Taylor Kirkpatrick is a storied bookworm.

The Denver-based businessman is an esteemed bibliophile, a book collector and a literacy philanthropist who considers the annual Rocky Mountain Book & Paper Fair a top-shelf local literary event.

“It’s a cultural gem for our community,” Kirkpatrick said.

The 41st annual Rocky Mountain Book & Paper Fair will open Friday Aug. 15 and continue Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, Castle Rock. 

“This fair pulls people out of the woodwork,” said Kirkpatrick, the president and CEO of Babson Farms who holds numerous leadership roles in local and national literary realms. The past president of the Denver Public Library Commission, he currently serves on the board of the Denver Art Museum and also the Smithsonian Libraries & Archives — the world’s largest museum library system. He chairs the board of the Grabhorn Institute/Arion Press in San Francisco, the nation’s leading publisher of letterpress and artist books. And he’s an active member of two prominent bibliophilic societies: the Grolier Club in New York City and the Caxton Club in Chicago.

Kirkpatrick emphasized the fair’s abundant and varied availability of books and ephemera offered by about 50 scholarly exhibitors from more than a dozen states across the nation. Whether interests run to bestsellers or rare books, elegantly illustrated and lavishly bound books or musty obscure reference volumes, this fair offers special titles and tomes.

“It’s hard to find the level of specificity the fair provides because bookstores tend to be generalists, but the folks at the fair are specialists,” Kirkpatrick said.

Brainy booksellers eager to share knowledge

Denver native Dan Danbom is something of a walking encyclopedia when it comes to used books. He has participated in the book fair for the past 18 years and referred to the happening as “an immense bookstore, but it’s only open for two days.”

Together with business partners John Frantzen and Chris Harned, Danbom co-owns Printed Page Bookshop, 1416 S. Broadway St. in Denver, celebrating its 16th anniversary this month. Other Denver booksellers participating in the fair include The Hermitage, Unusual Books as well as West Side Books. TJ’s Music Box will offer vintage sheet music. Using a vintage printing press, the Englewood Printing Depot will crank out complimentary custom bookmarks for attendees. The Guild of Bookworkers will also participate. And about two dozen local and regional authors will be on hand to sign books and discuss their work.

Carol Mobley, the show’s coordinator for the past seven years, owns The Ephemera Catalog. She deals in old Valentines and Christmas cards, concert tickets, baseball cards, letters, documents, chocolatier advertisements, photographs, posters and other paper ephemera — some materials predating the Revolutionary War.

“Ephemera is something created to be used and discarded but instead was saved,” said Mobley. Her late husband, William Frost Mobley, founded the Ephemera Society of America, which identifies as “a fellowship of collectors, scholars, researchers, archivists and dealers.”

The fair formerly held at the Denver Merchandise Mart moved to Castle Rock three years ago.

“The venue is really excellent, a nice, big, open, airy space so we’re not crammed in,” Mobley said. “There’s plenty of free parking. We’ll have food vendors, a coffee cart and two daily door prize drawings.”

“It’s a special experience,” Danbom said. “People think of the book fairs at schools that were to help raise money, but for anyone remotely interested in books, to be able to talk to experts and see things you never will see again all in one spot is a lot of fun.”

The fair is hosted by the Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association. Danbom, one of about 46 members of the organization, underscores that “antiquarian” does not mean “antique.”

“People often think old books are valuable, and of course some are extremely valuable, but most old books are just old,” he said. “‘Antiquarian’ means ‘collectible.’”

And “collectible” has a range of meanings. Danbom said collectors hunt different literary quarry — for example first editions or books signed by authors or books with bookplates by famous artists such as Rockwell Kent or M.C. Escher.

Kirkpatrick by the book: a literacy leader in Denver and beyond

Kirkpatrick sets his book collector’s eye on what he calls his “desiderata,” a word meaning “things that are desired.” Kirkpatrick’s eclectic wish list reflects his well-read and well-rounded nature. He tends to prefer closed collections — as they’re known in the trade — with a finite number of books versus impossible to complete open collections.

