Strict Rules and Code of Good Practice - regulated by Standards Committee

 

Dealing in all aspects of the rare book trade; from ancient manuscripts to modern "collectables".

Olympia and Chelsea Book Fair organisers (June and November every year)

 

The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association was founded in 1906, and is therefore the oldest professional body of its kind in the world. However, the antiquarian book trade has changed out of all recognition since the beginning of the last century, and we cannot rest on our past record. The ABA endeavours to keep up with modern developments and modern perceptions of how the old book trade should be constituted and how its members should behave. I use the term ‘old books’ advisedly, since much of what our members now sell would scarcely have been perceived as ‘antiquarian’ at all until recently. ABA members sell the best of what their customers want in their own fields of collecting and trade to standards designed to inspire confidence amongst buyers and sellers alike.

 

In our Directory will be found not only a detailed list of our membership, but also details of how they trade. If they are retail shops their stock will meet certain standards and their service, whether in selling books or dealing with potential sellers, will aspire to the highest personal and professional behaviour. Members, to acquire membership, must know their trade, have a very thorough knowledge indeed of their speciality (and most members are now specialists) and also have a reasonable reference library to complement their knowledge. The Association has a major reference library to supply extra information for them. In their dealings with trade and public, members are also expected to charge and to give fair prices for stock. Where they detail opening hours, those hours will be observed. The increasing number of booksellers who work from home observe similar standards with their catalogues and with visitors, although this often involves making an appointment. Descriptions of books conform to certain standards and are subject to return should the books not match their descriptions.

 

All of these expectations are enshrined in a Code of Good Practice and a strict set of Rules. We do not expect to have to enforce these, since booksellers are carefully screened before entering our Association. The Rules are there to back up our standards. In the event of any customer or fellow bookseller feeling that a member has not measured up to these standards and that their initial complaint is inadequately addressed, we invite them to write either to our office or to our officers, who will examine the matter, take action if necessary and report back.

The word ‘antiquarian’ is a widely recognised and familiar one, but we have recently added the new word ‘collectable’ to our aims and objects. We recognise that the collector of Enid Blyton, Ian Fleming or Alexander Kent is just as valid a collector as the more traditional connoisseur of seventeenth or eighteenth century classics in early editions. Members will need to cater for a wide range of printed material to satisfy those who collect by subject and we recognise that manuscripts, prints, maps and specialist areas like bookplates all fall within our purview. Collectors in these areas require the same meticulous standards of their suppliers as past collectors have been used to in more traditional fields. The ABA is essentially a ‘broad church’, aiming to encompass the best dealers in all relevant fields.

In addition to our more public face, the ABA has for many years done a great deal of background work behind the scenes, often handled by Members of Council who earn nothing for the copious time they devote to such things. We keep an eye on the bureaucratic rules on exporting, on VAT regulations and on the myriad proposals of the European Union. This all involves representation on committees, as well as on bodies like the Advisory Council on the Export of Works of Art, the National Book Committee and the British Art Market Federation. We also have an insurance policy for members which is unrivalled in its field.

The ABA is represented, usually by our President, at meetings of the ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers) and we have a liaison committee with the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association in this country. Our branches in Scotland and in various parts of England organise social events and encourage the interchange of trade information. Our members exhibit abroad and we co-operate with other ILAB members in upholding standards in international dealings between either members or the public. Should members of the trade fall on hard times, whether ABA members or not, we maintain a Benevolent Fund to help out.

At this dawn of the new century, we are very aware that more and more sales and contacts will be effected through electronic means and through the Internet. We have our own sub-committee on this and we are also co-operating with our fellow Associations abroad on world wide websites. Whilst welcoming all new initiatives, we are acutely aware of the unpoliced nature of much of this trading. This site is therefore linked to the ILAB Search Engine, where transactions are governed by the full set of ILAB rules and regulations.

The Association runs a small but select number of book fairs each year. There is a major International Fair in June at Olympia which is amongst the most prestigious in the world. In the autumn, the smaller domestic Chelsea Fair in London’s King’s Road is one of the friendliest and most popular in the trade calendar. Extra fairs are run occasionally in Edinburgh and of course we support the ILAB's fairs held bi-annually around the world.

We are constantly trying to extend the scope of the services we offer to the public as well as our members. Suggestions for change and better service are welcome from any quarter and can be sent to the ABA office. As we move into a new Millennium and into our own second century we wish to remain in the forefront of the trade in antiquarian, rare and collectable books and manuscripts, however it develops.

Paul Minet

President 1998-2000