ILAB Joins the Protest Against Amazon’s Bid to Control Top-Level Domain Names

Today, the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers has joined the numerous other organizations, such as the Authors Guild or the American Association of Publishers, objecting to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN’s) plan to sell top-level domains to private companies.  Online retail giant Amazon has bid to be the exclusive custodian of .book, .author and .read domains. Read more ...

Paris 2014 - 41st ILAB Congress

The ILAB and SLAM committees are very pleased to announce that the 41st ILAB Congress will run in Paris from the 13th to 16th April, 2014, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of SLAM. The Paris Congress will immediately follow the International Antiquarian Book Fair at the Grand Palais scheduled from 10th to 13th of April 2014. We hope that the very special  program that we have planned will attract numerous visitors to Paris and we are looking forward to meeting our new colleagues and welcoming old friends.

Anne Lamort, President SLAM, Tom Congalton, President ILAB

ILAB Patrons of Honour

ILAB is very proud to present Sir David Attenborough, Barry Humphries, René Fayt, Michael Knoche, Reiner Speck, Jay and Jean Kislak and Sid Lapidus as Patrons of Honour:

"Their commitment to the preservation of printed culture makes them our clients, our audience, and our inspiration, and very often all three. The paths that they have followed and the collections that they have formed are likely to have an extraordinary influence on the understanding of human culture for future generations."

16th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography

The 16th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography will be awarded in 2014 to one or more books about books published in any language and in any part of the world between 2009 and 2012. Publishers, librarians, collectors, antiquarian booksellers and all book lovers are very welcome to submit books to the prize until the end of April 2013 by sending a single copy to the Prize Secretary.

Support scholarship! Submit books to the most prestigious prize until April 2013!

The World’s Expert Antiquarian Booksellers - In 1 Book!

The new edition of the ILAB Directory contains all names, addresses and specialities of the ILAB dealers who are organized in 22 national associations and who are located in 32 countries all over the world. Have a look!

“Book collecting is and almost always has been a vibrant, exciting and engaging pastime"

"It’s our job to make others understand that.” An interview with ILAB President Tom Congalton about his career, his favourite books, Between the Covers, collecting, ILAB and the future of the trade. Read it!

ILAB Booksellers on Video

"A wonderful snapshot of the rich history of both the ABAA and the rare book trade" - ILAB is proud to present the video archive project by Michael Ginsberg and Taylor Bowie. Recently added: interviews with two amazing ladies: Marguerite Goldschmidt and Florence Shay.

"Out of the classroom and into the world" - ILAB Internships

ILAB has launched an internship program for young antiquarian book dealers. Alena Lavrenova, Anastasya Zhikhareva, and other young antiquarian booksellers from Russia, spent several weeks in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and the United States. Read their exciting reports and join our new Facebook Group!

The World's Best Booksellers Met in Switzerland

From 22 to 26 September the presidents of 22 national antiquarian booksellers' associations and rare book dealers from all over the world met for their 40th Congress in Lucerne. Besides the meetings and elections on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, they climbed high mountains and dark caves and visited Switzerland's most outstanding museums and private collections. Read the online diary!

Old and Rare Books. From ILAB: the one stop FREE App for all lovers of rare books

The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB)  has launched an ILAB Moile App which is now available in the Apple Store and the Android Market. Search for “ILAB rare books” or “International League of Antiquarian Booksellers” to find the free App ready to install on your phone.

GlossaryGlossary terms

CataloguesBook Catalogues

Book FairsRare Books - Next Fairs

  • Masterpiece London

    27 Jun 2013 - 03 Jul 2013

    Masterpiece London

    Masterpiece London, perfectly situated at the peak of the capital’s summer season, brings together exhibitors from across the world renowned for specialising in art, antiques and design of...

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  • ILAB - LILA

    40th Australian Antiquarian Book Fair (ANZAAB)

    26 Jul 2013 - 28 Jul 2013

    40th Australian Antiquarian Book Fair (ANZAAB)

    The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers is proud to present its 40th Australian Antiquarian Book Fair, to be held from Friday July 26 to Sunday July 28 in the...

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EventsRare Books - Next EventsRSS

BooksellersAntiquarian Booksellers

Rare Book Gallery

  • Astronomicon

    MANILIUS

    Bookseller: Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc.

