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The 16th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography goes to Jon Gilbert for his groundbreaking work about the author of the James Bond novels: Ian Fleming. The Bibliography.

"For 2,000 years, from the time of Plato in 400 BC until the start of the modern era of empirical science in approximately 1600 AD, the culture of Western Europe was dominated by a single mode of expression: the symbol. The symbol was the universal medium for the approach to God, for the investigation of the natural world, for the interpretation of the Scriptures and for an understanding of and a guide to proper moral conduct. Towards the end of the period, enabled by the invention of printing by movable type, this obsession was translated into a vast literature of symbolism of which some eighty distinct species were identified by contemporary writers and theorists." The Renaissance symbolism refers to a time in which human thinking and the human view of the World changed radically. On the one hand Renaissance symbolism is one of the most interesting research fields for scholars. On the other hand it is one of the most fascinating fields of bibliophily at the very beginning of the history of printing.

The Harry Potter publishing phenomena is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Is it really 20 years already? Has an entire generation of Harry Potter fans grown up into adults who are more than half way through their twenties? According to its publisher Bloomsbury, the Harry Potter series is estimated to have been sold more than 450 million copies, in over 79 languages, worldwide in the ten years between 1997 and 2007.

The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest will be awarded in autumn 2010 with a ceremony and lectures in the Library of Congress. The prize, which is supported by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress) was established in 2005 ...

This ambitious project explores the history and output of the Giunti Press in Florence, covering the firm from its beginnings in 1497 to its end in 1625, and providing descriptions of each Giunti book published with extensive indication of the libraries holding copies of each edition. In doing so, it describes the literature and history of Florence in the late Renaissance as well as the development of the Italian language within this important period of time.

A visit today to one of the most threatened of all species – something in fact not so far encountered on my travels – a genuine suburban bookshop. Those of us who are themselves suburban will no doubt remember how many there used to be. To Twickenham – familiar enough terrain for me, my school was within walking distance of the famous rugby stadium. One of the school's most charming customs (now I bring it to mind, probably its only one) was that the older boys were allowed the afternoon off each year to go to the 'Varsity Match.