The Spanish publishing market is certainly not short on new releases, but even so, there is life beyond the new releases catalog. Thirty-two bookstores, some of them from other parts of Spain, will participate in the 36th edition of the Madrid Fall Fair for Old and Antique Books, organized by LIBRIS, the Association of Antiquarian Booksellers. There (who knows?), unusual or out-of-print copies might surprise an unsuspecting reader.
At their booths, very affordable editions will be offered for as little as one euro, and visitors can also browse through engravings, incunabula, original manuscripts, and other rare books—items highly sought after by collectors that can be valued at thousands of euros.
In addition, visitors to the fair will be able to take home a souvenir from this year’s event: a literary deck of cards illustrated by Fernando Vicente ( who, as usual, designed the fair’s poster), in homage to the Generation of ’27. Many familiar faces appear on the cards of this unique deck, including those of Federico García Lorca, Rafael Alberti, Vicente Aleixandre, María Zambrano, and Rosa Chacel. It will be available for purchase at the fair’s information booth.
The opening speaker for this year’s event will be writer and journalist Luis Landero, who will inaugurate the fair on Thursday, September 24, at 8:45 p.m. in the Valle Inclán Hall of the Círculo de Bellas Artes (note that admission is by invitation only).
Location and hours of the Madrid Fall Fair for Old and Antique Books
The Madrid Fall Fair for Old and Antique Books will be held on Paseo de Recoletos, along the stretch from Cibeles to Calle Almirante. Banco de España (Line 2) and Colón (Line 4) are the nearest Metro stops, while the closest commuter rail station is Recoletos (C-1, C-2, C-7, C-8, and C-10). The stalls will be open from September 24 through October 12:
- Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.