There are times that I look at my calendar and am appalled by all the planned events that have never taken place: weeks of pleasure trips, anniversary celebrations, birthdays, theater dates, concerts, lectures, book discussions, doctor appointments, professional conferences, and, of course, book fairs. Add to that the postponement of dozens and dozens of local, regional, and national book fairs and you start to wonder when dealers and collectors will have the opportunity to meet again face-to-face and handle inventories physically rather than virtually. The last “normal” social activity that my wife and I did was to exhibit at Marvin Getman’s NYC “satellite” fair in early March of 2020. Held a short bus ride away from the ABAA mega-fair, the show featured 60 noted dealers and drew scads of customers. At the time, there were about 4 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in NYC. Though both dealers and customers were aware of the dangers (there was little hand-shaking, lots of hand-sanitizer and some social distancing in evidence), we still felt comfortable sleeping in a friend’s apartment, going out to eat at great restaurants, and walking around the city without fear. By the week following, however, life had changed. The Corona virus has impacted our lives in ways few thought imaginable. Business, governments, and social constructs have been irreparably altered; some for the better, some for the worse.

Clearly, the virus has both hurt and helped bookselling: shops and fairs have closed, while new, creative, and interesting ways of buying and selling books have emerged. The impact of the internet in the 1990’s and its deleterious effect on both new and rare book stores led to the proliferation of personal and business websites allowing individuals to both shop and sell at home. Sites such as Interloc (early on), The Advanced Book Exchange, eBay, Biblio-com, Bookfinder, and others have sped books from dealers’ shelves to collectors’ libraries. What opportunities has COVID-19 opened up for the book buyer and seller?

The aforementioned Marvin Getman came up with a stunningly simple, yet brilliant solution: virtual book fairs. Getman is a book fair promoter. To the best of my knowledge he is not a collector. His forte is organizing dealers, renting venues, acquiring security, catering meals, obtaining tables and showcases, and generally making sure that things run smoothly. As such, he has become a force in the rare book trade. He is the director of several of the best-attended shows in the country, particularly on the east coast. It’s not hard to imagine what a pandemic did to the book fairs he had planned for 2020. How does one deal with a staggering loss of income and purpose? Get creative!

In early April, Getman emailed dealers evaluating their interest in a virtual book fair. He received so many positive responses that he began working on it in earnest. Dubbed the “First Tuesday” Fairs, successful on-line fairs have taken place on the first Tuesday in June, July, and August. A special virtual edition of his popular Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair took place on its typical weekend, September 11-13, replacing the “First Tuesday” fair in September. With a month off in November, 2020 will finish out with fairs in October and December. As of this writing, a maximum of 200 dealers can place up to 15 items for sale for three days. Dealers are charged a “booth” rental based on the total number of items they list. All sales are handled between dealers and customers. Getman’s sole responsibility is to maintain, upgrade, and guarantee the web site’s efficiency.

As with any book fair, while different dealers achieved varying results, the statistics are encouraging: during the first day of the July virtual fair, more than 350 individual items sold with a total value of over $200,000. Over 50 books sold in excess of $1,000 each. The highest sale was for $15,000. Most promising, both the numbers sold and aggregate value appear to be growing each and every fair. Getman’s platform has proven so popular that he has licensed it to several other antiquarian fairs including a special fund-raiser by the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar and RareBooks LA. If you are interested as either as a collector or dealer, please contact Getman’s Virtual Book and Paper Fair at https://getmansvirtual.com. Getman’s, of course, is not the only virtual book fair currently filling the void. The ABAA has held at least one and several regional groups have sponsored others. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but in this “new normal,” each and every innovative attempt to keep our hobby alive and thriving should be applauded and supported. In the meanwhile, stay safe, stay well, and keep collecting!