Our Story
Urban Antiquaria is an antiquarian book and ephemera business founded in 2008 and operating out of Saint Paul, Minnesota. For over sixteen years, we have helped collectors, institutions, and curious readers find rare and remarkable printed materials, from finely bound volumes to the fragile, forgotten paper that history leaves behind.
Our Approach
Every item in our inventory has been personally acquired, authenticated, cataloged, and described to a high bibliographic standard. We believe that every item, whether a book, a broadside, a handbill, or a photograph, deserves to be understood as fully as it can be: its edition, its provenance, its condition, its place in the larger story of printing and culture.
About the Owner
Owner, Valerie Urban, has a long background in the book trade, starting in 1996 with Dorothy Sloan Rare Books in Austin, Texas and Los Angeles, continuing her auction experience with Pacific Book Auction Galleries in San Francisco, and wrapping up her apprenticeship at Rulon-Miller Books in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She was Director of the Twin Cities Antiquarian Book Fair from 2010 to 2017, a Member-at-Large of the Board of the MWABA, and a volunteer for The Book Club of Texas, The Book Club of California, and as assistant newsletter editor of Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies.