The Capital Rare Book Fair

The Capital Rare Book Fair will bring antiquarian booksellers from across the country to Washington DC's historic University Club, just steps from the White House.

Visitors can browse books, prints and ephemera on a broad range of topics and areas. Our fairs are social events that cultivate a welcoming experience for all. There will be items at the fair to fit all budgets.

The fair will open with a preview night on Friday evening with wine, beer, canapes, and first access to the books on sale in this historic venue.  

The Preview Night is sponsored by Ageless Literature

Ever wondered what would happen if you became a bibliomaniac? Purchased a book instead of paying your mortgage? Bought unknowingly a forgery? A facsimile dust jacket instead of an original? A book that had been stolen from a library? A reprint advertised as a true first?

Join book experts  as they navigate the complex realities of collecting books in a modern age. They will discuss the ways in which to collect books responsibly and in a knowledgeable manner. They will also discuss the other dark side- books that

explore the occult, horror, and the gothic.

About the Panelists:

Allie Alvis is Curator of Special Collections of the Winterthur Library, where they are responsible for the stewardship and engagement of the collection. They have previously worked as an antiquarian bookseller at Type Punch Matrix (Washington, DC) and as the special collections reference librarian for the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Allie's research is diverse and far-reaching, with interests in physical patterns of use in books, the history of ephemera, and Arts and Crafts bookbindings. They are particularly involved in the study and act of using social media for communicating book history, and maintain popular accounts across various platforms as Book Historia. 

Angelo J. Cifaldi is President and Managing Director of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A., leading all aspects of the firm’s practice and operations. He is also co-chair of the firm’s Mass Tort/Class Action and Cannabis Law groups. He is collector of the works of Mark Twain. 

 Lindsay Doering is a lifelong reader and book zealot.  He graduated with a degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania.  He completed the Yale Summer Writers’ Course and is currently finishing a book of literary criticism. He is a journeyman book collector whose interests include books relating to sailing, hunting, works of scholarship in specific areas (primarily western or Christian culture), and certain works of fiction. Lindsay is an attorney specializing in the reinsurance sector.  

Joshua Mann is the founder of B&B Rare Books. He has lectured on the value of signatures and author associations, and is a books and manuscripts appraiser at ABAA book fairs. Although literature is the heart of B&B, his clinical research background in Biology & Medicine has led to an additional focus in the History of Science and Medicine. Joshua is a New York City native, and his favorite book is The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Avi is part of a family of writers as far back as the 19th century. With more than 80 books published, he is always in the process of writing or revising one or two books. Winner of many awards, you may have read his 2003 Newbery Medal winner Crispin: The Cross of Lead, his Newbery honor The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, or his Newbery honor Nothing But the Truth. Avi’s Poppy books are read out loud in many classrooms. He was born and raised in New York City, lived in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, and Rhode Island, and now lives in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. 

Noah A. Rosenblum is an Associate Professor of Law at New York University School of Law and faculty director of the Vanderbilt Scholars Program and Katzmann Symposium. He is also a faculty affiliate of the Department of History.

Rosenblum works primarily in administrative law, constitutional law, and legal history. His research takes a historical approach to the study of state institutions, seeking to understand how law can be used to promote democratic accountability. He is currently pursuing several projects on the history of the place of the president in the administrative state.

His academic writing has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review, and Yale Law Journal, among other venues, and has been awarded the Joseph Parker Prize in Legal History and the Fred C. Zacharias Award in Legal Ethics, among other honors. Rosenblum is also a frequent commentator on public law and New York State courts.