Fabulous Book Fair UQ Alumni 2024

*Well-read well-loved old books © image Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2024*

My favourite date on the Brisbane booklovers calendar: The University of Queensland Alumni Book Fair 2024 with so much to see, do and read.

Friday 3 May 9:00am thru to Monday 6 May 3:00pm 2024
This year they have even added a special dining event, favourite foods of iconic writers for lunch and dinner—see below or click forthcoming Alumni Events.

Coming soon: More than 110,000 books, magazines, vinyl records, DVDs and other pre-loved literary goodies will be available at this year’s UQ Alumni Book Fair, from as little as $1, to help raise funds for UQ student scholarships and research. Free events location at UQ Centre, St Lucia campus.

Artwork illustrator Tomislav Tomic https://tomislavtomic.com/

“Gifts of friendship: rare books and manuscript treasures in the Fryer Library“
Friday 3 May 2024 6:00pm–7:00pm Alumni event. Hear from Simon Farley, Fryer Librarian, about a selection of treasures held in the Fryer Library including beautiful, rare books and the manuscript papers of great Australian writers including David Malouf, Peter Carey, Thea Astley, and Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Location: UQ St Lucia campus.

Dine like a literary icon – ‘Patina at Alumni Court‘
Monday 29 April 2024 11:00am to Friday 3 May 2024 9:00pm. An Alumni event to mark the 2024 UQ Alumni Book Fair (3–6 May) and they’re celebrating with the favourite foods of iconic writers, Ernest Hemingway and Emily Dickinson.
Available for lunch Monday 29 April and Tuesday 30 April. Available for lunch and dinner from Wednesday 1st to Friday 3rd May 2024. Visit University of Queensland website https://alumni.uq.edu.au/uq-alumni-book-fair

Throughout, there will be diverse music from Mozart to the music of 2024, and a family fun day with free story time sessions, face painting and craft. Those dates again—

Friday 3 May: 9am–9pm
Saturday 4 May: 9am–5pm
Sunday 5 May: 9am–5pm
Monday 6 May: 9am–3pm

Remember the location:
UQ Centre, Union Road, UQ St Lucia Campus

Getting here:
Casual parking is available under the UQ Centre. Paid parking applies between Monday–Friday, 7am–9pm. Parking is FREE on weekends and public holidays. More information about parking at UQ.

St Lucia campus is conveniently accessible by car, BCC buses, ferries and CityCat. I have travelled by all four options with no difficulty. Of course, my heavily laden book haul slowed me down a bit on the return journey.
More information about public transport options.

Please note: You can donate books to UQ throughout the year. Also this information has been retrieved from UQ website so I accept no responsibility for changes to dates, times or information but in my experience events run smoothly. I’ve had some great finds!

Happy reading ❤ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

*Everyone around Australia will read this picture book together! Contact your local library to find out details!*

The Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize – Open Now!

Bibliophiles and books rejoice in a heritage-listed building in the heart of Brisbane CBD. Archives Fine Books is the largest second-hand and antiquarian bookstore in Queensland, a book mine where a bit of fossicking reveals literary gold. Read their suggested online resources, browse their extensive categories, it is like an Aladdin’s cave of amazing volumes but so much better in person. Now they are adding an Australian first.

Before I begin, let me tell you a tale. When I originally discovered Archives Fine Books, the old floorboards were uneven and creaked, books were crammed on shelving which ran into the gloom and rose to the roof like canyons of dark wood. Dull lightbulbs showed thousands of dusty spines and the air felt heavy with—what? Knowledge, books jostling, words waiting? A beam of light spearing through a grimy windowpane. A flash of something around the corner.

I must visit again to see what has changed, if anything has changed. It was the kind of atmosphere where I felt I was not alone. I felt other people around me but nobody was there. I also had to buy something. As I walked through a myriad categories soaring high above my buzzing head, I acknowledged the need to stop and inspect a particular section. A book drew my gaze and I prised it out, knowing I would buy it. Why? Not sure, not sure to this very day, but I knew that book wanted me and I wanted it. It was purchased, slid into a paper bag, the cash register yielded my change and I swiftly exited down the stone steps to the street.

Several forays followed but soon e-books impinged my reading time. Fast forward to 2023 and I have come to my senses. I am planning to revisit, older and creakier like the floorboards of 40 Charlotte Street. I am sure a book is waiting for me. I can hear the pages rustling.

