International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB)

ILAB International Bookseller Directory

ILAB International Rare Book Fairs 2023/2024

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 38 countries worldwide belong to the ILAB community.

ILAB Congresses, Symposia & Presidents' Meetings

Bookseller Education & Mentoring

ILAB Bookseller Catalogues

"Rare book dealers aren't intimidating at all, but the most collegial and welcoming people you'd ever meet."

29 Nov 2023

Antje Papenburg-Frey from Germany was awarded the 2023 ILAB scholarship to attend the York Antiquarian Book Seminar. Read her report about an…

ILAB admitted to European Commission working group on “Dialogue with the Art Market”

13 Nov 2023

The European Commission has accepted ILAB's candidacy to become a member of the newly created working group on “Dialogue with the art market”, a…

All ILAB booksellers are invited to next ILAB Networking Talk - 21 Nov 2023

02 Nov 2023

Join ILAB for the next ILAB Mentoring Programme networking session which is open to ALL booksellers: We welcome Daša Pahor and Alexander Johnson from…

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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.