Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Canada / Association de la Librairie Ancienne du Canada
Established in 1966, the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Canada (ABAC) or Association de la Librairie Ancienne du Canada (ALAC) became an ILAB member in 1970. Liam McGahern serves as current president of the ABAC which unites 65 Canadian booksellers today.
The ABAC is the premier organization of professional antiquarian booksellers in Canada who provide books in all collecting areas, and for all tastes. It was founded with the aim of fostering interest in rare books and manuscripts and maintaining high standards in the antiquarian book trade. To further these objectives the ABAC sponsors book fairs and endeavours to stimulate interest in book collecting by private collectors and public institutions. In 2005, the ABAC welcomed the ILAB Presidents to their annual meeting in Montréal.
Membership is open to antiquarian booksellers of good character and reputation who have been actively and solely engaged for at least three continuous years in the buying and selling of antiquarian books, and whose principal place of business is Canada. Applicants have to provide four recommendations from members in good standing who vouch for the applicant's expertise and integrity.
ABAC booksellers offer a broad variety of antiquarian and rare material which they are qualified to describe, authenticate and guarantee. They have one or more fields of expertise. This expertise is partially demonstrated through scholarship, bibliographic descriptions, collations, catalogues, lists, quotes and appraisals. An ABAC bookseller must also have a good reference library of bibliographies and standard reference works. ABAC firms are qualified to provide appraisals of manuscripts, antique maps and prints, and antiquarian and rare books, for estate, tax, insurance or sale purposes. It should be noted that evaluating books and manuscripts is a professional service for which a fee is charged, depending on the quantity and value of the items appraised and the time and specialized knowledge required. The ABAC Mission & Ethics Statement
President
Michael Park
Term of office
2 years
Committee
Michael Park, President
Jason Dickson, Acting Secretary
Robert Wright, Director-at-Large
Marvin Post, Director-at-Large
Stpehen Fowler, Director-at-Large
Dan Mozersky, Toronto Chapter Representative
Wesley Begg, Part President
Members Emeriti
Jerry G. Sherlock
Annual Meeting
October/November
Book Fair
The annual ABAC International Antiquarian Book Fair takes place at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
More information
>>> First Impressions. By Anne Lamort and Liam McGahern
>>> The Return of the Toronto International Antiquarian Book Fair, October 29-31, 2010
>>> “The desire to learn something new every day and an undying passion for antiquarian books” - Interview with Eric Waschke
>>> Climbing High – Eric Waschke, with his friend, Canadian book collector James MacCallum, and an ILAB flag at the summit of Uhuru Peak, Kilimanjaro
>>> ILAB on the Road – Eric Waschke about the rare book trade in South America
>>> Not Going for the Jugular - An interview with Helen Kahn, by Sheila Markham