Update from the far side of the moon

Marvin Getman, the rare book fair impresario has some good news to report: The Brooklyn Virtual Antiquarian Book Fair opened on September 4^th, 2020 as proxy for what was a year ago an already a strong traditional rare book and paper fair. Of course Covid-19 intervened this spring and, in response, Marvin reimagined book fairs electronically. The outcome this past month was his 4^th electronic fair for a field that needed a miracle. The changes reflect in the recent statistics generated:

226 participating dealers

3,100 items listed with another 500 posted in a second wave

Sales: 800 items sold

Turnover: $850,000+

An observation from Marvin: “we’re seeing an increase of $1,000+ sales"

Attendance: 12,500 unique visitors

Webinars: A panel discussion by RBMS librarians discussing Spiritualism, Magic and the Occult proved popular and they are on uTube and www.getmansvirtual.com.

Future events now scheduled: October 6-8; November 3-5; December holiday event TBA

Taken together: Wow!