Dozens of booksellers from around the country will be offering their most interesting, most memorable, and most hard-to-find books for two days in September at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock.
The Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair, now in its 39th year, attracts book lovers of all ages, tastes and budgets. It’s a chance to see books from your childhood you never thought you’d see again, or rare copies of books you never thought you’d ever see, or books you’ve never even heard of that grab your attention and won’t let go.
The fair also will have a large offering of ephemera: scrapbooks, photographs, posters, letters and other documentation of times gone by.
“Book fairs are unique because dealers bring together books and other materials for just one time and for just one place, and that’s what makes them such an attraction for booksellers,” said fair organizer Carol Mobley. “There’s also no greater accumulation of people who are extremely knowledgeable about books than at a book fair, so this is a time to learn as well as to shop.”
The fair opens Friday, Sept. 8, at 2 p.m. and runs until 8. On Saturday, Sept. 9, hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7, which is good for both days; free passes are available from members of the Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association (RMABA.org), sponsor of the fair.
Admission is also free to anyone who is a member of a Friends of the Library group and can show a membership card.
Parking is free, and food is available.
The fair also features a couple of special programs. Taylor Kirkpatrick, a Denver bibliophile and creator of a prize for young book collectors, and a panel of booksellers will share their insights and take questions in separate sessions Friday and Saturday.
For more information, go to rmaba.org. The fairgrounds are located at 200 Fairgrounds Road in Castle Rock.
