[photo credit: Eventbrite]
The fair will feature dealers from London, Paris, Vienna, Melbourne, and across North America, offering antiquarian books, fine prints, maps, ephemera, original artwork, and what organizers describe as everything from artist’s books to punk zines. Among the exhibitors are at least five Pasadena-based sellers: Whitmore Rare Books, which operates Old Pasadena’s only shop specializing in fine first editions; Book Alley, the Colorado Boulevard bookstore with more than 50,000 titles; and Cook Books, Mozart Books, and Rd Rarebooksmaps.
“Rich in history and culture, the Raymond Theatre is the perfect venue to feature the world’s leading booksellers,” said Jodi Tolan, director of Rare Books LA.
The Raymond Theatre was built in 1921 as the Crown Theatre and later gained fame as Perkins Palace, a rock venue that hosted Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and Black Flag through the 1980s. The venue at 129 North Raymond Avenue will serve as the fair’s Main Stage, with an additional Side Stage in the ballroom of the Courtyard by Marriott at 180 North Fair Oaks Avenue.
Main Stage hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday. Side Stage hours are noon to 7:00 p.m. Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets range from $15 to $45 and are available through Eventbrite or at RareBooksLA.com. A weekend pass for $25 includes admission both days and a limited-edition poster. The Bookends pass for $45 includes two weekend passes and a tote bag. The fair is a half-block from the Memorial Park station on the Metro A Line. Parking garages near the Raymond Theatre offer daily flat rates starting at $11.
A pre-fair event on Friday, February 20, features Monty Python co-founder Eric Idle discussing his book “The Spamalot Diaries” at the Pasadena Heritage Blinn House, 160 North Oakland Avenue. The evening, a fundraiser for the Book Club of California, includes a 5:30 p.m. reception and 6:30 p.m. program. Attendees receive a signed copy of the book and free admission to the fair. “The Spamalot Diaries” was named one of NPR’s best books of the year and was a semifinalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor in Writing.
Tolan called the fair “Coachella for book lovers.”
