New Board Elected at ALAI, the Associazione Librai Antiquari d'Italia

Founded in 1947 as the Circolo dei Librai Antiquari by a small group of Milan-based booksellers, ALAI has grown steadily over the decades. Just a year after its founding, ALAI joined the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and remains an active participant in the global rare book community.
In 1971, it became the Associazione Librai Antiquari d’Italia, continuing its work to support ethical standards in the trade and to encourage collaboration with collectors, institutions, and libraries.
Today, it includes over 100 antiquarian bookselling firms from across Italy, offering collectors the opportunity to engage with knowledgeable and professional dealers in towns throughout the country.

The newly elected board is as follows:

President: Gabriele Maspero (3rd term)

Vice-President: Anna Franchini Baumann (3rd term)

Committee Members: Giorgio Bacchetta, Alessandro Borgato, Edoardo Chellini, Giovanni Valentino Vinci, Antonio Zanfrognini

Over the decades, ALAI has played a prominent role within the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), hosting four ILAB Congresses: in Milan (1953), Ravenna (1964), Venice (1986), which was held alongside the 11th International Antiquarian Book Fair, and the 39th ILAB Congress in Bologna (2010), paired with the 23rd International Antiquarian Book Fair. Additionally, ALAI hosted two ILAB Committee and Presidents’ Meetings, in Turin (1974) and Florence (1999).

In addition to its involvement in international congresses, ALAI has a long tradition of organizing antiquarian book fairs across Italy. Until 2017, the association held annual fairs in rotating cities, mainly in Milan in the spring and Bologna in the autumn. Since 2018, ALAI booksellers have been actively participating in three major fairs each year, typically hosted in Milan, Turin, or Venice.
Since 2023, ALAI organized along with FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano) the Milan Antiquarian Book Fair at Villa Necchi Campiglio. This villa is a masterpiece of rationalist architecture designed by architect Piero Portaluppi in the 1930s and is the ideal site for this event. Located in the heart of Milan, not far from Via Montenapoleone and the Duomo, it offers visitors a unique experience thanks to its timeless elegance and interiors rich in works of art and fine furnishings.

ALAI works closely with the main institutions responsible for safeguarding the national heritage (Ministry, Superintendencies and Carabinieri) and actively promotes knowledge of books through exhibitions, conferences, and round tables of a high academic level.

The association also publishes ALAI. Rivista di cultura del Libro, edited by Giovanni Biancardi, which features articles on book collecting, notable bibliophiles, and the history of publishing.

For more information and to find an ALAI bookseller, please have a look at the website >> HERE