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

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

for dealers in

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), 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 artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

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 London, 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, London, England. A range of international ...

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-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. The ABA Office is located on Bell Yard, off

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...

and next to the

Royal Courts of Justice The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is a court building in Westminster which houses the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The High Court also sits on circuit and in other major cities. Designed by Ge ...

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 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 ...

. Other notable past presidents include Robert Bowes of

Bowes & Bowes Bowes & Bowes was a bookselling and publishing company based in Cambridge, England. It was established by Robert Bowes (1835–1919), a nephew of Daniel Macmillan (1813–1857) — the founder, with his brother Alexander, , of a firm which by 18 ...

(1914), Sir

Basil Blackwell Sir Basil Henry Blackwell (29 May 18899 April 1984) 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 become the Blackwell family's publishing and booksh ...

(1925-6),

Frederic Sutherland Ferguson Frederic Sutherland Ferguson (26 December 1878 in Stoke Newington, London – 4 May 1967 in Isle of Wight) was an England, English bibliographer. He was educated at the Grocers' Company's School, Hackney Downs, and at King's College London, but did ...

(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

Sir David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...

(Honorary Member) * George Bayntun * Simon Beattie * Robert Bowes *

Clive Farahar Clive Farahar (born 1953) is a British dealer and expert on books and manuscripts. He is best known as an expert on the BBC's ''Antiques Roadshow'', which he joined in 1986. Biography Farahar is the son of Robert, a geologist and Joan ( née Hutc ...

Colin Franklin (writer and bibliographer) Colin Ellis Franklin, FSA (8 October 1923 – 17 May 2020) was an English writer, bibliographer, book-collector and antiquarian bookseller. Early life Franklin was born in Notting Hill, London, into an affluent and influential British Jewish ...

Rick Gekoski Richard Abraham Gekoski (born August 25, 1944) is an American-British writer, broadcaster, rare book dealer and a former member of the English Department at Warwick University. Early life and education Gekoski was raised in Alexandria, Virginia, ...

* 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 re ...

Neil Pearson Neil John Pearson (born 27 April 1959) is a British actor, known for his work on television. He was nominated for the 1994 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor for '' Between the Lines'' (1992–1994). His other television roles include ''Drop the D ...

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

*
International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB)

{{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