Los Angeles Fires Force Cancellation of California International Antiquarian Book Fair

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) has announced that the 57th California International Antiquarian Book Fair has been cancelled.

In a statement the ABAA said: "We are sharing the difficult news that the 2025 ABAA California Book Fair has officially been canceled. As of today, January 13, FEMA and the Red Cross have assumed responsibility for the operations of the Pasadena Convention Center for 30 days as an evacuation center for those displaced by the fires. All tickets purchased through Eventbrite will be refunded to the original payment method. We thank you for your understanding, and our hearts go out to all those affected by the disaster in Southern California."

As well as destroying the Pasadena Branch Library, the Theosophical Society buildings in Altadena near Pasadena have also been burned to the ground. Among them was the society’s archive and library, around 40,000 titles and 10,000 unpublished letters which amounted to the world’s largest collection of materials about the modern religious movement, among whose adherents was poet WB Yeats.  

Also lost to the flames is a huge collection of composer Arnold Schoenberg's musical manuscripts which have been housed by Belmont Music Publishers since 1965. In a statement from his son Larry Schoenberg, he confirmed that the company had lost its full inventory of sales and rental materials including some manuscripts, original scores and printed works. "For a company that focused exclusively on the works of Schoenberg, this loss represents not just a physical destruction of property but a profound cultural blow. We hope that in the near future we will be able to 'rise from the ashes' in a completely digital form.

The personal library of novelist and critic Gary Indiana who died last year which were in temporary storage in Altadena before becoming a library resource for an artists' residence have also been entirely destroyed.

Publishers Weekly has reported that various bookstores and publishers in the area remain closed including Octavia’s Bookshelf, Red Hen Press, Zibby's Bookshop, Unnamed Press, Rare Bird, and North Figueroa Bookshop.

A gofundme site has been set up to help rebuild fine press limited editions publisher The Melville Press run by book artist Catherine Kanner whose home has also been lost in the fires, in addition to nearly all her inventory.

Among other locations still at risk is the Thomas Mann House which has not been damaged by the fires so far, but continues to be in the danger zone.