Why Join?

WHO ARE WE?

For more than 75 years, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) has been a trade association that represents over 450 members located throughout the United States. Our members are demonstrated professionals who specialize in fine and rare books, maps, documents, autographs, illuminated manuscripts, ephemera, and prints spanning a wide range of prices. We are united in a passion for books and related material, and we have bound ourselves to a  Code of Ethics that guides us in our dealings with each other and our customers.

Professional Credibility

ABAA membership conveys recognition throughout the rare book world. A member of the  ABAA is an individual with proven knowledge,  expertise, and ethical standards. As such, serious collectors and rare book librarians often prefer to do business with sellers who display the ABAA  logo. Membership facilitates and expedites transactions with sellers around the globe and encourages reciprocal trade discounts, which can be helpful in the competitive marketplace.

WHY JOIN?

ABAA Community

The culture of the Association is the ABAA’s most important asset. For this reason, the ABAA  maintains several email groups where members can assist one another with issues including business practices, customer references,  bibliographic points, and other practicalities of the trade. It means that you are always connected to a group of knowledgeable and helpful colleagues. Members come from a wide variety of backgrounds; some have even been in the trade since childhood. Many are former librarians or collectors, while others are transitioning from successful careers. Their collective knowledge benefits our profession every day. 

Bookselling Community

Not only are you a member of the ABAA community, but of the international community of sellers as well: joining automatically confers membership in the  International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).  In addition, the ABAA has close ties to other rare book organizations. With the Library of Congress, Grolier Club,  and Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, we sponsor the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest.  We have enjoyed a long association with the Rare Books  & Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the American Library  Association (ALA), jointly publishing a brochure—Your  Old Books—to educate the general public. Together, we also hold an annual networking event designed to forge closer relationships with libraries and institutions. With the Bibliographic Society of America (BSA), we sponsor an annual lecture on bookish topics. Finally, through scholarships offered via the Association’s Elisabeth  Woodburn Fund, the ABAA both supports and endorses the Antiquarian Book Seminar held each August and includes members of the ABAA on its faculty. 

Book Fairs

Each year, the ABAA sponsors three book fairs:  San Francisco Bay area or Los Angeles in February  
(alternating years), our flagship New York fair in the spring, and Boston in the fall. These are among the best-attended and most prestigious fairs in the world. Thousands of collectors, librarians, and dealers enthusiastically anticipate and attend each year to view the best material on the market, displayed and sold by the leading firms. We periodically hold virtual fairs so even more dealers and collectors can participate. ABAA  membership also allows you to exhibit at Booksellers’ Showcases held during Bibliography Week and the  RBMS conference. Finally, booksellers who have or wish to attract international customers may also take part in numerous ILAB fairs held in cities such as London, Paris, and Hong Kong.

abaa.org

Members have access to a wide array of ABAA-sponsored programs online. Members can list their materials for sale on the ABAA website and have their inventory searched by the ILAB metasearch engine. In addition, the  ABAA offers groups where members may post books for sale: one limited to the membership and another for the public. We host frequent online talks and webinars to provide continuing education to members. The ABAA also maintains a blog and a strong social media presence. ABAA  members have free access to several useful online bibliographical resources,  
including OCLC FirstSearch, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,  American National Biography Online, including our latest member benefit, ABSA (formerly American Book Prices Current). The ABAA features members in its Newsletter; our subscriber list includes  
10,000+ readers. At abaa.org, your name is available to all who wish to locate an ABAA member in their immediate vicinity. Further, members can post their  catalogues, thereby significantly expanding their potential audience of new  
customers. 

Membership Directory

The ABAA continues to print and distribute a membership directory in addition to its web-based database. With Subject Specialty and Geographical Indexes, the directory provides your business exposure to the thousands of individuals each year. The Directory is distributed to and by our 450+ members, as well as at our three bookfairs and other trade-related events.

Giving Back

The ABAA has created two separately funded charitable entities, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Benevolent Fund and the Elisabeth Woodburn Fund. The Benevolent Fund assists any bookseller, ABAA member or not, who encounters serious health, financial, or other challenges. The Elisabeth Woodburn Fund seeks to support book-related educational activities with grants or scholarships for those starting out in the profession and individuals continuing their education in the trade.

With the decline in open bookshops, these have been rapidly changing times in the book world. The ABAA has been working for over 75 years to make a difference in the lives and businesses of individual booksellers, as well as in the book community at large. Join us for now and for the future.

Member Benefits

Benefits include numerous bibliographical resources and special offers with vendors of archival supplies, conservation services, insurance, shipping materials & services, and website services. 

Bibliographical Resources

• American National Biography
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• OCLC
• Auction & Book Sales Archive by BIBLIO (ABSA), including American Book Prices Current

Member Discounts and Offers

• ​Archival, Shipping, Conservation Supplies
• Sales opportunities: 
  • ABAA.org - 50 books for free
  • Virtual and In-Person Fairs
• Attend all ABAA and ILAB fairs free of charge
• Exhibit in all ABAA and ILAB Fairs
• Listed in Directory online and in print

If you have any questions regarding membership or the application process, please contact us at hq@abaa.org.