Founded in 1906 and the oldest organisation of its kind in the world, the ABA is the senior trade body in the British Isles for dealers in antiquarian and rare books, manuscripts and allied materials. Its membership also extends to many leading booksellers overseas. Run by a professional secretariat under the overall control of a democratically elected President and Council, the Association is the book trade’s professional and regulatory body. Its ethos is one both of high professional standards and the provision of continually expanding support and services for its members.

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. 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.

In support of its members, the ABA works in several main areas: in providing various platforms for members to promote and build their businesses; in fostering and promoting the antiquarian book trade as a whole; and in offering professional and advisory services. Among the principal benefits of membership are the following.

The ABA works closely with its colleagues overseas through the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) and members are entitled not only to display the ILAB badge but to exhibit at all the great international book fairs sanctioned by the ILAB throughout the world. It is not possible for a British bookseller to exhibit at these ILAB fairs except through membership of the ABA. Members receive an internationally recognised ILAB trade card and are also entitled (and encouraged) to attend the ILAB Congresses hosted every other year by a different National Association.

The ABA website displays increasingly large amounts of information about the Association, about books and bookselling, and about current advice and regulations. It also has direct links to the ILAB site with its fully searchable database of books offered for sale by booksellers throughout the world. ABA members are entitled to list their own books on the ILAB database for a modest monthly fee (no commission at all is charged, unlike other sites). The database is searchable from various portals such as "BookFinder" and "AddAll" and is becoming an increasingly popular and widely-used alternative to the commission charging fully commercial sites. Members may also use the ILAB system to send messages, details of books wanted, etc., to all ILAB booksellers through the "ILAB Announce" facility.

The ABA’s Internet sub-committee has developed a very low cost scheme to provide members with their own website. Intended to work in conjunction with the ILAB database, it is anticipated that this scheme will provide members, whatever their degree of computer skills, with a highly professional internet presence of their own – including hosting by the ABA, a fully searchable database and facilities for secure credit card ordering – at minimal cost. Template websites may be viewed on the "Information" page of this website.

The handbook includes the contact details of every member, including e-mail and website addresses, specialities and shop opening hours. There are also geographical and speciality indexes for easy cross-referencing. The handbook is updated and reprinted every two years and is widely distributed at ABA book fairs, at major book fairs in the USA and Europe, to our counterparts in the ILAB, to libraries and the media, and to members of the public through the ABA office and members’ shops.

The Office, situated in Central London, has a team consisting of the Secretary (John Critchley), Events Manager (Marianne Harwood) and Administration Assistant (Clare Pedder). Office hours are usually 9.30am to 5.30pm and, whilst providing day-to-day advice and service to members, the Office also handles a great number of calls from the public and trade alike, requesting information about the buying and selling of books. In particular, members of the public telephone regularly looking for booksellers who are specialists in particular areas and the office can help put them in touch with the most suitable members.

The Office publishes a weekly news Bulletin which is distributed by email, fax or mail. This has been of particular value since the weekly trade magazine Bookdealer ceased publication at the end of July 2006. The Newsletter is published at least six times a year and contains articles, letters, reports, reviews, advertisements and notices relevant to ABA members - and acts as a forum for the free exchange of views on topics affecting the book-trade.

The ABA Library contains over 1,000 bibliographical reference works built up and added to over many years. The Library Catalogue may be consulted on the ABA website, or copies are available from the ABA office. Books are available to members for short-term loan and the Library can be visited on request. The Librarian, Roger Treglown, also provides a bibliographical enquiry service for members. It remains an invaluable resource for members without ready access to the major institutional reference libraries.

The ABA’s Public Relations Officer, Vanessa Clewes-Salmon, has a wealth of contacts in the media world across the whole range of art and antiquities and as well as her work for the Association and its book fairs is only too happy to assist members with their individual needs. The ABA Council Press Officer also works on behalf of members to send out press releases to publicise the activities of the Association and to respond to stories in the media.

The Benevolent Fund, built up by donation over many years, is used generously in time of need to support all existing and former antiquarian booksellers and their dependants.

The Office operates a ‘Book Security’ service whereby any items lost or stolen may be reported in a brief message to all members, to other associations, the police, the major auction houses and the Art Loss Register. The ILAB database of stolen books contains international records as well as ABA records dating back to 1988. Members may use it to carry out "Due Diligence" searches. Countless books have been recovered and thieves intercepted as a result of the book security system. Warnings of other frauds, "scams" and even the latest internet viruses are also rapidly broadcast to members and advice is available on how to deal with them.

