International League of Antiquarian Booksellers

The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers ( [http://www.ilab.org ILAB] ) federates [http://www.ilab.org/organisation/nationalassociations.php 20 National Associations] of Antiquarian Booksellers. It speaks for 20 national associations, 30 countries, and nearly 2000 leading booksellers throughout the world. Its emblem stands for integrity and professionalism in the rare book trade. The League publishes and upholds a [http://www.ilab.org/organisation/codeofethics.php code of ethics] based on the wide experience of all its national associations.

The code is binding on all ILAB booksellers. It is a mark of the success of this code that disputes are rare. If disputes should arise, the national associations mediate in accordance with the code of ethics devised by the League. The League presides over the network that links the antiquarian booksellers of the world.

History of ILAB

The idea of forming an international organization of antiquarian booksellers that would beneficially link various national associations of antiquarian booksellers was originally conceived by the president of the Dutch Association, Menno Hertzberger. As a Jew, he had spent part of the Second World War hiding from the Nazis. To quote him: "Five long years (of war) had put up … barriers between nations. There was no communication. This enforced extra chauvinism - worse, hatred. Was there a possibility to do something about inter-human relationships, to bring nations more together? This was my dream. But how could it be realized? Only on common ground, on mutual interests. Therefore, for an antiquarian bookseller, by THE BOOK!"

Amor librorum nos unit

In 1947 representatives from five countries, Denmark, France, Great-Britain, Holland and Sweden, met in Amsterdam to discuss the formation of such an organization, with the aim of establishing new hope for international peace through open markets, to foster friendship and understanding, and to counteract the animosity and suspicion engendered by World War Two. The president of the British Association, Percy Muir, chaired the first conference and became a major role player in the evolution of the League. The ILAB was formally incorporated in Copenhagen in September 1948, with ten participating countries.

ILAB Today

Today, the League has as its members twenty national associations, representing some thirty countries and around 2,000 individual bookselling firms.

The League is a non-profit organisation, with its legal location in Geneva, and its main object is the co-ordination of all efforts and projects relating to the development and growth of the trade of antiquarian bookselling, thereby creating friendly relations between antiquarian booksellers throughout the world. It also strives to uphold and improve professional standards in the trade, to promote honourable conduct in business, and to contribute in various ways to a broader appreciation of culture as well as the history and art of the book.

Its web site [http://www.ilab.org www.ilab.org] contains a wealth of information for every person interested in books, manuscripts, autographs and prints. From its full search of the ILAB database of material for sale to the interesting articles on booksellers and countries of ILAB to the definition of terms and news events, there is sure to be something of interest. Each country of the League has its unique and personalized web site, all of which are brought together under the umbrella of ILAB.

The ILAB code of ethics

The League publishes, and upholds, a code of practice [ [http://www.ilab.org/organisation/codeofethics.php Antiquarian Books :: ILAB-LILA :: International League of Antiquarian Booksellers ] ] based on the wide experience of all its member nations. ILAB affiliated booksellers are expected to follow this code. The display of the ILAB logo, and those of national associations, pledges:

* the authenticity of all material offered for sale
* the expert and proper description of all such material
* the disclosure of all significant defects or restorations
* the accurate and professional pricing of all material
* the clear marking of all prices
* and the utmost care in the conduct of appraisals or valuations.

The ILAB Prize for Bibliography

The ILAB Prize for Bibliography [ [http://www.ilab.org/services/news.php?id=47 Antiquarian Books :: ILAB-LILA :: International League of Antiquarian Booksellers ] ] was founded in the early days of the League and Georges Deny (of Brussels) was appointed as its first Secretary. He laid down the ground rules and supervised the first and second Awards. He was succeeded by Frieder Kocher-Benzing (of Stuttgart) who was the longest serving Secretary presiding over the third to eleventh Awards. At this point Konrad Meuschel (of Bad Honnef) who had already served for six years as a juror took over as Secretary and guided the jurors through the process of the twelfth and thirteenth Awards. In 2002 Raymond Kilgarriff was appointed Secretary for the fourteenth Award which was presented in 2006. As of 2007, the new Chair of the Prize Committee is Mitsuo Nitta (of Japan). The 15th Prize will be awarded in 2010 to one or more bibliographies published between 2005 and 2008.

