Celebrating Bibliographical Excellence: The 19th ILAB Breslauer Prize Ceremony in Berlin

The magnificent setting of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Unter den Linden, provided a fitting venue for the presentation of one of the international book world's most prestigious distinctions.

Awarded by the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers with the generous support of the B. H. Breslauer Foundation, the Prize has recognised outstanding contributions to bibliography and book history since 1965.

ILAB was pleased to welcome four members of the Prize Jury to Berlin: Daniel de Simone, Chair of the Jury, Justin Croft, Fabrizio Govi and Dr Bettina Wagner.
Daniel de Simone, Chair of the Jury, addressed the audience and reflected on the outstanding scholarship recognised by this year's competition.

My name is Daniel De Simone, a bookseller from Washington DC and I want to thank all you here in the auditorium for bearing witness to the winners of the 19th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography. I also want to thank the members of the Jury who evaluated the 117 submissions for this years prize and recognize them individually, Justin Croft bookseller from the United Kingdom, Fabrizio Govi, former Secretary of the Prize from Modena Italy, Bettina Wagner, Director of the Staatsbibliothek, Bamburg Germany. Devin Fitzgerald of UCLC in California and Yann Sordet of the Bibliothèque Mazarine, Paris France, were not able to attend today’s program and they deserve recognition as well.
Here we are in Berlin at the State Archive where the history of this great nation is stored and used by scholars from all over the world. I want to thank all the members of the Staff who have helped us this week and especially make mention of Carolin Hahn and Dr Achim Bonte.
We are certainly in the right place to make these awards today, because the State Archive is the home of the Breslauer Archive, which contains the history of this great bookselling family, beginning with Martin Breslauer, his wife Margarete and their son Bernard, who generous gift had funded this important prize since 2001. I think Martin and Bernard would be extremely proud to know that their love of bibliography and the antiquarian book trade was being celebrated here in their place of birth and that the recognition of the following dedicated bibliographers and book historians was being presented in their name.
I hope all of you have received a copy of the brochure describing this years prize as it contains important information about the origins of the Prize, the names of the Jurors, the methods they used to choose the winners, the list of winners and a short descriptions of their work, and a list of all 117 submissions that came from all over world.

Following Daniel De Simone's speech, the ceremony continued with the announcement of the First Prize of the 19th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography, awarded to French scholar Alain Riffaud for his monumental Catalogue Molière: 1660–1673. The work represents an outstanding contribution to the bibliography of Molière's plays and the history of seventeenth-century French printing and publishing.
Unfortunately, Alain Riffaud was unable to attend the ceremony in Berlin for personal reasons, and his achievement was therefore celebrated in his absence.

It was a particular pleasure, however, to welcome two of the prizewinners in person. Manuel Suárez Rivera, recipient of the Second Prize for his study of the library of the Royal University of Mexico, travelled from Mexico to Berlin to receive his award.

Also present was Fr Methodius (Stanislav) Voloshchenko, joint recipient of the Special Prize for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage for Apostolus Christinopolitanus, published in Kyiv in 2023. His presence was especially meaningful at a time when Ukraine's cultural heritage continues to face extraordinary threats.

The ceremony also included a special recognition of the Bulletin du Bibliophile and its outstanding contribution to bibliographical scholarship.
The recognition was presented by Kenneth Pfaehler, President of the Association Internationale de Bibliophilie, to editor of the journal, Rémi Jimenes.

The tribute acknowledged the longstanding importance of the Bulletin du Bibliophile as a publication dedicated to the study of books, collecting and bibliography, and its contribution to scholarly exchange across generations.

The ceremony brought together antiquarian booksellers, librarians, bibliographers and scholars from several countries, united by their shared commitment to the study and preservation of the written and printed record.

ILAB extends its warm congratulations to all the recipients of the 19th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography, its sincere thanks to the Jury for its dedication and expertise, and its gratitude to the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin for hosting this memorable occasion.

The Prize continues to demonstrate the vital role of bibliographical scholarship in deepening our understanding of books, their production, circulation and history.

For the complete list of prizewinners and further information about their award-winning publications, read our earlier announcement.