Complaints by members of the public or disputes between booksellers, both in the UK and abroad, are comparatively rare, but details of any such complaint or dispute may be forwarded through the ABA office for resolution by the Standards Committee.

Although the ABA no longer runs its own educational programme, the Rare Book Society was founded by members of the ABA and the Association enthusiastically endorses its educational activities. A course on "Cataloguing for Booksellers" is already available online and further courses will follow shortly.

The ABA and its views are formally represented not just on the Committee of the ILAB, but also on such bodies as the British Art Market Federation (BAMF), the National Book Committee and the Advisory Committee on the Export of Works of Art. The ABA’s voice is heard – and there is no doubt, for example, that the system of export licences relating to manuscripts and inscribed or annotated copies of books would be that much harsher and more onerous were it not for the ABA’s influence. The ABA also has a liaison committee to discuss matters of mutual interest with its friends in the PBFA.

The ABA membership is very loosely broken up into regions throughout the UK. These regions meet occasionally for social occasions and visits to libraries and other places of professional interest. Other national social events, such as the Christmas and Book Fair parties, are also pleasant opportunities to meet new people and catch up with old friends.

One of the major ways in which the ABA helps its members is in using the combined weight and authority of the Association to obtain direct financial savings.

Credit Card Commission

The ABA has negotiated special credit card processing rates with Barclaycard Merchant Services (applicable whether members bank with Barclays or not), which provide real savings, especially to smaller firms without the financial muscle to negotiate lower rates individually. It has often been suggested that the savings more than cover the cost of the annual ABA subscription. Advice is also available on how to comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).

Members of the ABA spent many months in discussions with various insurers, brokers, and members of the insurance industry before coming up with the ABA Insurance Scheme – a policy devised specifically for booksellers and covering many areas not covered by conventional policies. Savings were dramatic and when the scheme was first launched many members found that their insurance premiums were cut by half. The scheme is operated by Richard Thompson (Insurance Brokers) on the ABA’s behalf.

American Book Prices Current (ABPC) discs and online membership are available at a reduced rate, and the ABA is currently investigating group deals for for access to OCLC etc.

Medical insurance is also available and a more comprehensive scheme for members, their staff and families is currently under investigation.

Every bookseller dealing in antiquarian, rare or second-hand books should aspire to belong to the ABA. This applies equally to booksellers in the United Kingdom and to those in countries overseas without a comparable national association of their own. The ABA badge displayed in premises and on stationery already counts for much – and will progressively count for more as the ABA generates all the publicity of its centenary year in 2006 – and as the world begins to see the dangers of dealing with the unaccredited and the uncontrolled, especially via the internet.

Membership of the ABA is the only measure of your full acceptance into the world of your fellow professionals – of acceptance by your peers. It provides you with an independently-assessed legitimacy as a professional bookseller not obtainable through any other means. And – as we know from any other form of activity – there is no reason at all for anyone to choose to deal with someone who does not belong to the appropriate professional body. The membership of the ABA is small, deliberately so in many ways to maintain the emphasis on standards, but the Association would nonetheless be all the better for being that much larger. Every new member makes us that much stronger and more powerful – better able to provide and negotiate services – and every new member can bring his or her own voice, view and ideas. The ABA is run on entirely democratic lines – there are annual elections to its Council – and there are sub-committees covering every aspect of the trade. If you have the proven experience, expertise and integrity, then we would all profit from your membership. The widest benefit that accrues is the collective one arising from the collaborative efforts of the very best booksellers working in the United Kingdom and across the world. Although we all value and cherish our independence, there is no need to stand alone.

Applications for membership are welcomed from full-time professional booksellers of five or more years experience whatever their background or level or style of trading. The criteria for membership are solely those of experience, expertise and integrity. The only further stipulation is that we have agreed with our colleagues in the ILAB that booksellers whose principal place of business is outside the United Kingdom must first belong to their own ILAB-affiliated national association if there is one.

The 2008 annual subscription for UK members is £GBP436.96 and for overseas members £GBP218.48. Both levels of subscription include VAT on 90% of the fee, the Newsletter being zero-rated. The usual entrance fee is currently being waived.