The Prize is awarded every fourth year to the author(s) of the most original and outstanding published work in the broad field of bibliography worldwide. Any aspect of bibliography (e.g. enumerative, textual, history of the book, design, binding, book trade, etc.) is admitted. On the other hand, certain categories are not eligible, notably catalogues of books (or exhibitions of books) intended for sale, and catalogues of public libraries. It follows also that translations are not likely to be preferred. Apart from the Prize, the jurors may at their discretion award Honourable Mentions to other deserving entries.

The purpose of the prize is to draw attention to the best academic work being done in the field, to reward and honour it in appropriate terms, and to publicise the League's support for the original scholarship on which the book trade so much depends.

The panel of judges (or jurors) consists of three professional scholars or librarians and three antiquarian booksellers. All are eminent and experienced for it is on their standing and judgement that the reputation of the Prize itself depends. They represent the widest possible range of nationalities so that the panel is qualified to adjudicate on books in various languages and on all aspects of the field.

ILAB Congresses and International Book Fairs

An international congress is held every two years in a different country at the invitation of the national association, together with an International Antiquarian Book Fair. Both activities are open to all ILAB affiliated antiquarian booksellers.

The Congress is meant to encourage relaxed networking in a friendly atmosphere and programs of book-related and social activities.

The International Book Fair attracts a wide range of ILAB affiliated book dealers from all over the world. And as such, these fairs offer a most extraordinary selection of books, autographs, manuscripts, maps and prints covering the history of ideas.

In 2008, the 38th Congress [ [http://www.ilabmadrid2008.com/index_ingles.php Congreso ILAB 2008 ] ] of the ILAB took place in Madrid, as well as the 22nd International Bookfair [ [http://www.ilabmadrid2008.com/index_ingles.php Congreso ILAB 2008 ] ] .

Italy will organize the 39th Congress and the 23rd International Bookfair in 2010.

ILAB also sponsors leading international book fairs organised by the national associations. These provide members the opportunity to exhibit for sale books, prints and manuscripts of the highest quality.

National Leagues

Australia and New Zealand

The Australian & New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB), formed in 1977, is the professional body which represents the members of the antiquarian book business in Australia and New Zealand. It aims to promote the standing, welfare, and growth of the local antiquarian book business. It seeks to encourage the observance of courtesies and honourable practices traditionally associated with the trade between its members, and to discourage practices capable of bringing disrepute to antiquarian bookselling. In particular, the ANZAAB seeks to encourage its members to achieve high standards of accuracy in descriptions of materials offered for sale. Booksellers who have, for a certain number of years, been engaged full-time in the buying and selling of old or secondhand books of some worth or consequence, and who are recognised for their expertise and good name, can become members.

Austria

The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of Austria, formed in 1949, includes those Austrian antiquarian booksellers who exclusively or primarily buy and sell antiquarian books, magazines, prints, autograph letters or music.

Belgium

La Chambre Professionelle Belge de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (CLAM)/Belgische Beroepskamer van Antiquaren (BBA), founded in 1946, has 40 members from Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, LiËge, Louvain, Mechelen and Namur and foreign associated members from France and the United States. Members are specialized in buying and selling precious books, prints, autographs, ancient and modern manuscripts.

