77 years and counting: Amsterdam at the heart of ILAB & A day at the Rijksmuseum

After the devastation of the Second World War, the Dutch bookseller Menno Hertzberger, president of the Dutch Antiquarian Booksellers' Association - Nederlandsche Vereeniging van Antiquaren (NVvA) - approached his fellow booksellers in the Netherlands and abroad with a visionary idea: to discuss the formation of an international association for the rare book trade.
In 1947 booksellers from Denmark, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden met in Amsterdam to discuss the project, and a year later the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers was formally established. (READ MORE)

77 years later, our Dutch colleagues spared no effort in inviting colleagues from all over the world, organising a high quality programme of events and a first class networking opportunity that will be long remembered by all participants.

Our heartfelt thanks go to the organising team of the Dutch Antiquarian Booksellers Association: Arine van der Steur, Sascha Kok, Edwin and Liesbeth Bloemsaat and Laurens Hesselink.
We cannot mention the 2024 Congress without a note about the planned 2020 Congress in Amsterdam, which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. It was the initial proposal and hard work of Frank Rutten and the team at the time - Arine van der Steur, Sascha Kok, Ingrid Oei, Monja Burgers and Joanna Rozendaal - who brought the congress to Amsterdam and eventually made this year's congress possible.

Our sincere thanks go to all these colleagues who have spent countless hours meticulously planning this very special event.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Amsterdam was home to some of Europe's most renowned printers and publishers, such as the Elzevir family, whose name became synonymous with high-quality book production, or other publishers such as Blaeu or Janssonius, who specialised in maps, atlases and scientific works. Amsterdam's global trading networks enabled publishers to distribute their books widely, both within Europe and to colonies and trading posts around the world. The city became a major exporter of books in Latin, French, Dutch, English and other languages. The 17th century, often referred to as the Dutch Golden Age, was a period of great prosperity and cultural achievement in the Dutch Republic. Amsterdam flourished during this period, becoming a major centre for book production and maintaining its role as a leading city of art and culture.
The ILAB Congress was a wonderful opportunity to see some of these highlights and explore the city's heritage.

The first day of the congress took booksellers to one of the world's most famous museums, the Rijksmuseum.

Our congress participants were welcomed by Saskia Scheltjens, Head of Research Services, and Alex Alsemgeest, Curator of Library Collections at the Rijksmuseum, with a breakfast and a welcome address, follwed by a guided tour and presentation of a selection of highlights of the collection in the Cuypers Library.

In addition to the famous Dutch old masters everyone expects to see, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and others, the museum also houses one of the most important art libraries in the world and the iconic Cuypers Library hall. It is one of the architectural treasures of the museum, named after its architect Pierre Cuypers (1827 - 1921). The books and periodicals cover the full range of the museum's collections, with a particular focus on artists and recipe books - from an early 16th century 'Künstbuechlein' (1535) to manuscript recipe books from the 18th century.

When construction of the library began, the collection consisted of only 139 books, but the plan was to expand it to 50,000. A first-class museum should have a first-class library! The library opened in December 1888 with just a few thousand books, but by the 1930s it had filled all shelves. Today the collection consists of around half a million books, periodicals and auction catalogues.

If it hadn't been for our guides, we would never have known that the names of famous printers, publishers and also antiquarian booksellers are painted on the library's columns.

The pictures speak for themselves!

But the library was not the only highlight of the museum visit. ILAB even had the incredible pleasure of enjoying a live concert.
The Rijksmuseum, with the permission of curator Prof. Dr. Giovanni Paolo Di Stefano, offered two musicians the rare opportunity to perform on an original double-manual harpsichord made in Antwerp in 1640 by the renowned Ruckers family, and on a replica of a virginal (no longer playable) made by the same family in the same year. Both instruments are held in the Musical Instruments Collection and ILAB booksellers were able to listen not only to a concert on these harpsichords but also a fascinating lecture "From Paper to Sound - The Impact of printmaking on early keyboard decoration" by Prof. Di Stefano.

What better way to end a day at the museum than by tracing some bibliophile treasures in its art collection?
From a beaker that looks like a book bound in leather, to book collectors' portraits to a first edition of Sibylla Merian's "Metamorphosis", acquired very recently and taking a prominent place in the gallery for a large audience to enjoy.

And it wouldn't be a congress if booksellers wouldn't have time to relax and enjoy a wonderful dinner, appropriately that night at the famous restaurant "Rijks". Good night, Amsterdam.