Once again, in conjunction with the Fine Press Book Association, the PBFA is organising the longest standing fine press fair in the world: the Oxford Fine Press Book Fair in Oxford, UK. The Fair will be held on 2nd and 3rd November Stand application forms will be sent out in the early part of 2013. Those who exhibited at the 2011 or 2009 fair will automatically receive an application form; others should email becky@pbfa.org to be placed on the list. Note that there are generally more applications than available spaces.
Admission
Admission is by catalogue at the door on the day. Valid both days, it includes admission to all of the lectures on the second day. Admission price, including catalogue and lectures, is £5 per person. Refreshments will be available.
Exhibitors
The exhibitors are expected to include private presses from the UK, the Americas, Russia, Asia, and continental Europe, as well as dealers in fine press books, suppliers of fine printing materials, and related societies. A full list of exhibitors will be published here closer to the event.
Judges' Choice Awards
Three judges will be given carte blanche to select four or five books, published since the last fair, that they think are especially worthy of attention according to the criteria that they choose, perhaps including innovation, value for money, use of unusual materials or format, originality, work of promise from a new press, printing excellence, quality of illustration, unusual subject, etc. An announcement of the chosen books will be made on the Sunday afternoon and the presses will receive certificates printed at Whittington Press. Submission of entries is not required: any book on display at the Fair will be eligible.
Oxford Guild of Printers Private Press Book Award
This new award will be for a letterpress-printed book costing £50 or less published since the last fair. The judges may care to consider aspects of design & typography, quality of printing, originality and interest of content but really whatever they think is a good private press book. The prize will be a cheque for £100. Arrangements for submission will be published closer to the day.
Lecture programme
There will be the ever-popular programme of four lectures on the Sunday. Details will be announced closer to the day.
Administration
Toby English, Fair Manager
10 St Mary's Street
Wallingford
OX10 0EL, UK
tel/fax +44 (0)1491 836 389
chris@tobyenglish.com
Opening times
The Fair will be open 11am to 6pm on Saturday 2nd November, and 10am to 5pm on Sunday 3rd November.
Location
The fair will be held at Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK. Click here for a simple map of the immediate locality. Click here for a map showing its position relative to Oxford centre.
Car parking is available a few minutes' walk from the Fair, at Headington Hill Hall: at the north end of Gipsy Lane, turn left at the traffic lights (towards Oxford centre on the Headington Road), and take the second right into Headington Hill Hall.
The exhibition is also conveniently reached from Thornhill Park & Ride, to the east of Oxford, at the intersection of the A420 and eastern Bypass. Take the 300 bus towards Oxford town centre and alight at the bus stop on Headington Road at the top of Gipsy Lane (10 minutes). The venue is two minutes' walk from the bus stop, down Gipsy Lane on the right hand side.
For buses (in particular from the railway and bus stations), check Oxford Bus and Stagecoach.
By train, Oxford is served by Thames Express, First Great Western, Wales & West, Virgin Trains, and Central Trains.
By coach, The Oxford Espress and The Oxford Tube leaves London from several points and stops at Gipsy Lane.
