The Old Book & Paper Show
601 Christie Street
Toronto, ON M6G 4C7
The GTA’s top old paper and antiquarian book show has settled in to its new location, in mid-town Toronto. The Old Book and Paper Show sets up in a bright, easy to access and historic facility at Artscape Wychwood Barns. Make sure to get out to the April 1, 2012 show. New dealers, lots of great stock, plus great dealers in vintage rare and antiquarian books.
Hours: Sunday, April 1, 10am until 4pm
Admission: $8, no charge to children 12 and under
Ontario collectors and dealers in old paper and books get together for the biggest one-day ‘vintage print-fest’ of the year.
Collectors can find the following vintage books, paper and more:
Transportation including railway and ocean liner items; Historical
documents including land grants, mortgages and deeds; 30’s/40’s fashion
magazines; airline memorabilia; Old magic books; Old farm equipment
booklets; Eatons memorabilia; Pulp fiction – crime, detective, Sci-Fi –
including Weird Tales, The Shadow, The Phantom Detective, Vintage
paperbacks; Movie posters, stills, lobby cards; Vintage photography on
paper plus daguerreotypes, armbrotypes and tintypes; Sporting material –
baseball, hockey, hunting, fishing dating to the 1920’s; Autographs;
Advertising; Letterheads; Postal covers; Nearly 100,000 vintage
postcards, all villages, towns and cities in Ontario plus sports,
transportation, holidays from Christmas to Halloween; Theatre and movie
programs; Poetry; Scientific journals; Comic books; Magazines. Old books
on a huge range of topics including: books on travel, military,
science, literature, biographies, the Arctic, cooking, etc, plus
fiction, and more. “I really enjoyed the show, from the old repair and maintenance manuals to the advertising. I particularly liked browsing the books and magazines I used to read, like the Hardy Boys and LIFE. I could have spent hours more at the postcards – the messages on the back give a little snapshot of life ‘back when’ “. Tony R, Orangeville
“The show a lot of fun… loved the old posters, books and photographs… there’s something for every budget, too. I loved looking through the old postcards, the vintage illustrations as well as the messages. Looking forward to the next show!” Susan R, Orangeville
A brief preview of the April 1, 2012 show:
Alexandre Antique Prints, Maps & Books are specialist dealers in 15th to 19th century Prints, Maps and Books. The gallery offers one of the largest selections of Prints and Maps available in North America. Vintage travel posters, Canadian Pacific, Canadian National, etc, are a particularly strong specialty. Kitchener Kollectablesspecializing in Vintage Ephemera, postcards, silver screen photographs, old comic books and vintage paper dating back to the 1800’s. For the April Show we have set aside:- Collection of original 1950’s Pin-Up photos from Risqué to Campy (see photo)
- WWII German Fieldposte and Photographs
- A large collection of Ontario Ephemera
Charles Vyvial, Bookseller, St. Laurent, QC “I am always buying and selling fine collectible books in the following categories: History, Sciences, Art, Architecture, Illustrated, Photography and Antiquarian. Below are thumbnail images of some unusual pieces I am bringing to the April show.”
Grant St. John, West Lorne , ON “Originally a collector of sporting ephemera, which is still a specialty, Grant’s interest has expanded. At Wychwood, Grant will be displaying Agricultural, automotive, entertainment, and history pieces, plus a large selection of vintage advertising and more.” Grant has set aside for Wychwood several items, including: (1)- A selection of ”Road Maps” ( As shown, plus additions). (2)- A selection of ” Canadian Tire Catalogues” ( As shown, plus additions). (3)- A selection, from an incomplete set, of “Picturesque Canada” sections, originally published in the magazine format. The sections featuring Southern Ontario, Toronto, Niagara, and Muskoka etc. will be sold intact and individually. The issues contain many prints that can be harvested for framing, if desired. The covers, as usual, are not in good condition. But, the interior pages are complete and in good condition for magazines that are over 125 years
The Book Not Mad, Midland, ON, deals in a variety of subjects, with an emphasis in history, Canadiana, ephemera and occasionally the unusual.
Ron Good, Port Hope “I sell old advertising. Mostly single pages from long dead magazines. The reference to “Life Magazine” is only to let people know the usual dimensions of the ads. Most folks know the page size of “Life”. But many other mags used the same size page. I am constantly amazed, and delighted, at the scope of peoples’ interests. Some want ads relating to a former occupation, of the occupation of a parent/grandparent. People look for every topic under the sun from aircraft through birds, cats, dogs, boats, Canadiana, the Dionne quints, to perfumes, railways, Jewish themes, radio/television, movies and on to world’s fairs, World War 2 and Wurlitzer. And I can’t miss the VW bug!”
Duncan McLaren, Lord Durham Rare Books, Inc., St. Catharines, ON Since 2008, Lord Durham Rare Books, Inc. (LDRB) has been full-time in the business of helping book collectors solve their collecting challenges. “I’m bringing, among other items, three important pieces of Canadiana.”
# 1) “Lord Stanley” engraving London published by Morris & Co. 392 Strand W.C. Drawn by C.W. Walton. Paper size is 17 1/2”” x 23 5/8”. Plate mark size is 10 1/2” x 13”. Image size is 5” x 7”. Overall condition is good+. In 1892, this Lord Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby gave a treasured national icon — the Stanley Cup to symbolize hockey Championship in Canada. It is the same Stanley Cup the National Hockey League competes for each year now. He was the 6th Governor General of Canada.WE CAN FIND NO OTHER COPIES OF THIS ENGRAVING.
#2) circa 1869 Battle of Ridgeway, C.W. [Canada West]. Near Ridgeway Station, June 2, 1866 (Fenians) Colour lithograph. Year: c1869. Size: Image size 16 3/8 x 21 3/8″ (417 x 544 mm). Condition: A few minor marginal tears, backed with Japan paper otherwise very good condition.
