International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB)

ILAB International Bookseller Directory

ILAB International Rare Book Fairs 2025/2026

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 39 countries worldwide belong to the ILAB community.

ILAB Congresses, Symposia & Presidents' Meetings

Bookseller Education & Mentoring

ILAB Bookseller Catalogues

From Illuminated Manuscripts to Avant-Garde and Modern Book Art: The Paris Salon du Livre Rare opens tomorrow

11 Jun 2025

The posters are all over town! Open from 13 to 15 June 2025, the Salon du Livre Rare & des Arts Graphiques will attract once again book lovers from…

La Trobe reading room State Library of Victoria

The 2025 ILAB Presidents Meeting in Melbourne – A Celebration of Rare Books Down Under

09 Jun 2025

This year's ILAB Presidents’ Meeting, the annual gathering of ILAB's member associations, takes the ILAB Committee and presidents of ILAB's national…

ILAB proudly supports the David Ruggles Prize - encouraging and supporting young book collectors of colour

03 Jun 2025

ILAB is delighted to announce a donation and its support of the David Ruggles Prize, an annual award established to encourage and support young book…

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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.