St Bride Foundation to be the Official Charity of the London International Antiquarian Book Fair 2013

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA) is delighted to announce that the St Bride Foundation will be the official charity of the London International Antiquarian Book Fair which opens on Thursday June 13 and runs until Saturday June 15.

The St Bride Foundation was created in the 1890s originally as a social, educational and cultural centre and housed both a technical library and printing school providing tuition for local printers and students. The school eventually outgrew its premises and relocated, ultimately becoming part of what is now the London College of Communication. Much of the equipment remained on site and a new Printing Workshop re-opened in 2010 bringing the teaching of printing back to Fleet Street. The Foundation still provides the only library in the UK entirely devoted to the history of printing and allied crafts.

As Chief Executive Glyn Farrow explained: “We are delighted to have been asked by the Book Fair to be its official charity. We are looking forward to the 2013 fair where we will offer a variety of workshops and demonstrations by the skilled crafts people who still work with us today. We hope that this association will generate awareness of the Foundation and the wonderful facilities we have to offer. During the last year we have forged strong links with ABA and are now enjoying a really positive and supportive partnership.”

The London International Antiquarian Book Fair is the oldest antiquarian book fair in Europe. In its 56th year, it will be taking place in the National Exhibition Hall at Olympia, once again coinciding with the second weekend of the Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair, held in the Grand Hall next door. So far, 164 exhibitors from 20 countries have registered to exhibit at the Fair, among them 20 new exhibitors such as Antiquariato Librario Bado e Mart, Libreria Alberto Govi and Studio Montespecchio di Jan van der Donk from Italy, Antiquariat Burgverlag and Antiquariat Johann Anton Schantl from Austria, L'Intersigne Livres Anciens, Jean-Baptiste de Proyart, Librairie Ancienne Ormara, Eric Zink Livres Anciens from France, Antiquariaat Dik Ramkema from the Netherlands, and from the United States: Books Tell You Why, Productive Arts, Musinsky Rare Books and Schubertiade Music & Arts.

For more information please visit www.olympiabookfair.com.