Brian Lake – New President of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Associaton (ABA)

Congratulations! At the Annual General Meeting in York last Wednesday Brian Lake of Jarndyce Books (London) was elected new President and Michael Graves-Johnston (known universally as Oscar) was elected Vice President.

Brian became Vice President to President Laurence Worms two years ago. He has managed the London International Antiquarian Book Fair at Olympia for two years and edited the ABA’s Newsletter for six years – both posts from which he will be standing down later this summer. He is an ex-Chairman of the other UK trade association, the PBFA.

During his presidency Brian intends to build on the reforms and improvements that have taken place under Laurence Worms and to increase the practical cooperation with other like-minded associations within the UK and around the world for the good of ABA members and the book trade as a whole.

Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers was established in 1969 and is a partnership between husband and wife Brian Lake and Janet Nassau, based at 46, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, opposite the British Museum, in a 1730s Georgian house. The firm specialises in 18th and 19th century books, with an emphasis on English Literature and Social Science. It has just published its 200th catalogue and has a worldwide reputation for Charles Dickens.

Michael Graves-Johnston trades under his own name from South London. Since its foundation in 1978, Michael Graves-Johnston Antiquarian Books has established itself as a leading authority on rare and antiquarian books, manuscripts and photographs relating to Africa, the Pacific, and tribal and ancient civilizations.

The new ABA Committee:

President - Brian Lake (Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers)

Vice President - Michael Graves-Johnston (Michael Graves-Johnston)

Treasurer - Rob Shepherd (Sangorski & Sutcliffe)

Immediate Past President - Laurence Worms (Ash Rare Books)


Council

Justin Croft (Justin Croft Antiquarian Books Ltd)

Tony Fothergill (Ken Spelman Booksellers)

Barbara Grigor-Taylor (Cavendish Rare Books)

Pom Harrington (Peter Harrington)

Steve Liddle (Steve Liddle)

Angus O’Neill (Omega Bookshop)

Janette Ray (Janette Ray Rare and Out of Print Booksellers)

Christopher Saunders (Christopher Saunders Books)

Roger Treglown (Roger J. Treglown)

Graham York (Graham York Rare Books)

Founded in 1906 and the oldest organisation of its kind in the world, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association (ABA) is the senior trade body for dealers in antiquarian and rare books, manuscripts and allied materials in the British Isles. Its membership also extends to many of the leading booksellers overseas.

The ABA is a founding member of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). ABA member Percy H. Muir, who later became ILAB Life President of Honour, was chairman of the Preliminary Conference of the League held in Amsterdam in 1947.

>>> For more information please visit the official website: www.aba.org.uk