The Internet has given booksellers many new channels with which to engage collectors, some have endured (email, electronic catalogs, websites) while others flamed out relatively quickly (message boards, tumblr...) But, these channels are poor relations to actually talking to a bookseller about books--the main reason so many of us still enjoy visiting bookstores. Podcasts are prehaps the closest one can come to chatting with an erudite rare bookseller without leaving your home, and there are an increasing number of ABAA members who are regularly producing audio and/or video podcasts focused on rare books, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, and much more. Brattlecast: A Firsthand Look at Secondhand Books (Brattle Book Shop, Boston, MA) Since 2017, Brattle Book Shop owner Kenneth Gloss and co-host Jordan Rich have shared stories about the shop, no... [more Podcasts: ABAA Members Talk Rare Books & Documents]
Meet the latest batch of booksellers granted membership of the ABAA. Full Membership: Keith Botelho, Crow Hop Rare Books Born and raised in New England, Keith moved to the South in 2006 after completing his Ph.D and taking a job as an English professor. His scholarly research and writing (including two books) has greatly benefited him as a bookseller, where he applies the same curiosity to the material he catalogues. After attending CABS in 2017, he launched Crow Hop Rare Books the following year. Keith's bookselling interests focus primarily on the cultural, political, and social movements from the 1950s-1980s, particularly the histories of the African American and LGBTQ+ communities. He firmly believes that booksellers have a responsibility to be caretakers and curators of culturally significant artifacts, and he is committed to telling... [more New ABAA Members]
"Before a book is offered for sale, we rare book dealers record its physical attributes. Is it bound in cloth? Leather? Does it have any damage? Signs of previous ownership? We also write a brief summary of its importance, drawing on the work of other experts in our field and surrounding fields--not just literary critics and biographers, but also book historians, or scholars who study the history of the book. We call the result a catalog description, which becomes our official documentation for that rare book." -- Rebecca Romney, Jane Austen's Bookshelf (Simon & Schuster, 2025) Browse the latest catalogs, newsletters, and e-lists of rare books, fine bindings, incunabula, print ephemera, and much more from the members of the ABAA below. (Also includes podcasts, blog posts, and other digital formats.) *New* indicates any catalogs brought to... [more Latest Catalogs of Rare Books]
Our members list new acquisitions and recently cataloged items almost every day of the year. Below, you'll find a few highlights from these recent additions... The Gregory Rabassa Archive of Literary Translation Correspondence: Julio Cortázar np. Very Good. A RARE AND REVEALING ARCHIVE FROM JULIO CORTÁZAR TO HIS TRANSLATOR GREGORY RABASSA, DOCUMENTING A LANDMARK LITERARY PARTNERSHIP. A significant and intimate archive of correspondence from Argentine-French writer Julio Cortázar (1914–1984) to Gregory Rabassa (1922–2016), the renowned literary translator whose English-language versions of Latin American fiction transformed global readerships. Rabassa translated three of the four novels Cortázar published during his lifetime, and the correspondence captures the evolution of their professional collaboration and personal friendship o... [more Weekly Highlights]
Join us for the ABAA RBMS Virtual Showcase, a virtual book fair in conjunction with the 2025 RBMS Conference. ABAA RBMS Virtual Showcase June 24-27, 2025 www.abaa.org/vbf Explore the finest rare books, manuscripts, maps, prints, and ephemera at our next virtual book fair. The doors will open at 12pm ET on Tuesday, June 24 and remain open continuously until 8 pm ET on Friday, June 27, 2025. We invite you to shop the virtual booths of leading antiquarian booksellers from around the world and discover their latest acquisitions and rare finds. Find participating exhibitors... [more ABAA RBMS Virtual Showcase]
Program Overview The ABAA Diversity Initiative is proud to announce the second season of our guided program for individuals seeking to pursue a career in the antiquarian and rare book trade. Designed to coincide with the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, the program offers stipends of up to $2,500 to two individuals. It provides an intensive introduction to the antiquarian book business via engagement with the fair, career insights with ABAA members, visits to local ABAA member shops and offices, networking with institutional professionals, and more. An ABAA member will guide students through an itinerary of trade-related activities over the course of five days. Program Date: November 5-9, 2025 Application Prerequisites Minimum requirement of a high school diploma, OR currently enrolled student in any degree program (undergradua... [more Fall 2025 ABAA Diversity Initiative Discovery Program]
Edit: The recording of this event is now available on our YouTube channel... Join the Gender Equity Initiative for our May Brown Bag Lunch Series with Lyudmyla Babadzhanova of Bua Conservation LLC for her talk on What Not to Do in Book and Paper Conservation on Tuesday, May 27, at 2 pm ET. Lyudmyla Babadzhanova, professional conservator and founder of Bua Conservation LLC, will lead a practical and engaging session on common mistakes to avoid when handling, storing, and attempting to repair rare books and paper materials. This talk will highlight irreversible treatments, environmental hazards, and well-meaning but damaging DIY fixes. Whether you're a collector, librarian, or simply curious about preservation, you'll leave with a better understanding of how to protect and care for historic paper-based treasures. What Not to Do in Book and ... [more May Brown Bag]
The ABAA is accepting entries for the 2025 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest where more than $6,000 in prizes will be awarded to student collectors. The contest is open to all prizewinners of college contests, whether or not first prize, and to interested students whose institutions do not offer contests. More information can be found here... All entries should be submitted here by June 9, 2025. The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest is jointly administered by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), the Grolier Club, and the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress. For more information on the contest, please visit contest.abaa.org. Read more about last year's winners here... [more 2025 National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest]
The ABAA is proud to announce the ABAA Mentorship Program sponsored by the Gender Equity Initiative, welcoming all early-career participants in the rare book trade. The program is aimed at furthering the ABAA's mission to promote ethical standards and professionalism in the antiquarian book trade, encourage the collecting and preservation of rare and antiquarian books and related materials, and facilitate collegial relations within the trade. GOALS Further the mission of the ABAA. Provide dealers early in their careers with the opportunity to advance their professional development. Build a recruitment pipeline for the Association that enhances the number of qualified applicants to expand the scope of new members. Allow mentees to build a relationship with an ABAA member. Educate potential candidates about a career in the trade (for exampl... [more ABAA Mentorship Program 2025]
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America is proud to announce another edition of the paid internship program co-sponsored by AbeBooks. We invite you to apply and share this opportunity with qualified applicants at your institution and beyond. This 10-week paid, hands-on, learning-oriented program seeks to provide an opportunity for individuals seeking to pursue a career in the antiquarian and rare book trade by offering tools, experiences, and exposures necessary to assist them in achieving their career goals. The intern will gain experience in research, cataloging, customer relations, and more with an ABAA member as host. Application Requirements Minimum requirement of a high school diploma, OR currently enrolled student in any degree program, OR recent graduate (< 1-year post-grad). Must be detail-oriented, have experience do... [more ABAA Internship Program]