NEW YORK—There are no QUIET, PLEASE signs at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair, the 48th edition of which is being held this year at the Park Avenue Armory from April 4 through 6. Rather there’s a din in the aisles, which are packed with nearly 200 vendors from across the Americas and Europe, bringing everything from rare tomes and artists’ books to antique maps and ephemera. From Milan, Il Polifilo Libri Rari is offering a copy of Dante’s Divina Commedia from 1544. Frederik Muller Rare Books of Bergum, Holland, is featuring prized maps by Agustín Codazzi (1793–1859) from the first atlas of Venezuela, while Toronto’s Alexandre Antique Prints, Maps & Books has something closer to home—a 1671 map of North America for $15,000.

"Bookish Borough" originally appeared in the April 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's April 2008 Table of Contents.