Thanks to the always-informative Jeremy at Philobiblos, I came across a well-written post at bookn3rd about women who sell antiquarian books.
There don’t seem to be many of us.
Why is that?
I’m not sure. I’ve been too busy trying to run my own business to stop and consider why most antiquarian booksellers are male. I don’t really consider the gender imbalance an impediment to my success in the business, but it is unusual. I read bookn3rd’s article and thought, “That is almost exactly the same as my own story.”
When I stop and reflect, though, there are a few of us female antiquarians in the trade. We may not have been in business for several generations like some booksellers, but we are entering the trade. I know because at least 30 of the 62 participants at last August’s Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar were female.
So, are successful female antiquarian booksellers a rarity? Speaking for myself only, the answer remains to be seen. 
I’ve added a link to bookn3rd’s blog on my sidebar as well as a link to the blogs of two other female booksellers: The Book Prowler and The Written Nerd.
Additionally, there are a few more bookish blogs written by women that I’ve had in my sidebar for a while. They are: BiblioHistoria, Fiction Addiction, Sarah’s Books, The Book Trout, and the indefatigable Bibliophile Bullpen. Check them out. They might give you some perspective about the variety of women in bookselling.
And just for fun, there’s always the Heldfond Book Gallery’s hilarious Bibliopulp Posters featuring women who are — ahem — passionate about antiquarian books. My favorites are Bibliobimbo and Tart of Tomes.
See you in the stacks!
Here in darkest Rand McNally, the Usual Gang at all the major book sales are overwhelmingly male, white, and grey-haired (if haired.)
Ha! Thanks for the laugh! That’s been my experience as well, but I still think there are more women entering the trade as booksellers than has been the case in the past.