“Among book nerds, I’m known for my nifty collection of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald — not just their books, but also their correspondence and unpublished manuscripts,” said Kirkpatrick. “I’ve always been a collector of things and like turning chaos into order.”

Kirkpatrick collects Aesop fables and owns more than 200 variants, both recently published and dating back to the 1500s. He collects children’s books and also authored one titled “Worthwhile,” which he independently published in 2002.

The children’s book “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” mesmerized Kirkpatrick as a boy and set him on his bibliophile’s path. As a kid, when his buddies were clamoring for Star Wars action figures, Kirkpatrick wanted a bookcase headboard.

Kirkpatrick Prize annually offers $1,000 to Colorado book collector under 30

In 2021, he established the Kirkpatrick Speaker Series to host literary luminaries who speak across the nation on the future of the printed page in the digital age.

Also in 2021, Kirkpatrick established the annual Kirkpatrick Prize — a $1,000 award to a Colorado-based book collector under age 30. This year’s winner, Rose A. McCandless, described her collection as “Books About Books: The History of Books and Libraries from the Middle Ages to the Present.”

“The submission requirement is a bibliography, a collection statement, photos and their wish list to round out their collection.,” Kirkpatrick said.

“My paltry sum of a thousand dollars of support would not make a big different for an established, mature collector, but for a young person a thousand bucks can be transformative. It’s a good catalyst,” said Kirkpatrick, who also donated the not-so-paltry sum of $500,000 in 2023 to the University of Denver to support children’s literacy.

Book-lovers range in age and interests

The book fair attracts people of all ages with all sorts of curiosities.

“We see a lot of people interested in bindings or paper, the art and the dust jackets, or people interested in specific authors — Stephen King fans or people who want every book written by William Faulkner or all the Nancy Drew books,” Danbom said. “A guy comes every year looking for books on tennis. Some people are narrowly focused and want books on carriages or swans.”

Book fair, a 14th-century tradition, can bind modern community.

The first book fair was held in Frankfurt, Germany, as early as 1478. In today’s digital age, book fairs continue to attract people who are like-minded if only in their appreciation of printed materials.

“The book fair transcends the thing of the day making you sad, the geopolitical pressures,” said Kirkpatrick, “and this event promotes an established community and can ultimately bring community back.”

Denver is a cerebral city

Denver has long enjoyed a reputation as a well-educated, literary city, and the tradition continues.

“We get people from all over country who come to Denver and make our store and others must-see locales. We get people from Casper, Wyoming, where there is no bookstore, and people from places in Nebraska. There are book deserts,” Danbom said.

“Printed Page has grown every year,” he added. “We’re very happy with the used book market in Denver.”

How to make the most of a book fair

Richard Chant owns Abacus Books in Longmont and has exhibited and shopped at book fairs across the United States and the United Kingdom. Chant emphasized that book collecting doesn’t need to be expensive and encourages book fair attendees to ask questions.

“A simple ‘Can you tell me a little more about this book?’ will start a conversation. No question is too simple. Booksellers are generally a friendly bunch who are happy to share their knowledge or expertise,” said Chant.

Chant suggested the following tips:

• “Before the fair starts, take a few minutes to look through the program available at check-in. It will contain a list of the dealers and often state their specialties, which is helpful if you’re looking for particular items. The floorplan will show where the dealers are located.”

• “As you’re strolling the fair, use the brochure to make note of items and booth numbers where you’ve seen something that interests you.”

• “There are lot of books and other items that can be hard to see properly from the aisles. Make sure to walk into booths to look more closely.”

• “Pace yourself. Take a few minutes to sit occasionally.”

• “Make another circuit. This time, reverse your route. You’ll see things you missed on your first look.”

• “Let dealers know of your interests. They may contact you later if they acquire things you may want.”