The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA) is the senior trade body in the

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and

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for dealers in

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

and rare books, manuscripts and allied materials. The ABA organises a number of book fairs every year including its flagship fair held at

Olympia, London Olympia Events, formerly known as Olympia London and sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an exhibition centre, event space and conference centre in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, L ...

in May, which features exhibitors from all around the world, and the Chelsea Antiquarian Book Fair in November. Fairs are held in Edinburgh in March and Bristol in July in conjunction with the Provincial Book Fairs Association. The ABA sponsors the London Rare Books School, the York Antiquarian Book Seminar, and a series of seminars at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. The ABA Office is located on Bell Yard, off

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and next to the

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History

It was founded in 1906 and is the oldest organisation of its kind in the world. Its membership also extends to many leading booksellers overseas. The ABA is run by a professional secretariat under the overall control of an elected President and Council. Presidents originally served for one year, although the term increased to two years from the 1940s. The first President of the association was Henry N Stevens in 1907, who was followed by B. D. Maggs of London Booksellers Maggs Bros. Other notable past presidents include Robert Bowes of Bowes & Bowes (1914), Sir

Basil Blackwell Sir Basil Henry Blackwell (29 May 18899 April 1984) was an English bookseller. Biography Blackwell was born in Oxford, England. He was the son of Benjamin Henry Blackwell (18491924), founder of Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford, which went on to beco ...

(1925-6), Frederic Sutherland Ferguson (1934), Percy Muir of Elkin Mathews (1946-7), Anthony Rota (1971-2), Hylton Bayntun-Coward (1980-2 and 1992-3) and Adrian Harrington (2001-3).

ABA standards

Members are elected solely on the basis of proven experience, expertise and integrity. They are expected to observe the highest professional and ethical standards and to foster mutual trust between the trade and the public. Applicants for membership must have been full-time professional antiquarian booksellers for five consecutive years before becoming eligible. Applicants for Associate membership must have been full-time professional antiquarian booksellers for a minimum of two consecutive years before becoming eligible. Members are bound by the Articles of Association and Rules, as well as the most stringent Code of Good Practice yet adopted anywhere in the world of books. The display of the ABA badge, which is a Registered Trade Mark, pledges members to: * the authenticity of all material offered for sale * the expert and proper description of all such material * the disclosure of all significant defects or restorations * the clear, accurate and professional pricing of all material * the fairness and honesty of offers to purchase.

Definition

Antiquarian booksellers are defined as individuals, sole traders, partnerships, companies, and corporations having antiquarian book departments, routinely and professionally engaged in purchasing, valuing, pricing and selling antiquarian books.

Members with entries on Wikipedia

* George Bayntun * Simon Beattie * Robert Bowes * Clive Farahar * Rick Gekoski * Sir David Attenborough (Honorary Member) * Colin Franklin (writer and bibliographer) * Jon Gilbert (bibliographer) * Adrian Harrington *

Maggs Bros Ltd Maggs Bros. Ltd. is one of the longest-established antiquarian booksellers in the world, established in 1853 by Uriah Maggs, born c. 1828 in Midsomer Norton, Somerset. All four of Uriah's sons eventually joined the business, taking over on his ret ...

* Neil Pearson *

Bernard Quaritch Bernard Alexander Christian Quaritch ( ; April 23, 1819 – December 17, 1899) was a German-born British bookseller and collector. The company established by Bernard Quaritch in 1847 lives on in London as Bernard Quaritch Ltd, dealing in rare ...

* Robert Temple Booksellers * Hyraxia Books

External links

*
Terms of the Trade
{{Authority control Antiquarian booksellers Organizations established in 1906 Trade associations based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in the City of Westminster Bookshops of the United Kingdom 1906 establishments in the United Kingdom Presidents of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association

History

ABA standards

Definition

Members with entries on Wikipedia

See also

External links