Bibliophemera

I recently acquired a box of ephemera related to books and booksellers--mostly catalogs and mostly addressed to either Lucille Rasmussen, W.E.H. Rasmussen, or both. More on them in a moment. Apart from the bulk of nondescript, stapled sheets of cheap paper passing as catalogs of books for sale, are a handful of interesting pieces, such as this one from Kitemaug Press in Spartanburg, South Carolina--their Handlist of Miniature Books in Print . A folded 6 X 7-inch paper becomes a printed brochure or prospectus or bibliography. It's actually a bit of all three with a promotional card inside for their 1982 offering,  A Book of Many Things . The Kitemaug Press was started by Frank J. Anderson during his tenure as librarian at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where his papers are archived. As the biographical note from the preceding link states, Anderson developed an interest in printing, publishing, and miniature books while serving as librarian at Wofford C...

This bookmark was created for the 1955 Book Fair, or Feria del Libro, in Puerto Rico. Just shy of five inches in length, it's made of plastic and the print announces the date and place of the fair: Allen Esq.,San Jose-San Juan. The book fair ran for nearly a week that year--October 21-27 San Jose refers to Plaza de San Jose, one of several plazas in San Juan, which I believe is an old section of San Juan still popular with the arts community. Libreria Campos was a San Juan publisher and bookseller for whom I can find publications dating from the 1930s to 1950s. They must have either sponsored or hosted the 1955 fair. Their history before and after the date range above is unknown to me. "Allen Esq" offers a clue to the history of the fair also, but I can't, as yet, connect it to anything specific. So, for now, this little bookmark is the only relic I can find online of that book fair nearly 60 years ago in San Juan, Puerto Rico.