Canada

Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Canada (ABAC)/Association de la Librairie Ancienne du Canada (ALAC) is the premier organization of professional antiquarian booksellers in Canada. The ABAC was founded in 1966 with the goal of fostering interest in rare books and manuscripts and maintaining high standards in the antiquarian book trade. ABAC booksellers offer a wide variety of antiquarian and rare material which they are qualified to describe, authenticate, and guarantee. They also provide guidance to individuals and institutions eager to build special collections and libraries, and provide appraisals of manuscripts, antique maps and prints, and rare books for estate, tax, insurance, or sale purposes.ABAC also sponsors book fairs and co-operative exhibits, continually promotes the technological advancement of the book trade, and supports the publication of materials relevant to the trade.

Denmark

Den Danske Antikvarboghandlerforening (ABF), founded in 1920, is the oldest league of antiquarian booksellers in Scandinavia as well as one of the oldest of its kind in the world. The purpose of the association has always been to standardize the descriptions of books, preserve and develop the trade and thereby the general recognition of it, represent the trade as an assembled unity in public and official contexts, making requirements for the members in order to raise the standard and generally uphold the trade.

France

Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (SLAM), created in 1914, includes about 225 book, autograph and print dealers, whose knowledge and professionalism are vouched for by strict admission rules. Consequently, they are experts in their fields, and are devoted to the transmission of knowledge and to the preservation of culture. The activities of SLAM are equally directed towards the promotion of the book trade and the knowledge of the book.

Great Britain

Founded in 1906 and the oldest organisation of its kind in the world, the Antiquarian Booksellers Association (ABA) is the senior trade body in the British Isles for dealers in antiquarian and rare books, manuscripts and allied materials. Its membership also extends to many leading booksellers overseas. Run by a professional secretariat under the overall control of a democratically elected President and Council, the Association is the book trade’s professional and regulatory body. Its ethos is one both of high professional standards and the provision of continually expanding support and services for its members.

Italy

Founded in 1947 as "Circolo dei Librai Antiquari" and renamed as Associazione Librai Antiquari d'Italia in 1971, ALAI is the national antiquarian book association of Italy. It is a founding member of the ILAB, having joined it in 1948, during the first Congress in Copenhagen. It includes 120 antiquarian booksellers selected on the base of their professionalism and prestige.

Japan

The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of Japan (ABAJ) was established in November 1964 by ten major antiquarian booksellers from Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Japan was experiencing an unprecedented economic growth at the time and Japanese collectors, scholars, and curators were avidly selling and purchasing rare material domestically and internationally.The ABAJ was founded with the aim of developing the Japanese antiquarian book trade to meet an increasingly global age

Korea

The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of Korea (ABAK) was founded in 1989 and joined ILAB in 1990 during the Tokyo Congress, thus becoming its 18th member.

Netherlands

Nederlandsche Vereeniging van Antiquaren (NVvA) was founded in 1935 with the object of promoting reliability in the trade of old books and prints. Members of the association are reliable and expert advisers concerning questions of insurance or inheritance, can represent would-be purchasers at auctions in their own country or abroad, and can also be of assistance in tracing books or prints considered difficult to find. Some members have a special search service, by means of which the would-be purchaser gains access to stocks spread all over the world.

witzerland

Vereinigung der Buchantiquare und Kupferstichhändler in derSchweiz (VEBUKU)/Syndicat de la librairie ancienne et du commerce de l'estampe en Suisse (SLACES), founded in 1939, unites people dealing in old and modern prints and drawings, old and rare books, periodicals, manuscripts and autographs. Its aim is to protect and encourage a fair trade based on the experience and cultural responsibility of its members.

United States

The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), founded in 1949 deals in rare books, autographs, historical documents, prints, and maps, and its members have provided guidance in building the world's foremost private and institutional collections. In addition to sales and guidance, many members offer appraisals. The association created the Elisabeth Woodburn Fund in honor of a past president of the association which periodically offers scholarships to members and non-members to further their education in the trade.

