2026 California International Book Fair

For those who enjoy seeing unique and rare books, Antiquarian Book Fairs are great fun to visit. Held around the world throughout the year there are a few top-tier fairs that draw more global vendors and are well worth attending. In the States, the two major fairs are the New York fair and the California fair. The latter alternates annually between its host cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. This year, the 57th California International Antiquarian Book Fair is being held in San Francisco (27 Feb - 1 March, 2026) and I was able to attend on the opening evening.

This major international book fair is focused on rare, antiquarian, and collectible printed materials, bringing together booksellers from around the world to exhibit and sell items such as rare books, manuscripts, maps, ephemera, drawings, autographs, and modern first editions. The fair's two floors of exhibition space are at Pier 27 in San Francisco (where the cruise ships usually dock). The fair is organized by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the principal professional association for rare book dealers in the United States.

Fairs, such as a this one, function both as a marketplace for rare books and as a cultural event that promotes learning through lectures and interactions with the fair's participants. Even if an attendee doesn't want to buy anything, the lectures, browsing and interactions available warrant attending.

As a collector and fan of Agatha Christie and golden-age fiction in general, I enjoy attending these events for a variety of reasons. I'll typically see books that rarely appear on the market, get a perspective on retail pricing, and also gain an understanding of demand and supply.

The Agatha Christie Books on Offer.

Several dealers did have Christie books on offer, several of which are quite rare. While there were dealers from continental Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions, all the Christie books were in English and offered by British or American dealers. Some listed their prices in British pounds, some in US dollars. The prices I cite below are shown in the correct currency as displayed. They included the following.

Shapero Rare Books, London, England.

1933: Lord Edgware Dies, Collins Crime Club, London. First edition in an unpriced jacket. Price: £37,500.

CC: Described as a colonial issue, this orange cloth book did have a small bookseller label affixed to the inside of the rear board that stated 'W. Newman & Co., Booksellers, Stationers, Printers etc, Calcutta [Kolkata, India].' In addition, the white circle on the spine that usually contains the 7/6 printed price was blank.

Jonkers Books, Henley-on-Thames, England.

1921: The Mysterious Affair at Styles, John Lane, The Bodley Head, London. First British Edition. Price: $35,000.

CC: The book was described as 'Fine' and the 'First Edition of Christie's first novel'. While the American printing did precede it in 1920, the book was in exceptionally good condition although the cloth's colour was not particularly bright. Needless to say, it is exceptionally scarce anyway but in this condition more so.

Between the Covers Rare Books, Gloucester City, New Jersey, USA.

1930: Giants Bread, Doubleday, New York, USA. First American Edition. Price: $3,500.

CC: Worth observing that a book of similar quality sold at auction 6 years ago for $300.

Captain Ahab's Rare Books, Stevenson, Virginia, USA.

This dealer had the largest collection of Christie's at the fair. They were as follows:

1934: Murder in the Calais Coach (UK: Orient Express), Dodd Mead & Co., New York. First American Edition in jacket. Price: $8,750.

1935: Death in the Air (UK: Clouds), Dodd Mead & Co. First Edition in jacket. Price: $3,750.

1936: The A.B.C. Murders, Dodd Mead & Co. First American Edition in jacket (green-yellow variant). Price: $5,500.

1936: Hercule Poirot Master Detective, Dodd Mead & Co. First Omnibus edition in jacket. Price: $2,750.

1937: Cards on the Table, Dodd Mead & Co. First American Edition. Price: $1,250.

1939: Ten Little N-s, Collins Crime Club, London. First Edition in jacket. Price: $12,500.

1942: The Body in the Library, Collins Crime Club. First British Edition in jacket. Price: $4,800.

1945: Sparkling Cyanide, Collins Crime Club. First British Edition in jacket. Price: $1,000.

1948: Taken at the Flood, Collins Crime Club. First British Edition in jacket. Price: $550.

1952: They Do It With Mirrors, Collins Crime Club. First British Edition in jacket. Price: $450.

1953: A Pocket Full of Rye, Collins Crime Club. First Edition in jacket. Price: $500.

CC: First of all, it is lovely to see so many Christie's on display at such a major book fair. I think the supply tells the story though. American titles from the 1930s and British titles from the following decade plus can still be found though prices are rising as supply dwindles.

Other Books of Note.

As someone who collects many 'modern fiction' authors and has followed auction results for over three decades, it is interesting to observe not only prices but what dealers choose to display. Notably, given the location of fair in California, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler were well represented. A first in jacket of Hammett's first novel - Red Harvest (Knopf, US) - for $135,000 was eye-popping. Other American authors were well represented including many Frank Baum Oz books, plenty of Steinbeck and also Fitzgerald. One example of his The Great Gatsby (1926, 1st British edition) was on offer for a new high watermark price of $125,000. Ian Fleming also appeared on several dealers shelves but $100,000 for a first of Casino Royale (Cape, UK) in jacket was a bold price.

Older books are prevalent across antiquarian book fairs, such as a first edition set of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice for $275,000. This appeared to be the book that sold late last year at Christie's for $190,500 confirming that many high priced books at auction go to dealer's who see opportunity and can afford the carrying cost. My sense that this 50% mark-up is not uncommon. However, this reaffirms why auctions shouldn't deter private collectors as values across all price points are generally there to be found. When one considers that a 2nd edition sold a few years ago at auction for £11,250 it also confirms the price multiple firsts garner over seconds.

Closing Thoughts & Best Value Seen.

While 'modern literature' has often been discounted by many 'antiquarian' dealers and associations, this fair confirms there is a robust market for modern fiction and numerous authors are now commanding strong valuations. Even the newest issue of Fine Books & Collections magazine, which was being distributed to all attendees, now includes a regular feature article on 'modern firsts'. As this fair showed, there are a number of authors that are top-tier in the broad categorisation. With the crime and detective genre, I still believe Christie is the blue-chip. As to insights for Christie collectors, every dealer I spoke with confirmed that there are more active collectors than suppliers. Demand for Christie hasn't been stronger and pricing continues to rise because of the challenge of sourcing actual books to sell.

In general, dealer pricing is top tier but arguably correctly so. Many dealers ensure a functioning marketplace, act as knowledge bases and can source items on want lists. Given how much capital they must invest into inventory along with the costs of maintaining a retail shop front, website, staff and storage, it is easy to see why they need the profit margins they do. While there is no harm in politely asking any dealer if discounts can be extended, these may be reserved for the trade, regular customers or inventory that has sat stagnant for a while. Ultimately, if it's a book you really want and can afford the cost, supporting the book trade is important. A world where book shops and book fairs disappear and only online sales take place would be a sad place.

Now as to the best value at the fair... well the complimentary glasses of sparkling wine were certainly at the top of the list! On the book front, there were plenty of affordable collectibles too. One dealer had a range of vintage collectible magazines from the 1920s and 1930s that were all priced under $30 per issue, while many had reprint editions of collectible titles under the $100 threshold. So, it wasn't all caviar and champagne.

Corrections, Edits, Recommendations.

I always value reader input to make my articles more accurate. So if there are any additions or corrections you'd like to provide, please email me at collectchristie@gmail.com 

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