International Book Fair Opens Its Pages to Browsers, Buyers

Once every two years, Los Angeles becomes the antiquarian book capital of the country, if not the world. This happens when the city is to host the annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair, a three-day event that shifts biennially between Southern California and the Bay Area.

The 23rd such exhibition opened Friday at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton, 5711 W. Century Blvd.

This year, 174 book vendors from as far afield as Europe and Australia have placed on exhibit scores of rare and premium books, including: a first edition of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”; the first known map of the New World, published in 1513; an original copy of genetics pioneer Gregor Mendel’s first published writings on the heredity of plants, and a seldom-seen second-edition portfolio of the plays of William Shakespeare.

Others are a first edition of Samuel Johnson’s “Plan of a Dictionary”; one of 25 known copies of the Ashdene Press’ “Songs From the Bible” and--appropriately for this locale--the most extensive and comprehensive collection of William Faulkner’s works and papers ever compiled.

Other published collectibles on view include maps, documents, autographs, manuscripts and a specially mounted forgery exhibit presenting fabricated and actual documents side by side. Literary forgeries have become headline news in recent years with the attempt to fob off ersatz diaries purported to have been Hitler’s and the exposure of Mark Hofmann’s “Salamander Letter” in Utah. Kenneth Rendell, a well-known forgery expert and manuscript dealer, will be on hand today at 4 p.m. to make a special presentation.

On Sunday, the Antiquarian Booksellers Assn. of America, the fair’s sponsor, will hold its third annual “Discovery Day,” during which those in attendance can bring up to three volumes, manuscripts or documents each for complimentary evaluation--though not formal appraisal--by book experts. The free service will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Century Room of the hotel. (It is not necessary to pay admission charge to the book fair for this service.)

According to show director Hugh C. Tolford--who organized the last local convention two years ago at the Bonaventure hotel, which attracted 6,000 paying attendees--the fair may generate $1 million in local business.

Although book collecting can be a big-money proposition for some, bibliophiles needn’t part with huge wads of cash to sustain respectable collections. “You can find books here at $5 and $5,000,” Tolford said.

But according to book lovers such as entertainer and former “Laugh-In” regular Arte Johnson, the actual commerce of the book trade is almost beside the point. Books are not only for reading, he says, but for relishing in all their physical and aesthetic aspects--for looking, for thumbing and, perhaps best of all, for smelling. Whether one leaves the fair with a book in hand pales, Johnson says, next to the opportunity to appreciate the craft of fine book publishing in the company of other like-minded people.

“A book fair such as this is quite something to behold. I’m amazed at the variety of people who come to these things. It’s exciting to me because it means that a fascination with books is not the exclusive venue of one generation or another. This love of the printed word spreads across the entire nation.”

Johnson believes that the need to express solidarity behind the concept of the finely printed, well-bound book is especially pressing now that there appears to be a trend toward transferring the world’s literature to microfilm, microfiche, CD-ROM laser disks and, ultimately, computer data banks.

“I feel our society is losing sight of the fact that to have a shelf of books is an exciting thing. A book is so unique in its makeup, in the presentation, the artistry that goes into designing it, into creating book covers and book jackets. It would be criminal to lose this. What a tragedy if we lose the desire to enhance basic information through books.

“I have often tried to donate books to libraries only to be told ‘Oh no, we have that on microfiche.’ Isn’t that marvelous? I can’t wait for the day they can put trees on microfilm.”

Those, in fact, who may rebel at the considerable deforestation that occurs to feed the passion of avid book fans may take heart in a special kind of book on display at the fair--the miniature book. These are immaculately printed, sturdily bound books that happen to be no larger than three inches in any direction. There are, according to Msgr. Francis J. Weber, archivist for the archdiocese of Los Angeles and avid miniature-book fan, about 300 collectors in the country--perhaps a dozen of whom live in Los Angeles.

“It’s really a pinnacle of skill to print these things, to have them bound well and circulate them. They are especially hard to produce because of the minuscule operations involved--you need the right press pressure and ink and paper to keep it all from blotching.”

One of the advantages of miniature books, Weber said, is their inherent portability. Napoleon, he says, carried about an entire classical library in a small chest. Miniature-book collectors are thus spared the necessity of adding a new wing onto their houses to store their collections.

Where does one put miniature books?

“‘Why, in miniature book shelves, of course. And if one eats one’s carrots regularly,” he quips, “they needn’t worry about going blind reading them.”

Convention hours today are noon to 8 p.m.; Sunday hours are noon to 5:30 p.m. Admission is $5. Parking is available at the hotel. For more information, call (213) 410-4000.