More than 50 rare book dealers from as far as London and New York are converging on the Ticket Concourse at Los Angeles Union Station on October 3 and 4, and this year the fair is baring its fangs. Rare Books LA is marking the 50th anniversary of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire with a dedicated vampire-memorabilia exhibit, a first edition of the novel itself, and even the author's own black Chinese wedding dress on display.
The event returns to Los Angeles Union Station on October 3-4, 2026, according to rarebooksla.com, filling the historic Ticket Concourse at 800 N. Alameda Street with first editions and other historical material from dealers across the country and abroad. As NBC Los Angeles reported, the anniversary puts Rice's gothic classic squarely in the celebratory spotlight this year.
The fair is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, per the same rarebooksla.com listing. More than 50 exhibitors and vendors will bring vintage books to the concourse, filling the space with an array of literary material spanning genres well beyond horror.
Vampire Relics Take Center Stage
A special exhibit of vampire-related memorabilia will be on display throughout the weekend, rarebooksla.com notes, with vampire-related literary treasures pulled together specifically to mark the Rice anniversary. Among the highlights: an 1819 copy of The Vampyre, written by John William Polidori, according to finebooksmagazine.com. The same account notes that Anne Rice's authentic black Chinese wedding dress will also be part of the display.
A first edition of Interview with the Vampire will be featured as well, per rarebooksla.com. A special 50th anniversary edition of the novel, published by Alfred A. Knopf, will be available at the fair bundled with a fundraiser ticket benefiting the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, finebooksmagazine.com reports.
Christopher Rice Joins the Conversation
Christopher Rice, Anne Rice's son, will headline an afternoon panel discussion about her work and influence, according to rarebooksla.com. The Anne Rice events page lists the specific session as a conversation with Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn scheduled for Saturday, October 3, from noon to 1 p.m. at Rare Books LA, per annerice.com.
The Union Station appearance is not the only 50th anniversary gathering on the calendar this fall. The same annerice.com listing shows a separate event on October 31 at Loyola's Roussell Performance Hall in New Orleans, and a 50th Anniversary Edition event featuring Leigh Bardugo alongside Christopher Rice and Eric Shaw Quinn at Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena.
Blood Drive Ties Into the Weekend
Rare Books LA is partnering with the American Red Cross and the Mozaic at Union Station Apartments to host a blood drive on Friday, October 2, according to rarebooksla.com. Participants in the blood drive will receive free weekend admission to the book fair, the same listing notes.
Getting to Union Station won't require a car, though drivers have options too. Parking starts at $16 per day, including riding the Metro, per rarebooksla.com — a convenient nod to the transit hub setting for a fair built around the printed word, and this year, the undead.
