Like every year, this week-end I went to visit the Antiquarian Book Fair (EventBrite, CLAQ, Le Devoir) hold at the Concordia University in September. I always hope to find something interesting, but I also dread to find something interesting because it will means that I will spend too much money.

To ensure that I greatly reduce the chances of spending money, I give myself very strict criteria for purchasing a book: I am looking only for 16th or 17th century editions of classical latin authors that are under two-hundred dollars !

I had a quick look around the room, and right at the beginning I found an interesting book: the Annals (Ab excessu divi Augusti Historiarum Libri) by Tacitus, in three volumes, for $250. Unfortunately, it was slightly over budget (but 3 volumes!) and only an 18th century edition with a veal on cardboard binding. Too recent for my taste.

After checking a little more than half of the tables, I hit the mother load. The table of Zubairul Islam, also known as That Guy With The Books. He always has interesting stuff, but usually quite expensive. I immediately noticed two latin in folio (I’ve always dreamed to have an in folio) that were, as expected, too expensive:

• An illustrated compilation of the plays by Plautus (Ex emendationibus, adque commentariis Bernardi Saraceni, Ioannis Petri Vallae Plauti comoediae XX), 1511, in folio, Condition: Poor. $1,534.00 USD [That Guy With The Books]

• Titus Livus‘ History of Rome and the Roman People (T. Livius Patavinus historicus duobus libris auctus: cum L. Flori epitome. Addito indice copioso, & Leonardo Aretino de primo bello punico. Ac imaginibus res gestas exprimentibus), 1520, in folio, Condition: Very Good. $2789 USD / $2800 CDN. [That Guy With The Books]

Plauti comoediae XX, 1511, $1534

Titus Livius, 1520, $2800

He also had something quite rare: a load of books from Japan (and, of course, in Japanese). Most quite expensive, but some affordable (but, since I can’t read Japanese — and, even for Japanese people, the old script can be quite difficult to read — there was no use buying any however interesting they were). Although one was really interesting as it was some sort of encyclopedia explaining, with lots of illustrations, how to do stuff, but, even if it was in a bad shape, it was old and must have been quite expensive (so I didn’t even bothered to ask the price).

Then I saw something that really made me regret to have come to the book fair. A book that I have been looking for for years and that I thought I would probably never find: an old latin edition of the Historia Augusta ! That’s the book I was studying for my Master and my PhD ! I was so excited that my hands were shaking (or my sugar level was crashing, I am not sure which) ! It was the first of two volumes (emperors biographies from Hadrian to Severus Alexander) published in Leiden by Johannes Hackius in 1671. It was a small in quarto of over a thousand pages, in very good condition and with a superb vellum binding. It was listed at $220, so slightly over budget, but, seeing I was hesitating, the guy offered it to me at $180. I couldn’t refuse, so I took it right away ! (I will talk of this book more in details in a separate blog entry).

I reluctantly finished to go through the rest of the room, hoping I would not find anything else interesting. I didn’t. 

Why purchase an expensive book that I can’t even read ? For the simple joy of having in my hands a beautiful, precious object, a cultural artifact of human history. It’s like hanging on the wall an expensive painting or putting a trinket ornament on a bookshelf. Just for looking at it and thinking about all the people who have also hold it in their hands before me…

For information on previous Antiquarian book fairs you can check to following links: Antiquarian Book Fair / SLAM. You can also check the updated list of my old books collection.