RMABA Book Fair and Silent Auction

DENVER, CO (staff report) - When is a piece of paper collectible? What is a broadside? What is ephemera? Featured author Georgia Barnhill will give an address on "Civil War Broadsides" at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Ms. Barnhill knows her material well, as she is the Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Graphic Arts at the American Antiquarian Society, which has been her career for nearly thirty years. Ms. Barnhill will be signing her latest book, "Bibliography on American Prints of the Seventeenth through the Nineteenth Centuries."

More than 70 book, map and ephemera dealers from across the country will convene at the 22nd Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair, held at the Denver Merchandise Mart. The fair will feature rare, collectible and out-of-print books as well as maps, photographs, prints, postcards, ephemera and other paper items. Of special interest is a set of rare Audubon books, books from the beat generation, contemporary miniature books, author-signed children’s books, Custer material, and a rare Francis Parkman's "Oregon Trail." Items will range from a few dollars to thousands, which will allow all fair-goers the opportunity to find a treasure to add to their collections.

Slated to speak at 11 a.m. Saturday are Rob Rulon-Miller and Jeffrey Marks, long-time booksellers with stories to tell of adventure and mayhem in the book trade. For those who have heard the tall tales of Denver author John Dunning, Rulon-Miller and Marks are equal in their abilities to spin some good yarns!

The fair will also feature Denver jazz-favorites Ellyn Rucker and Mark Simon at the opening on Friday evening at 5 p.m. Denver Bookbinding is sponsoring a make-and-take booklet event, and the Book Arts League will be demonstrating a hand letterpress.

The Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association (RMABA) supports Colorado Literacy in providing a silent auction for Friends of Colorado Libraries. This worthy organization awards mini-grants to libraries in Colorado who need additional funding for special projects. Many items of interest will be available for bids for the two days, ending on Saturday afternoon.

$10 for two-day admission, or Saturday for $5. For additional information and a discount coupon, visit www.rmaba.org. See you at the fair!