WHAT'S NEW @ LIGHTHOUSE BOOKS: No. 1 -- The Old Man and the Sea

Welcome to our new series -- What's New @ Lighthouse Books. We'll share some of the exciting volumes that have arrived at the books store. This time we're featuring a beautiful copy of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea (1952). It's a first edition and it comes in a slipcover.

We hope you'll come by and visit us and take a look at other volumes newly arrived as well. Look for our series on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Share each episode with your friends. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you'll know when we publish new episodes.

In case you're just discovered us, we're a family-run book shop specializing books of a scholarly nature, particularly Florida history, Americana, and military history. We also have a broad range of general antiquarian books, used and secondhand books, as well as a small collection of prints and maps. 

For decades, we were located in St. Petersburg. Now we're Dade City, just a little bit north of Tampa in Pasco County. We're at the corner of Church Avenue and 5th Street: 14046 5th Street, Dade City, FL 33525.

You can learn more about us at oldfloridabookstore.com. 

Theme Song: You're The Cream in My Coffee (1929), Ben Selvin and his Orchestra.

RARE BOOK MOMENT 2.0 – No. 2: The value of amateur book collectors

 

Many great collections were started by amateurs who had a curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. That’s Michael Slicker’s message in this second episode of Rare Book Moment 2.0. The second part of that message is that if the subject interests you, if you’re curious about it, you should pursue it with vigor and enthusiasm. Don’t be timid. Your arcane interest could be the next big field of study. Please leave comments below. Rare Book Moment is available on YouTube and Facebook.

Murder & Mystery Sale: Find a whodunit at Lighthouse Books and then find out whodunit

Some of the best crime writers in the business are gracing our shelves (and our floors). We have a plethora of finely written mysteries in excellent condition and we just wanted to share.

That’s why we’re having our Murder & Mystery Sale at such terrific prices (just $4 for most copies; a little more for some signed copies that would be first-rate additions to any crime fiction fan’s collection.)

You can see from the video just what an excellent collection we have. Most are Florida-based writers (we like that), though not all have Florida settings for what they write. No matter. They’re still fun reads. Here's a partial list: Randy Wayne White, Patricia Cornwell, John Sandford, Michael Connelly, Robert B. Parker, James Patterson, Stuart Woods, J.D. Robb, Carl Hiaasen, Jack Higgins, Sue Grafton, James W. Hall, Lee Child.

So come in soon and find out whodunit.

We had a marvelous time at OE Book Fair

We were delighted to participate in the OE Book Fair at Oxford Exchange in Tampa on Sunday, May 7, 2017. We had our own little room for displaying a sampling of what Lighthouse Books, ABAA is all about. We were pleased to introduce the store to some visitors who where unaware of us.

Rare book appraiser Michael Slicker has owned Lighthouse Books, ABAA in St. Petersburg, Florida, for 40 years. Lighthouse Books, ABAA specializes in antiquarian books, serving St. Petersburg, Tampa, the Tampa Bay area and all of Florida. In addition to rare books, out-of-print books, used books, antique maps, vintage prints, and antique photographs, Lighthouse Books, ABAA also offers expert appraisals of antiquarian books, maps, prints, photographs, and ephemera.

Here's what's on sale for February during our huge yearlong 40th anniversary celebration

We're celebrating 40 years of Lighthouse Books, ABAA during all of 2017 with special sales each month. Here's Michael Slicker, proprietor of Lighthouse Books, ABAA, to tell about the sale in February. All literary books and books on books less than $100 are 40% off. All literary books and books on books $100 or more are 20% off. Sales must be made on the premises and paid in full at the time of purchase.

Watch for more videos during the year to hear about all of our sales. To be sure you receive notice of our sales please email us at lighthousebooksabaa@gmail.com and request to be put on our email list.

Antiques, rare books, and cake! Oh, my!

We’ll be in Jacksonville this weekend for one of our favorite shows of the year — the Pilot Club of Jacksonville Antiques Show & Sale at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds Expo Center. We’ve done this show for many years and we’re always delighted to return. The show runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Florida history and Southern writers are well received at this show, so we’ve got plenty of selections as well as leather-bound books, antique books, and beautiful antique maps. We have a huge selection of maps in our map room, which is also our children’s library and our Civil War library. (Our regular visitors know exactly what we’re talking about.) Anyway, if you love antique maps (as we do) you owe it to yourself to come in and see our collection.

One thing patrons of the Pilot Club show always anticipate is the delicious desserts offered every year. It’s a side attraction to the antique furnishings, paintings, and, of course, antique books and maps, but sometimes you’d think it was the main attraction. We’ve seen otherwise reasonable antiquers come through the doors and make a beeline for the dessert table before looking at anything else. Oh, well! Life’s short! Eat dessert first.

German chocolate cake is always a favorite and we’ve no reason to believe that this year will be any different.

We’re always delighted to be working with Karyl DeSousa, the antiques show manager,  and Gail Pender, the dealer manager. The Pilot Club of Jacksonville is a volunteer service organization of professional businesswomen. The show supports the group’s charitable activities, helping the community.

The Pilot Club of Jacksonville was founded in 1921. The name was inspired by the riverboat pilots of the day “who represented leadership and guidance, staying on a steady course.” After 90 years, looks like the Pilot Club has lived up to that inspiration.

See you at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair

It's the weekend we've been anticipating for a long time. We'll be at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. More than 100 dealers from around the country will be available with collectible books, ephemera, vintage photographs, prints, out-of-prints books, rare books, and more. The Book Fair opens Friday evening at 5 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m. On Saturday, we'll be there from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m until 4 p.m. We hope you'll come out and see us at the Book Fair.

Rare Book Moment: Guides to old Florida

Here's the latest edition of Rare Book Moment. Tourists have been visiting the Sunshine State for a long time and almost since the beginning there have been guide books. Mike discusses a few of them.

Rare Book Moment: What determines value?

No. 7: Michael Slicker discusses some of the factors that go into determining a book's value. Michael Slicker's Rare Book Moment is recorded at Lighthouse Books, ABAA in St. Petersburg, Florida. Music by Jack Payne: Back to Those Happy Days