Chattanooga Bookseller Billy S. Arant, Jr. To Be Featured At Florida Antiquarian Book Fair

Billy S. Arant, Jr., owner of Billy S. Arant, Jr. Bookseller in Chattanooga, will be among booksellers from all over the United States participating the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair on March 13-15, at The Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg. 

As part of the book fair’s theme of Modern Literature: the truth and beauty of fiction, Mr. Arant will feature a signed first edition of James Dickey’s 1970 novel Deliverance and a copy of the 1972 movie adaptation signed by Dickey and producer/director John Boorman.

He’ll also have a signed first edition of Pat Conroy’s 1976 novel The Great Santini. Another item will be a rare first edition of DuBose Heyward’s 1925 novel Porgy in a dust jacket, as well as a first printing of Heyward’s 1939 classic, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, also in a rare dust jacket. 

In his antiquarian collection, Mr. Arant has a 1817 first edition of The Life of Andrew Jackson by John Reid and John Henry Eaton with all the maps still intact. Arant specializes in southern Americana, Andrew Jackson, Charleston Renaissance, and modern fiction.

When he’s not dealing in the antiquarian book trade, Mr. Arant is a medical doctor specializing in treating hypertension and cholesterol disorders. He also has an extensive collection of knife rests from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. There are more than 400 pieces in the collection and they are made from myriad materials, including porcelain, glass, soft paste, and metal. 

The Florida Antiquarian Book Fair is the oldest and largest antiquarian book fair in the Southeast. By the number of dealers, the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair is the third largest in the country, behind the California Antiquarian Book Fair and the New York Antiquarian Book Fair. 

Visitors will find books of every age and about every conceivable topic, including not only modern fiction, 19th century fiction, and older books, but also Florida history and literature, travel and exploration, fine bindings, poetry, cooking, military history, world history, Americana, the classics, art books, religion, children's literature, and illustrated books.

Some dealers will feature maps, prints, post cards, ephemera, autographs, and other paper collectibles. A complete listing of the exhibitors and their specialties is available at the Florida Antiquarian Booksellers' website: floridabooksellers.com/Book_Fair_2.html 

New this year, the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair will be the closing chapter of the first annual SunLit Festival, a celebration of literature in the Sunshine State. The new SunLit Festival will feature various events highlighting literature, writing, reading, and the printing arts in the six days leading up to the book fair. More information is available at SunLit Festival on Facebook.]
The Florida Antiquarian Book Fair will offer free book evaluations by the Florida Bibliophile Society and souvenir caricatures by award-winning cartoonist Robb Smith Jr. 

Opening night at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair on Friday, March 13, is traditionally a festive occasion, with fairgoers eager to get a first look at great volumes and hidden treasures, and booksellers eager to greet old friends and new visitors. Some dealers (and even patrons) have been known to sport natty 1920s attire for the evening, a salute to the beautiful vintage venue where the book fair is staged. They’ll do it all against the backdrop of the melodious strains of popular jazz, pop and classical musician Anthony Castellano Jr., a fixture at clubs all over Tampa Bay.

The book fair is presented in The Coliseum, a restored 1920s music and dance hall that has been billed as the South’s finest ballroom. Featuring a 34-foot arched ceiling over a polished oak floor, it has hosted such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Rudy Vallee, Harry James, and Paul Whiteman, not to mention Cab Calloway, Guy Lombardo, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, and Louis Armstrong. It is located at 535 Fourth Avenue North, in downtown St. Petersburg.

The Florida Antiquarian Book Fair runs Friday, March 13, from 5:30 - 9 p.m.; Saturday, March 14th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, March 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Admission is $10 Friday, and is good for the entire weekend; Saturday's tickets are $6 per day or $10 for the weekend. Sunday's tickets are $6 for the day.  Admission is free for children twelve and under, as well as for students with valid identification. Parking is free for the show's duration. Tickets are available online at eventbrite.com

Ticket sales benefit the St. Petersburg Public Library.  The Florida Antiquarian Book Fair is sponsored by the Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association and co-sponsored by Bright House Networks and WUSF.