For Maggie Page, reading has been her passion since she was a little girl.
“My mom used to say, ‘Get your nose out of that book — get out of that chair and go out and play,’” she said.
Antiquarian book show attracts large crowd
Theatre senior Kate Kilpatrick looks through postcards Sunday at hte Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing. Kilpatrick visited the 53rd Michigan Antiquarian Book & Paper Show as character research for the theatre department's upcoming production of "Grapes of Wrath." Matt Radick/The State News
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Photo by Matt Radick |
and Matt Radick
The State News
Page, owner of Page Books in Hillsboro, Ohio, was one of the many book sellers who traveled to the 53rd Michigan Antiquarian Book & Paper Show on Sunday at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave.
More than 70 exhibitors from across the Midwest region and Canada brought merchandise to display and sell to the public, said Ray Walsh, the host of the show and owner of Curious Book Shop, 307 E. Grand River Ave.
Items included children’s books, cookbooks, programs, posters, puzzles, stocks, comics, magazines and much more. Some special items included signed posters from Walt Disney, a first edition of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and issues of Time Magazine from the 1930s.
For many sellers, setting up at book and paper shows is more than unpacking books.
“My social life is within our book world,” Page said. “It’s nice to see everyone and get caught up while you’re setting up.”
The idea for the Michigan Antiquarian Book and Paper Show began at the Curious Book Shop.
“Back when we got started, we decided to see if we could run a show in the Lansing area,” Walsh said. “We felt like we could get a lot of people that were interested.”
More than 26 years later, the Midwest show became one of the largest shows in the country, he said. With an estimated attendance of more than 1,000 people, the event drew not only an audience, but a variety of ages.
Lansing Community College freshman Dominick Mastrangelo spent the morning searching through antiques with his father.
“He’s been talking about this since last week,” he said. “I can tell he’s not the only one excited.”
With continuous advancement in technology, Mastrangelo appreciates antique literature that still can be found countrywide.
“It’s good to know that it’s still accessible,” he said.
For Harout Kouyoumdjian and his wife, Carol Anne, owner of Carol Anne Kouyoumdjian Miniature Books in Columbia City, Ind., book and paper shows provide something for both attendee and exhibitor.
“They’re asking for specific books — it gives us a challenge,” Harout Kouyoumdjian said.
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When visiting shows, many see items they might not have seen before and have a chance to experience a variety of books, he said.
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