20th Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair

Saturday morning I went on a short jaunt to The Crucible in Oakland to check out the Anarchist Book Fair. It's been a while since I've seen so many books, pamphlets & zines all in one place, & it felt positively retro to be surrounded by all that paper.

It was fun seeing the variety of formats & texts. One could pick up a pocket-sized copy of the Unabomber's Manifesto, Morrisey's Autobiography in the Penguin Classics edition or a set of academic works in attractive letterpress covers, whose contents the vendor did not hesitate to describe as "pirated."

There was a lot of graphic art for sale.

I liked discovering these brittle & sinister illustrations of famous anarchists by Flavio Costantini.

The event was well attended & got increasingly crowded. Many attendees brought their children, & there was even a special activity room for kids. Maybe I liked hanging around with the anarchists because they were all so earnest. I felt no cynicism, insincerity or irony, even from the 2 cheerful young women who tried to sell me a $15 pink taser.

§ 20th Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair
April 25, 2015, 10am - 6pm
The Crucible, Oakland