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.

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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

  • TO THE HONOURABLE THOMAS PENN AND RICHARD PENN ESQRS. TRUE & ABSOLUTE...

    Scull, Nicholas:

    Bookseller: William Reese Company - Americana

    TO THE HONOURABLE THOMAS PENN AND RICHARD PENN ESQRS. TRUE & ABSOLUTE PROPRIETARIES & GOVERNOURS OF THE PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA & COUNTIES OF NEW-CASTLE KENT & SUSSEX ON DELAWARE THIS MAP OF THE IMPROVED PART OF THE PROVINCE OF PENNSYLVANIA. IS HUMBLY DEDICATED BY NICHOLAS SCULL
    Philadelphia. 1759.. Engraved map on six sheets, joined as three. Sheet size: 3 sheets, each approximately 31 x 21 1/2 inches. Excellent condition,... More

    Buy from:

    Price: 185000.00 USD

  • Atlante novissimo illustrato ed accresciuto sulle osservazioni e scoperte...

    [ZATTA, Antonio]

    Bookseller: B & L Rootenberg Rare Books & Manuscripts

    Atlante novissimo illustrato ed accresciuto sulle osservazioni e scoperte fatte dai pi?lebri e pi?centi geografi MAGNIFICENT COMPLETE HAND-COLOURED WORLD ATLAS
    With elaborate double-page engraved frontispiece, hand painted floral paste-downs, hand-painted maps. Calf with blue edges and gilded spine and... More

    Buy from:

    Price: 90000.00 USD

  • Bible. Eaux-fortes originales de Marc CHAGALL. Complete in 2 volumes

    (Chagall, Marc: 1887-1985)

    Bookseller: Gemini Fine Books & Arts, Ltd.

    Bible. Eaux-fortes originales de Marc CHAGALL. Complete in 2 volumes
    Paris: Teriade Editeur, 1956, first Chagall edition, two volumes, number 246 of 275 exemplars (total edition 295), printed on Montval paper, signed... More

    Buy from:

    Price: 125000.00 USD

  • Discours Admirables, de la Nature des Eaux et Fonteines, tant naturelles...

    PALISSY, Bernard

    Bookseller: Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc.

    Discours Admirables, de la Nature des Eaux et Fonteines, tant naturelles qu'artificielles, des metaux, des sels & salines, des pierres, des terres, du feu & des emaux. Avec plusieurs autres excellens secrets des choses naturelles...Le Tout dress?ar Dialogues, lesquels sont introduits la theorique & la practique
    8 p.l., 361, [23] pp. Small 8vo, cont. flexible vellum, ties gone. Paris: Martin le Jeune, 1580. First edition, and a splendid pure copy in its... More

    Buy from:

    Price: 75000.00 USD

All ArticlesRare Books - Articles

  • Bibliographies - Printers' Devices

    Bibliographies - Printers' Devices

    Online: Printers' Devices Database - Marques d’impressors

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  • Harry Potter in Japan

    Harry Potter in Japan

    Harry Potter in Japan - A TV reporter of the Japan Probe visited the Tokyo International Antiquarian Book Fair, met rare book dealers, admired the young magician, rare scrolls and a 1.5 million dollar copy of Copernicus’ De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (Tokyo, Japan)

    ILAB booksellers on video

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  • Why First Editions

    Why First Editions

    A first edition is the first printing of a book. It's true that a first edition may have one or more printings and that a second edition will normally be noted only if there are actual changes, usually major, in the text. But for a collector, a first printing is the only true first edition.

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  • Vandérem et la bibliophilie nouvelle

    Vandérem et la bibliophilie nouvelle

    Le mérite de cet épisode emporté de l’histoire de la bibliophilie française revient tout entier à Fernand Vandérem. En 1922, Henri Leclerc, libraire-expert, propriétaire de la revue, lui en a confié la direction. Homme tout autre et venu d’un tout autre bord que Georges Vicaire, son prédécesseur, Vandérem n’est ni un érudit ni un bibliographe patenté. C’est un écrivain, romancier sans succès et chroniqueur littéraire apprécié, qui s’est taillé dans le petit monde spécialisé de la librairie ancienne la réputation d’un amateur fin et paradoxal. L’aplomb de ses oukases et la causticité de son esprit en ont fait une manière de personnage. À la tête du Bulletin, il va révéler et déployer tous les talents d’un incomparable animateur.

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  • A Secret Archive: On the Mexican Suitcase

    For seven decades the negatives – known as “The Mexican Suitcase” – were considered lost. The photographs document the duration of the Spanish war, beginning with David Seymour's pictures of marching Republican dignitaries in April 1936, three months before the conflict broke out, and ending with Robert Capa's portraits of Republican refugees in concentration camps in Southern France in March 1939. Dan Kaufman tells the story of “The Mexican Suitcase” and describes the photographs hidden in it for such a long time.

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  • Collecting Rare Books and First Editions - Overly (litho)graphic?

    Collecting Rare Books and First Editions - Overly (litho)graphic?

    Sometimes, as a bookseller, you come across something which you really can’t quite believe exists, and something that you will probably never see again.  This collecting tip by Simon Beattie is better than any steak and kidney pie.

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