Between 1995 and 2004, 62 older and very valuable books from the National Library of Sweden (KB) were stolen by the then head of the unit for manuscripts. Today ten of them are returned to KB, made possible by a generous donation. The returned items' lineage spans three centuries and have previously belonged to both royalty and great book collectors before being incorporated into the library's collections. The extensive thefts at KB are well known to many. Media interest has been considerable and the crimes have even been portrayed in documentaries and fiction. For the library, this event was a tragedy and the theft of the 62 books – the bearers of hundreds of years of history – a great loss for our common cultural heritage. After the thefts were discovered in 2004, the police conducted a preliminary investigation, but the case was dropped two years later. In 2011, KB was able to locate and bring home the first of the books, Cornelis von Wytfliet's atlas from 1597. At the same time, KB published a comprehensive list of all the stolen books on their website, with the plea: Help us find the books! That call was answered by Tomas Söderblom, a doctorate historian and successful entrepreneur, who took up the challenge. He contacted KB and took the initiative to donate ten of the stolen books, which today are returned to the library. “A fantastic day for culture and society” - This is a fantastic day, not only for KB but for culture and society in its entirety. We have all... [more Ten Stolen Books Returned to the National Library of Sweden, More Still Missing]

We are pleased to announce that for the fourth year the Northern and Southern California chapters of the ABAA will be jointly awarding a prize for the best young book collectors in California. As with prior years, three prizes will be awarded, and the top collection will be exhibited at the upcoming 52nd California International Antiquarian Book Fair to be held in Oakland this coming February. Submissions are due December 1, 2021 and winners will be notified by December 20, 2021. Complete details are found here. [more Announcing The Fourth Annual California Young Book Collector’s Prize]

It is with great pleasure that the Northern California Chapter (NCC) of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) announces the winners of the 2021 George Robert Kane Memorial Scholarship, Nicholas Pillsbury and Cecelia Shaw. This year, we had two exceptional candidates who were quite similar. Both were highly recommended, both are currently working as booksellers, and both want to continue in the librarian/special collection field. Because the scholarships combined were less than we normally expend due to the courses being online, we decided to offer both of them a scholarship as they were both so deserving. Nicholas is currently working at Bad Animal Books, a combination bookstore / wine bar / restaurant in Santa Cruz, CA, and is handling all of the rare books online. His experience as a librarian and his M.L.I.S. education has been helpful in the business and he exemplifies the store brand very well. He wants to work as a bookseller for a few more years before possibly working in archives or special collections. Nicholas would like to attend Cal Rare Book School. Cecelia is currently working at Bolerium Books in San Francisco, CA. She is a relatively new employee and is hard working and well-liked by all. She is very interested in the bookselling trade and wants to work at Bolerium for a few years before continuing her academic pursuits. Cecelia used to be a librarian and is fresh out of college, UC Berkeley. She loves the book store and going on sales cal... [more 2021 George Robert Kane Memorial Scholarship]

Meet the latest antiquarian booksellers accepted as members of the ABAA. Full Members: Victoria Dailey, Dailey & Turner Rare Books & Ephemera, Los Angeles, CA Victoria Dailey has rejoined the ABAA as a full member after being an Emeritus Member for a short time. In other news, Victoria has recently been named the Deputy Editor of The Book Collector. Daniel Moyer, Daniel / Oliver Gallery, Brooklyn, NY Dan Moyer is one half of the Brooklyn based gallery Daniel / Oliver (along with co-owner Ollie Lott). Daniel / Oliver handles photographic material and other works on paper, primarily unique collections and comprehensive archives, which chronicle American stories. Dan Moyer is also a playwright and screenwriter. His play “Half Moon Bay” premiered at the Cherry Lane Theatre in NYC and he has written for the Facebook Watch show “Limetown.” Michael Pyron, Michael Pyron, Bookseller, Conshohocken, PA Michael Pyron has been a bookseller for 20 years and has been binding and repairing books for nearly as long. He has been a reader most of his life, but was introduced to the idea (and reality) of the “antiquarian book trade” at Black Swan Books where he worked for more than a decade from 2001-2012. It was also at Black Swan Books where he was introduced to conservation and bookbinding and was offered a steady supply of books that required attention and a boss who gave him plenty of latitude to learn by trial and error—a remarkable gift for someone learning a craft. In Novem... [more New ABAA Members]

Longtime ABAA member Robert “Bob” Petrilla of Roosevelt, NJ passed away at his home on September 1, 2020. Petrilla started in the book business in 1970 as he operated two open shops in Bucks County, PA. In 1981, he began selling books through the R & A Petrilla catalogues, and then online. Bob Petrilla first became a member of the ABAA in early 80's and reinstated his membership in 2014. Petrilla considered himself a generalist, saying of R & A Petrilla's catalogue, “We specialize in what we bought yesterday. We pursued several specialties in the past: Western Americana, African Americana, American Music, Women's Studies. When one could still scout such material on the shelves of bookshops, we built some nice collections, now in institutions.” In 1997, Petrilla was elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society, and was a member of the Philobiblon Club of Philadelphia and the Independent Online Booksellers Association. He was also a founding member and first president of the Antiquarian Booksellers of New Jersey, a professional organization operating for many years (though now defunct). His wife and long-time partner, Alison, is continuing to operate their book business. She says of her late husband, “Bob worked extremely hard to keep up with the times and adapt himself to computer selling, and he created our gorgeous (at least I think so!) website and worked on it every day until the last weeks of his life.” Fellow ABAA Member Chuck Roberts of Wonder B... [more In Memoriam: Bob Petrilla]

The Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund Since its founding in 1952 by a group of ABAA members, the Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund has been dedicated throughout its history to providing timely financial assistance to those in the book trade who find themselves in a time of need. Originally known as The Charles Grand Memorial Fund (a founder's reminiscence can be found below), it was specifically meant to provide “for the assistance of needy persons, regardless of affiliation, who are or have been engaged in the business of selling and dealing in books, manuscripts, and printed matter in general,” with the only proviso being that funds may be granted only for personal needs, not for business needs. In a typical year, the Fund gives a total of $40,000 in one-time disbursements to booksellers in need, the majority of whom are not members of the ABAA. Historically, the Fund has been sustained by donations from ABAA members, their generosity born out of their understanding of how precarious a livelihood in the book trade can sometimes be. Most antiquarian booksellers are individual proprietors with limited capital, and are especially vulnerable to unanticipated ill-health, accidents, natural disasters or other types of misfortune. The Antiquarian Booksellers' Benevolent Fund is administered by a group of Trustees comprised of the three most recent Presidents of the ABAA. The ABAA regards its stewardship of the Benevolent Fund as one of its most important responsi... [more Donate to the Benevolent and Woodburn Funds]

The ABAA Women's Initiative is proud to announce the launch of the ABAA Mentorship Program in an effort to further the ABAA's mission to promote ethical standards and professionalism in the antiquarian book trade, to encourage the collecting and preservation of rare and antiquarian books and related materials, and to 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 Advance the diversity of new members Afford mentees the opportunity to build a relationship with an ABAA member Educate potential candidates about a career in the trade (for example, graduate students looking for a profession outside of academia) Structure With the assistance of the Women's Initiative, mentors and mentees will be paired with consideration of a variety of factors such as any specific requests, specialization/area of focus, and business structure. Location could also be a point of consideration but, with the availability of technology like Zoom/Skype, need not be a requirement. Once paired, mentors and mentees will commence a one year period of mentorship. Over the course of the year, mentors and mentees are required to have face to face communication for a minimum of 1-2 hours each month (this could be completed electronically). The schedule structure to meet this r... [more ABAA Mentorship Program]

Welcome the latest members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America! Full Membership Charles Bolick, AIGLATSON Charles Bolick has lived and worked in New England for over 50 years, but grew up in North Carolina and attended public schools there, graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1962. He served as an officer in the United States Navy for three years, then began an insurance career that lasted for 30 years. During that time, Bolick developed an interest in paper Americana and began dealing privately and at shows. Since retiring from the insurance business in 1997, he has worked full time as an ephemera dealer. Bolick's interest is in 18th and 19th (and occasionally 20th) century ephemera in all areas, but especially historic, political, social, and mercantile material. He sells privately and exhibits at about a dozen shows a year. Bolick is a member of the American Antiquarian Society, the Ephemera Society of America, and the Ephemera Society of Great Britain. Pavel Chepyzhov, Globus Books Pavel Chepyzhov started his career in the antiquarian book trade at 18 years of age, as a student of the Moscow State University of Printing Arts -- with a major in history of books and antiquarian bookselling. After working for three years in the antiquarian book department of Moscow-based auction house Gelos, he enrolled in the ILAB internship program. After spending several months working in Australia — during which time he participated in ... [more New ABAA Members]

Like many, we at the ABAA have spent the recent weeks watching, listening, reading, learning and reflecting on the prevalence of racism in our society. As we think about the events that have brought us to this point, and the long history behind them, we consider difficult questions about what we can do to contribute to positive change. As purveyors and custodians of rare books, manuscripts, and other cultural artifacts, we pride ourselves on the encyclopedic scope of our field. But do we truly embody the core values of fairness and inclusion that we claim to embrace? Are we really doing all that we can to combat systems and structures that have kept the rare and antiquarian book trade exclusive and even exclusionary? What steps can we take to be more proactive and responsible agents of the rich, complex, and beautifully varied cultures whose physical materials we preserve, protect, and sell? How do we increase representation of people of color not only in the items we offer and the collections we help to build, but also among our customers and our own membership? These are tough questions to face. Indeed, as an organization that is all but entirely white, it is hard to know where to start because we want to support change in a meaningful and productive way. We have felt the need to listen more than to speak. At the same time, however, we know that we must not remain silent in the face of injustice. The recent necessary upheavals and the outpouring of valuable, thoughtful comm... [more Where We Stand]

ABAA Member Peter Kraus remembers bibliophile, collector, and seller Colin Franklin. I was lucky enough to have not one, but two, truly great booksellers as mentors. The first, and most important, was my cousin, Hans Kraus. From my mid teens on, he initiated me into the world of rare books, Teaching me how to use a bibliography and exposing me to everything from Egyptian Books of the Dead to a first edition of Ulysses. However, In 1967 I was lucky enough to meet Colin when he was still working at his family publishing house of Routledge and Kegan Paul, which had been the publisher of a book by my great grandfather, and I was working for the Kraus companies. We hit it off immediately, and he invited me to pay a visit to Culham, which was then his country house. There he proudly showed me his latest purchase, a complete set of Kelmscott Press Books, all on vellum, except the Chaucer, which was on paper and Inscribed by Morris and Burne-Jones to Swinburne. At that point I had never heard of the Kelmscott Press, nor did I know what a private press book was. Colin was the perfect teacher, there being no one better able to transmit their passion for books, and to explain them in a readily comprehensible manner. Many years later he did the same thing with Japanese books, giving me the courage to deal in them, although neither of us could speak or read a word of Japanese. Anyway, I was now hooked, purchasing my first press book the following week in the form of the Kelmscott edition ... [more Remembering Colin Franklin]