ILAB Congresses
Budapest, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, Vienna, Tokyo, Munich, New York, Madrid, Los Angeles, Montréal, Melbourne, Paris, Bologna... booksellers have travelled the world and been welcomed into libraries, private collections, national treasures, given access to scholars and experts, and established long-term business relationships and lasting friendships.
Since 1948, the League and its member associations have organised Congresses, now held every two years in a different part of the world, providing a wonderful opportunity for ILAB member booksellers to network, but also to get to know the literary and cultural heritage of the host country. Traditionally, a congress is followed by a book fair.
Save the date: 47th ILAB Congress Cape Town
19 - 23 September 2028
For the first time in its history, the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers will hold its Congress on the African continent. In September 2028, antiquarian booksellers from around the world will gather in Cape Town for the 47th ILAB Congress, bringing the international rare book community to South Africa.
Situated at the southern tip of Africa, Cape Town has been a meeting place of cultures, languages and trading routes for centuries.
From the late fifteenth century, Portuguese voyages around the Cape opened maritime connections between Europe and Asia. The establishment of a Dutch East India Company settlement at Table Bay in 1652 further strengthened these connections, while subsequent British colonial rule added another dimension to the region's history.
South Africa's later history, mainly decades of apartheid and the development of a modern democracy, has produced an equally significant documentary heritage. Its libraries and archives preserve extraordinary evidence of this political change and intellectual life.
Further information about the programme, accommodation and registration will be announced as preparations progress.
Looking back at the 2026 ILAB Congress in Berlin
More than three decades after the ILAB Congress was last hosted in Germany, in Cologne in 1992, the international rare book trade returned to Germany in September 2026, gathering for the first time in the nation’s capital, Berlin, for a Congress that combined visits to remarkable collections, professional exchange, and an unforgettable week of celebrating the world of rare books.
>> A Closer Look: A Visit to the Library of Berlin's Deutsches Historisches Museum
Looking back at the 2024 ILAB Congress in Amsterdam
In October 2024, the Dutch Antiquarian Booksellers' Association, the Nederlandsche Vereeniging van Antiquaren (NVvA), welcomed colleagues and fellow bibliophiles to their capital city. We look back at the Amsterdam Congress:
>> 77 years and counting: Amsterdam at the heart of ILAB & A day at the Rijksmuseum
>> Smaller collections around Amsterdam & Treasures at the Dutch Maritime Museum
>> Final day at the 2024 Amsterdam Congress - Collection Visits and a Memorable Gala Dinner
Looking back at the 2022 ILAB Congress in Oxford
In September 2022, after a long time of the COVID pandemic not allowing for in-person gathering, the temporary closure of book fairs and cancellation of many events, the international trade was finally able to meet again.
Thanks to the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA) in the UK, ILAB delegates spent a most memorable time in the historic university town with its colleges, libraries and cultural treasures.
>> Introducing our 2022 congress or "A prisoner in Oxford"
>> The ILAB Congress 2022 in Oxford - Day 1
>> The ILAB Congress 2022 in Oxford - Day 2
All ILAB Congresses and meetings since ILAB's inception are listed HERE.
Congresses and Fairs are open to all booksellers affiliated to the League and are announced through the League at least one year before the Congress. Information on scholarship opportunities can be obtained from the ILAB Secretariat.
Images supplied by
Markus Brandis and
visitBerlin, Foto: Dagmar Schwelle