    Astronomicon
    Roman letter, 72 leaves, 30 lines, five fine woodcut initials with a white interlaced branchwork design on a black ground. Guide letters for the... More

    Buy from:

    Price: 175000.00 USD

  • THE IOURNALL, OR DAYLY REGISTER, CONTAYNING A TRUE MANIFESTATION, AND...

    Neck, Jacob Cornelissoon van:

    Bookseller: William Reese Company - Americana

    THE IOURNALL, OR DAYLY REGISTER, CONTAYNING A TRUE MANIFESTATION, AND HISTORICALL DECLARATION OF THE VOYAGE, ACCOMPLISHED BY EIGHT SHIPPES OF AMSTERDAM, UNDER THE CONDUCT OF IACOB CORNELISZEN NECK ADMIRALL, & WYBRANDT VAN WARWICK VICE-ADMIRALL, WHICH
    London: [Simon Stafford and Felix Kingston] for Cuthbert Burby & John Flasket, 1601.. [1],58,[4] leaves. Woodcut vignette of sailing ship on... More

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    Price: 75000.00 USD

  • ITINERARIO, VOYAGE OFTE SCHIPVAERT...NAER OOST OFTE PORTUGAELS...

    Linschoten, Jan Huygen van:

    Bookseller: William Reese Company - Americana

    ITINERARIO, VOYAGE OFTE SCHIPVAERT...NAER OOST OFTE PORTUGAELS INDIEN....[bound with:] REYS-GHESCHRIFT VANDE NAVIGATIEN DER PORTUGALOYSERS IN ORIENTEN....[bound with:] BESCHRIJVINGE VANDE GANTSCHE CUSTE VAN GUINEA, MANICONGO, ANGOLA, MONOMOTAPA, ENDE TEGE
    Amsterdam: Cornelis Claesz, 1596 - 1595 - 1596.. Three parts bound in one volume (parts two and three bound in reverse order in this copy). Text in... More

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    Price: 275000.00 USD

  • William Congreve and the development of rocketry: unique archive of...

    Congreve, William

    Bookseller: Jeremy Norman's Historyofscience.com

    William Congreve and the development of rocketry: unique archive of manuscripts and books

    Congreve, William (1772-1828). Unique collection of materials by and relating to rocketry pioneer William Congreve, including the following (for... More


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    Price: 125000.00 USD

All ArticlesRare Books - Articles

  • Books on the Blues

    Blues seemed to be the most qualified subject: In the last decade or so, this musical form has started to enter the mainstream and more people are aware of it than ever before (by one count, blues has appeared in 60 different television commercials). Yet few realize that a decent size literature has accrued over the last century and that many of the books are quite collectible and intensely sought after ...

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  • Bibliographies - Turkey

    Online: Toderini, De la littérature des Turcs

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  • Bibliographies - Women Writers

    Online: Woman Literature in Germany 1700 - 1900 - A Celebration of Women Writers - Women Writers Database

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  • Rare Books in the Press - The Wall Street Journal About Bauman's Latest Catalogue "100 Great Books and Autographs"

    "There's hardcore porn and softcore porn, and then there's the Bauman Rare Books catalog, which lands on my doorstep several times a year. If your heart races at the contours of a first edition of 'The Great Gatsby', with the almost impossible to find dust jacket, or an autographed copy of Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," then the Bauman catalog is the equivalent of Playboy, Penthouse and maybe the New York Review of Books all rolled into one."

     

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  • Over-Pursuing: On Paying Too Much For Books

    Over-Pursuing: On Paying Too Much For Books

    It happens. You miscalculate scarcity or demand. Or a widow asks you, tears in her eyes, “Is that all?” A dealer charms you with a book’s virtues. Or assures you “The only one on the internet right now.” You get overexcited at an auction. Or you drool over some choice item at a book fair. Could be as simple as waiting too long to catalogue an acquisition. But no matter the cause, if you are a book dealer sooner or later: you will overpay for stock.

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  • Rudimentum Novitiorum Sells For $1,150,000 At California International Antiquarian Book Fair

    Rudimentum Novitiorum Sells For $1,150,000 At California International Antiquarian Book Fair

    A scarce copy of Rudimentum Novitiorum, the first printed history of the world, published in 1475, and the first printed book to feature maps, sold for $1,150,000 at the 45th California International Antiquarian Book Fair this past weekend in Pasadena, CA, as did "The World's Worst Copy of Gatsby," a first edition, first printing train wreck  with a significant remnant of the $175,000 dust jacket pasted within, for $500. Some thought it was worth twice that, a true silk purse stitched from a sow's ear.

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