Meanwhile, have you heard of their unique book collection prize?
Read on—

The Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize:
https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/fine-book-collecting-prize.php

WRITE AN ESSAY | CREATE A BIBLIOGRAPHY | SHARE YOUR WISH LIST

The Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize is an occasional prize with a combined value of over $1,000 awarded for an outstanding book collection conceived of and built by a young Australian collector. The purpose of the Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize is to unearth and celebrate current book collecting passions and practices among young Australians so that every young and curious collector can play their part in invigorating existing traditions whilst they develop knowledge and build expertise.

Why a prize?

The first national book collecting prize has a combined value of more than $1,000 and includes:

A domestic return air-fare to EITHER the Melbourne Rare Books Fair (July 2024) OR The Sydney Rare Book Fair (October 2024);

A $250 voucher to spend at the Fair;

A $250 Archives Fine Books Voucher;

A one-year subscription to the Bibliographic Society of Australia and New Zealand (BSANZ);

A two-year membership with The Book Collectors’ Society of Australia (BCSA).

Why young people?

This year Archives Fine Books (Queensland) has expanded the geographical scope of their prize to be open to ALL young Australian collectors.

The impulse to celebrate young Australian collectors emerges from Archives Fine Books desire to see the whole book collecting scene in Australia grow and be invigorated. They know book collecting is usually a solitary pastime. By establishing the national prize, they hope to introduce young collectors to the existing community for inspiration and information.

Originally launched as a local prize in 2020 the inaugural
Archives Fine Book Collecting Prize was awarded to

Ms Emily Porter of Bray Park, Brisbane for her essay
‘A Horse Lover’s Library’
https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/pages/news/5/a-horse-lovers-library
and
Mr Timothy Roberts ran a close second with his essay
‘Love, Leather and Literature: building a collection of LGBT text resources’
https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/pages/news/7/leather-love-and-literature-building-a

Archives Fine Books
40 Charlotte Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Phone +61 (07) 3221 0491
https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/fine-book-collecting-prize.php

To the best of their knowledge this in the first and only Australian Book Collecting Prize. They are seeking those curious young Australians who are already hunting and uncovering things they sense may have something interesting or new to tell us about ourselves and our world; and who, by their collecting foci, are preserving books and ephemeral items into the future.

Note: Entry deadline is 31^st December 2023 and the prize-winning collection will be announced in March 2024.

Visit: https://www.archivesfinebooks.com.au/fine-book-collecting-prize.php for suggested online resources.
Please read their Terms and Conditions of entry.
Information on how to apply contact Dawn Albinger

I wish I were of the age where I could enter this type of prize, but I think I am a little bit too eclectic now.
📚 Happy cataloguing!

❤ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Book Fair Extravaganza Coming Soon!

Baxter boxes full of beautiful books © Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2019

Heads up… Brisbane’s longest-running Book Fair is coming soon! The UQ Alumni Book Fair will be spread over four glorious days in April/May 2022 with heaps more than text books.

This annual fundraiser is a much awaited event for Brisbane booklovers. Based at the University of Queensland, St Lucia campus, there is something for every reader and collector.

I’ll be going with a BIG carry bag!

The Book Fair is organised by volunteers who harness their love of books and generously donate their time to help raise funds to support researchers, educators and residential scholarships for UQ students.

Come along to the Book Fair for a huge range of—-

Pre-loved books of every genre for every age group
Magazines
Sheet music
DVDs
Videos
CDs
Vinyl records
Occasional photographs, print or piece of memorabilia
Special Family Day for young readers
The Rare Book auction is biennial and next event is 2023
Register now White Gloves talk on rare Australian books at UQ Fryer Library.

The magic of bookshelves © Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2021

Latest news—-https://alumni.uq.edu.au/uq-alumni-book-fair
Please note—-Due to COVID-19 restrictions, attendees are asked to register on the UQ website here for further details.

Donating books—-The Book Bunker is available for donations at UQ’s Long Pocket Campus, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane.

Below are thoughts and photos from three of my previous visits 😀

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Rare Book Auction and Alumni Book Fair PART ONE

Rare Book Auction and Alumni Book Fair PART TWO

Rare Book Auction and Alumni Book Fair PART THREE

Rare Book Auction and Alumni Book Fair PART THREE

On your marks, get set, go…

On your marks, get set…

The University of Queensland Alumni Book Fair 2019 at St Lucia, Brisbane, had been in full swing for a couple of days before I arrived on the third day. One more day to go with no sign of running out of keen customers or brilliant book bargains.

The Exhibition Hall is huge!

The whole area was filled with tables covered in books of every shape, size, colour and genre. I couldn’t name every section without going cross-eyed but there were technical books, reference books, fiction, non-fiction, and fun stuff like mixed media (including old vinyl records) and cool kids books.

I could say romance novels jostled for position with items such as travel guides and political biographies but everything was grouped in an orderly manner, well marked and easy to access. I was surprised to see numerous large old dictionaries for sale, however, the eclectic poetry section caught my eye. Ooh, Bruce Dawe.

Total absorption

The whole area was spacious, clean and civilised. I expected a few gasps or cries of joy when The One, that perfect addition to a series or a special edition was found and held aloft. But no, basically the customers had their own agendas and moved calmly from book table to book table with carry bags, totally absorbed. By my estimation, I think you could expect to spend about two hours scanning and sifting through the books, more if you wanted to read pages here and there.

A corner of the UQ Alumni Book Fair 2019

Stacks of boxes

In the first photo (above) in the distance you can see a stack of book boxes, then in the second photo you see the book boxes up close. That opened box was about head-height and a volunteer told me those boxes had stretched along the walls, and every day they were emptied. Volunteers in purple t-shirts worked tirelessly the whole time I was there, unpacking, shelving, answering queries, and working at the payment points.

Afternoon tea

In the adjacent cafeteria (delicious homemade strawberry cake) I displayed some of the haul. You will spy a small red book in the left-hand photo which I have opened in the right-hand photo. The dust-jacket is missing and the previous owner had not liked naughty boy Pierre and scribbled on him in pencil but I love it. After a bit of searching, I found out this little Maurice Sendak volume is one of four, a Nutshell Library boxed set published in 1962 by HarperCollins.

Time to go

On display in the foyer of the Exhibition Hall were enlarged travel images and I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the duck and ducklings. Overall, the synchronicity of UQ Alumni Friends, Members and volunteers created an exceptional event.

Walking back to the bus stop, weighed down with my treasure, the water bubbling through the pipes of this fountain made a relaxing sound so I stopped to admire it.

As I stood there, I thought about the massive amount of books on every subject imaginable which showed how far we have come, and how much of value we have left behind.

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

IMG_20190330_123537

My previous posts:

Part One
https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2019/04/28/rare-book-auction-and-alumni-book-fair/
Part Two
https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2019/05/05/rare-book-auction-and-uq-alumni-book-fair-part-two/

Rare Book Auction and Alumni Book Fair PART TWO

What a blast!

On arrival, drinks and nibbles were a nice surprise after travelling by bus along winding streets to UQ Alumni Rare Book Auction. From then onward it was non-stop action from 6pm until 9pm in Fryer Library.

Twilight sky

Beforehand, I walked not the ‘hallowed halls’ but the beautiful arched sandstone walkways of the Great Court to the Fryer Library entrance. I caught the lift to the fourth floor where several people were mingling in the foyer beside the bidding registration table. On receiving Number 30, I hoped it was a lucky number.

Lucky number 30

I wandered in to the library, strolled through all the assembled black chairs, and entered the book viewing area. Lighting was subdued but it was easy to see the fascinating array of old books waiting patiently for my frenzied bidding. Not quite frenzied; but to jump ahead, I did offer a bid for a beautiful book, at least I think it is, which started and finished at the same amount, i.e. nobody out-bid me. Shame really because Smith, A. Croxton ‘Tail-Waggers’ Country Life, London, 1935, 147 pp has superbly rendered B&W mounted etchings by Malcolm Nicholson.

Lights, camera, action

After ascertaining if I could take photos, permission granted, I ended up being so entranced by the bidding that I didn’t take many shots. The introductions, welcome and Acknowledgement of Country were conducted (first by university librarian Caroline Williams originally from Nottingham UK) and at 6.45pm, auctioneer Jonathan Blocksidge stood behind the lectern. Game on!

Quickly, keep up

The bidding was fast and Mr Blocksidge kept the pace up, the heat on and the bids rising. There seemed to be some pretty serious collectors and possibly agents in the audience and at times the bids rose in increments so rapidly it was hard to keep track.

