International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB)

ILAB International Bookseller Directory

ILAB International Rare Book Fairs 2023

ILAB Member Associations Worldwide

ILAB – The global federation of 22 national antiquarian booksellers associations, established in 1947. Over 1600 individual rare book businesses based in 37 countries worldwide belong to the ILAB community.

ILAB Congresses, Symposia & Presidents' Meetings

Bookseller Education & Mentoring

ILAB Bookseller Catalogues

"Gutenberg is to blame for everything!"

22 May 2023

The Stuttgart Rare Book Fair returns after the pandemic from 16 – 18 June 2023 as a guest in the city of Ludwigsburg and publishes a chronicle of…

Recording now live: IFLA/ILAB Webinar - What happens when a book is lost?

19 May 2023

On 11 May 2023, the International Federation of Library Associations, IFLA, invited ILAB to present the recently launched ILAB Missing Books Register…

The London fair FIRSTS returns to the Saatchi Gallery

17 May 2023

The London rare book fair FIRSTS returns to its original date and welcomes bibliophiles from around the world from 18 - 21st May

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History of ILAB

In 1947 representatives from five countries, Denmark, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Sweden, met in Amsterdam to discuss the formation of an International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), with the aim of establishing new hope for international peace through open markets, to foster friendship and understanding, and to counteract the animosity and suspicion engendered by World War II. ILAB was formally incorporated in Copenhagen in September 1948.