Bibliography - Reference Books

Kaye, Barbara (Mrs. Percy Muir). SECOND IMPRESSION, RURAL LIFE WITHA RARE BOOKMAN. New Castle, Delaware & London, England: Oak Knoll Press &Werner Shaw, (1995) [ [http://www.oakknoll.com/detail.php?d_booknr=41945 Kaye, Barbara (Mrs. Percy Muir); Second Impression, Rural Life With A Rare Bookman ] ]

Mandelbrote, Giles (Editor). OUT OF PRINT AND INTO PROFIT. A Historyof the Rare & Secondhand Book Trade in Britain in the 20th Century. NewCastle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press & The British Library, 2006 [ [http://www.oakknoll.com/detail.php?d_booknr=90786 Mandelbrote, Giles (Editor); OUT OF PRINT AND INTO PROFIT ] ]

Muir, Barbara. FORMATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE OF ANTIQUARIANBOOKSELLERS.|THE. Los Angeles: Antiquarian Booksellers' Association ofAmerica, 1996 [ [http://www.abaa.org/books/abaa/abaapages/history History Essay - ABAA Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America ] ]

Hertzberger, Menno (editor). DICTIONARY FOR THE ANTIQUARIANBOOKTRADE IN FRENCH, ENGLISH, GERMAN, SWEDISH, DANISH, ITALIAN, SPANISH ANDDUTCH. Paris: International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, 1956

Franco, Edgar. DICTIONARY OF TERMS & EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY USED INTHE ANTIQUARIAN BOOKTRADE IN FRENCH, ENGLISH, GERMAN AND ITALIAN. N.P.:ILAB, 1994

Muir, Percy. MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS. London: Chatto & Windus, 1956 [ [http://www.oakknoll.com/detail.php?d_booknr=2853 Oak Knoll Books & Oak Knoll Press ] ]

Gerits, Anton. BOOKS, FRIENDS, AND BIBLIOPHILIA, REMINISCENCES OF ANANTIQUARIAN BOOKSELLER. New Castle: Oak Knoll Press, 2004 [ [http://www.ioba.org/newsletter/archive/7(2)/reference3.php IOBA Standard IOBA Standard: Volume 7(2) Article ] ]

Links

International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) http://www.ilab.org

National booksellers associations:

Australia - The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB) http://www.anzaab.com

Austria - Verband der Antiquare Öesterreichs http://www.antiquare.at

Belgium - Chambre Professionelle Belge de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (CLAM)/Belgische Beroepskamer van Antiquaren (BBA) http://www.clam-bba.be

Brazil - Associação Brasileira de Livreiros Antiquarios

Canada - Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Canada (ABAC)/Association de la Librairie Ancienne du Canada (ALAC) http://www.abac.org

Czech Republic - Svaz Antikváru CR

Denmark - Den Danske Antikvarboghandlerforening (ABF) http://www.antikvar.dk

Finland - Suomen Antikvariaattiyhdistys/Finska Antikvariatföreningen

France - Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (SLAM) http://www.slam-livre.fr

Germany - Verband Deutscher Antiquare e.V. (VDA) http://www.antiquare.de

Great Britain - Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA) http://www.aba.org.uk

Italy - Associazione Librai Antiquari d'Italia (ALAI) http://www.alai.it

Japan - Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Japan (ABAJ) http://www.abaj.gr.jp

Korea - The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Korea http://www.koreasa.co.kr

Netherlands - Nederlandsche Vereeniging van Antiquaren (NVvA) http://www.nvva.nl

Norway - Norsk Antikvarbokhandlerforening http://www.antikvariat.no

Spain - Adscriptio Iberica Librariae Antiquariorum (AILA)

Sweden - Svenska Antikvariatföreningen http://www.svaf.se

Switzerland - Vereinigung der Buchantiquare und Kupferstichhändler in der Schweiz (VEBUKU)/Syndicat de la librairie ancienne et du commerce de l'estampe en Suisse (SLACES) http://www.vebuku.ch

United States Of America - Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) http://www.abaa.org

References