The highest bidder

There were absentee bidders and Lot 27 rose above the reserve price. As the night progressed – 146 lots were listed – bidding ‘wars’ occurred, particularly between two people behind me. The jousting for Lot 62, first edition of ‘Human Action: A Treatise on Economics’ made the audience applaud in appreciation. Same for Lot 66 ‘The Natural History of Man’ and Lot 86 James Cook’s ‘A Voyage Towards the South Pole’ which later culminated in Lot 105 Charles Kingsford-Smith’s personally signed copy of ‘Story of Southern Cross’ going for a huge amount.

Regrettably, the star of the show and expected highlight of the evening Lot 146 Gauss (de Brunswick) book ‘Recherches Arithmetiques’ did not meet the hefty reserve price.

Until tomorrow

The UQ team of staff and volunteers worked tirelessly throughout the evening, quiet yet ready to assist, and I think they did an excellent job. In fact, I have been reliably informed that all of the auction organisers I had contact with are UQ Alumni Friends, Members and volunteers. They were supported by the Fryer Library team (led by Manager, Simon Farley) who organised the chairs, allowed use of the library space, and provided the hospitality pre-event. A success well deserved!

I purchased and collected my precious old book of ‘Tail-Waggers’ and headed out into the cool, calm night.

Stick around for Part Three coming soon, my adventure with books, books and more books. Or better still, visit the UQ Alumni Book Fair yourself!

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Check out my previous post Part One
https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2019/04/28/rare-book-auction-and-alumni-book-fair/
and my final post Part Three
https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2019/05/08/rare-book-auction-and-uq-alumni-book-fair-part-three/

Rare Book Auction and Alumni Book Fair PART ONE

So excited, I’ve never been to a rare book auction. In fact, I have never been to an auction. It’s not something which cropped up in my everyday life and I must admit from what I’ve seen on television, it can get pretty fast and furious.

There’s always the horror of twitching an eyebrow and accidentally bidding for a hugely expensive volume of poetry, the only book of its kind in the world, which has to stay in a glass case. Well, not exactly, but you get the idea.

MY COMMENTARY INTERSPERSED WITH IMAGES

The University of Queensland Alumni Book Fair and Rare Book Auction will be held at St Lucia Campus, Brisbane, over four days on the weekend of Friday 3 May to Monday 6 May 2019 – Monday being Labour Day holiday in Queensland – see UQ website for various times.

HOW DID I FIND OUT ABOUT THIS RARE BOOK AUCTION?

Last month, I attended a talk at University of Queensland’s Long Pocket Campus, home of the University of Queensland Press, or UQP as it is fondly known, the oldest independent publishing house in Australia with an illustrious stable of authors. I browsed some of the newly published books on offer, grabbed a coffee and sat with other attendees to absorb an informative talk from the Publishing Director, right down to choosing bookcovers.

We broke for a tasty lunch then listened to the ins-and-outs of publishing publicity, Selling The Brand. Another world really but invaluable knowledge for a writer. Our group participated in a Q&A quiz about books and authors. I threw up my hand and answered correctly, winning myself a new novel ‘The Geography of Friendship’ by Sally Piper which I will read and review.

DOWN A HILL AND UP A HILL . . .

Afterwards, we all trooped outside, down a hill and up a hill through the lush native gardens to where the Archives live. Amongst the thousands of new and used books donated every year, there are rare and valuable tomes, well-kept considering their age. On the shelving, behold every genre, every topic, every format imaginable. And nearly every item in the Junior Section held nostalgia for me. It is here I learned about the UQ Alumni Rare Book Auction 6pm on Friday 3 May 2019.

Photographed in the archives at University of Queensland, this magazine and many rare books will be auctioned in Fryer Library on Friday 3 May 2019 at 6pm.

BROWSE AND BUY – TAKE A TROLLEY – BOOK VOLUNTEERS WELCOME

I will have to leave you hanging, dear reader, because I will write Part Two when I’ve actually been to the Rare Book Auction in Fryer Library which itself is full of literary treasures. See you there?

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Here is MORE tantalising information:
http://books.alumnifriendsuq.com/rare-book-auction/
and http://books.alumnifriendsuq.com/charles-kingsford-smith-at-the-the-uq-alumni-book-fair-and-rare-book-auction/

Plus BONUS extras so you can jump ahead:
Part Two https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2019/05/05/rare-book-auction-and-uq-alumni-book-fair-part-two/
Part Three https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2019/05/08/rare-book-auction-and-uq-alumni-book-fair-part-three/

IMG_20190330_123537