, nizations and other producers, I gies and wagons. Penn. Very rare, these have decided to license my plat- ephemeral publications are form,” said Getman. one example of a govern- The next Getman virtual show ment initiative to both dis- opens on Tuesday, August 4, at seminate information while noon and closes on Thursday, educating and amusing August 6, at 6 pm. For more recuperating soldiers fol- information, 781-862-4039 or lowing World War I. www.bookandpaperfairs.com.

Vermont antiques dealers Carlson and Bibi Mohamed of Imperial Fine Books always mounts a Stevenson sold this original artwork handsome display of bound volumes in her show booth. She by Sarah Noble Ives that was used on Books and ephemera pertaining to the physical was undeterred by having to present this virtually, with page 20 of Mother Goose, a McLoughlin sciences are the bailiwick of John Kuenzig. Sold William Shakespeare’s Complete Works, London, Charles chapbook, circa 1905. Written on the during the virtual show was Dr William Mather’s Knight & Co., 1852, shown here. The 12 volumes comprising front of the artwork in pencil it says, self-published broadside for a lecture, an intro- the “Library Edition” edited by Charles Knight are bound “page 20 Cock a Doddle-Do My Dame ductory to a course on chemistry that was to be in full tan polished calf, with marbled edges, raised bands, has lost her Shoe.” presented in 1845. ornate gilt on spines, red and green labels.