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Books about China took educated Europe by storm in the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest significant works is Dell'historia della China by Juan González de Mendoza, published in 1586. The Jesuit contribution to European understanding of China is impossible to over estimate ...

and now organises the Melbourne Rare Book Week.

In 2012 the ILAB affiliates will travel to Lucerne and Zurich on the occasion of the 40th ILAB Congress and 24th International Antiquarian Book Fair from 22nd to 30th September. Time to remember some of the joyful and noteworthy moments in the history of the League which took place in Switzerland. The 5th ILAB Congress was held in Geneva in 1952. It was the first Congress without William S. Kundig, ILAB's first president. Percy H. Muir and André Poursin were elected Presidents of Honour, Menno Hertzberger was made Father of the League. With George Blaizot as the new ILAB President a younger generation came up to determine ILAB's future. Besides all this, there was someone who played a prominent role during the farewell speeches: a mouse.

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.

Eric Tonen and Peter Everaers - two antiquarian booksellers, one trading in Belgium and the other in The Netherlands - decided an international boundary lying between them wasn't going to stop them participating in ILAB's celebration of UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day. Meet them at Bibliotheek Permeke in Antwerp on 23 April 2015!

"The 23rd of April is a symbolic date for world literature. It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. In this regard, UNESCO created the World Book and Copyright Day….