Head to Tail Books: Michele Wan's Creation

Head to Tail Books is run by Michele Wan, and will be exhibiting for the very first time this year, bringing a wide variety of rare books from miniature books to finely-bound books, and of course, books about dogs. Wan will be showcasing books and ephemera by women and people of color, and zines by Asian American creators that she is very excited about. A few other notable books she will be displaying include a graffiti sketchbook, a few artist’s books, and even a book with demonic Cabbage Patch Kid illustrations that caught her eye. Though she is new

to the bookselling field, her enthusiasm and passion for it show a real dedication and deep knowledge.

Wan has been working in the realm of rare books for a long time, having catalogued them as a librarian at the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library. She first became interested in old and rare books when she started attending library book sales. She became fascinated with the history of books, “. . . who owned it?” and began to really dive deep because “. . . they all carry such a history with them.” There is a joy she finds in looking closely at where a book has gone throughout its time, and she has found rare ones such as an Oscar Wilde book that was signed by Robert Ross. Wan graduated from the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS), and managed a fellowship program called the CABS Minnesota Diverse Voices Fellowship which provides mentorship and education for booksellers of color and from other marginalized backgrounds. Through this, she really “caught the bug” of bookselling, and decided to create Head to Tail Books, which she runs out of her home in Connecticut.

Outside of bookselling, Wan is also a certified animal behaviorist, as she studied psychology and animal behavior in school. She trains dogs as her other line of work, and this is part of the inspiration for the “Head to Tail” name; “. . . a nod to my love for dogs, and a reference to book anatomy.” Find out more about Head to Tail Books here.

Come see what Head to Tail Books has to offer at the Northampton Antiquarian Book, Ephemera, and Book Arts Fair on Friday, November 21st, 5 -8 pm and Saturday, the 22nd, 10am - 4pm in the Community Arts Trust at 33 Hawley Street. 

For advance tickets and fair information: click here