Print showing the Fenians routing British troops at the battle of Ridgeway.
#3) 1791 The Constitution Act 1791 – An Act to Repeal Certain Parts of an Act, Passed in the Fourteenth Year of His Majesty’s Reign, intituled, An Act for Making More Effectual Provision for the Government of the Province of Quebec, in North America; and to make Further Provision for the Government of the said Province British Government London Charles Eyre and Andrew Strahan This is known as the Constitutional Act of 1791; it changed the government of the province of Quebec in response to the influx of English-speaking settlers who, having been Loyalists during the American Revolution, came to Canada from the United States following the conclusion of that war. The act divided Quebec into two sections, the western half becoming Upper Canada (now southern Ontario) and the eastern half Lower Canada (now southern Quebec).
Attic Books, Marvin Post, London, ON – Wide range of decorative ephemera, specializing in postcards, autographs, maps and prints, photographs. Some of the interesting and fabulous things Attic Books is bringing to the Old Book and Paper Show: 1. Stereoview cards: Marvin has about 2000 of them that he is going to bring along. At $2.50 each. 2. Bodyscope: It is a one fold diagram with revolving wheels of the human body. The second and third pages show a man and a woman. The wheels show the abdomen at the various layers. Created by Ralph and Theo Segal. $400.00
Wilfrid De Freitas, Bookseller, Montreal “We’re general dealers in books, prints and ephemera, with a special emphasis on Victoriana, architecture, natural history, first editions and prints.” Special items we’ll be bringing to the show: thumbnail images below in same order a. Original 19th.C British Grant of Arms with hand executed escutcheon. b. Original leaf from 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle. c. First published census of the Province of Canada 1851-52; two volumes in original binding, published in 1853-55
Sarah Sheehan, Pattern Vault, Toronto
Fashion history through sewing patterns.
I sell vintage sewing patterns and ephemera, such as sewing magazines and promotional leaflets. I specialize in designer patterns and good design from any decade.
A few special items I’m saving for the show:
- A rare Twenties coat pattern from McCall. A girl’s size 14, it would also fit a small woman. Very on-trend given film and fashion’s recent love affair with Twenties Deco style.
- A gorgeous Forties pattern for a nightgown and negligee from Simplicity. An elegant look for the vintage boudoir.
- A late Fifties Vogue Couturier pattern for a cocktail ensemble. It’s very Mad Men.
Morris Norman, Toronto, inveterate and impassioned collector, sells and collects anything Canadian – telephone items, Canadian Railway, Toronto ephemera, posters, postcards, documents, broadsides, banking stocks, car material, Hudson Bay, Yukon, Louis Riel, War of 1812, WW1, Canadian Prime Ministers, hockey and early sports, western settlement, canoe catalogues, farm machinery, lighthing, architectural catalogues, Eatons and Simpsons, Canadian Judaica – all of the above Canadian only. Plus great folk art and scarce license plates.
Steven Evans Vintage Photography, Toronto always has a wide variety of high quality 19th century photographs from Canada, Europe, Asia and elsewhere around the world. Among some new treasures to consider is a superb salt print portrait by Roger Fenton from his epic series of images documenting the Crimean War and published in 1855. In the Canadian realm, an assortment of beautifully preserved images by William Notman is on offer, and as always, there is an array of other images ranging from the prosaic to the absurd — all available at affordable prices.
La Contortionniste
att: Edgar Haincque St. Senoch, French Gelatin silver print c. 1900
Ice shove, Commissioners Street, Montreal, QC
William Notman and Son, Canadian, Albumen print, 1884
Laura Jones and Bennett Jones-Phillips, Baldwin Street Gallery, Toronto We’re a mother and son photography team- Laura Jones and Bennett Jones-Phillips. The gallery was known for its exhibitions during the 1960′s and 70′s. Now, it’s revived as a new generation – an on-line gallery to sell and license archival photographs.
For the April show, we are bringing some very special Camera Work gravures, as well as lots of old images.
Photograph by Karl F. Struss
The Landing Place, Villa Carlotta, 1912, Photogravure from Camera Work 38
Wychwood Barns – a superb venue:
Wychwood Barns is one of Toronto’s newest event venues. In 1913 the Toronto Transit Commission built the structure in order to be able to service its fleet of streetcars. It functioned for many decades before becoming redundant. A major renovation was undertaken over the last few years, transforming the barns into a magnificent community resource. Reopened in 2008, it is now home to art galleries, artist studios, a regular farmers’ market, and more. The centrepiece of the complex is the ‘Covered Street’, a 200 foot long room, formerly used to overhaul streetcars, but now a spacious event facility. Industrial-chic is the design theme, exposed red brick walls, a wonderful end-to-end glass skylight forming a roof, vintage TTC photographs on the walls. In short, a perfect venue for our Old Book and Paper Show.
Getting There Wychwood Barns is at 601 Christie Street, west of Bathurst, south of St. Clair. It occupies a block between Christie Street on the west and Wychwood Avenue on the east. Parking is extremely limited at Wychwood Barns, in compliance with the building’s environmental LEED certification. As such, visitors should consider taking public transit to the site. St. Clair streetcar #512 runs along St. Clair and connects with St. Clair West Subway station. Christie bus #126 runs from the Bloor Subway station north on Christie and stops at the door. Bathurst bus #7 is two blocks east of the barns and runs from Bloor Subway line north on Bathurst.
Get detailed public transit information at www.ttc.ca
Green P parking lots. There are several Green P parking lots in the area.
Find Green P parking lot locations close to 601 Christie St at www.greenp.com/find-parking