Seminar History

YABS is the sister seminar of the long established Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar and was created with the support of the Colorado faculty. YABS was set up when Anthony Smithson, of Keel Row Books, attended the Colorado seminar in 2011 and was so impressed with the intentions, execution and results of the Colorado seminar that he decided to answer the glaring need for a European equivalent.

Anthony developed and launched YABS in 2014 with Alice Laverty (also of Keel Row Books) and Jonathan Kearns, of Jonathan Kearns Rare Books and Curiosities. YABS 2024 will be the ninth annual seminar. The event is organised by The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association’s and the YABS Committee.

YABS Faculty: our founding members.

From left to right, Justin Croft, Simon Beattie, Anthony Smithson, Sophie Schneideman and Jonathan Kearns.

Supporters

The York Antiquarian Book Seminar is proudly supported by:

Antiquarian Booksellers Association

Founded in 1906 and the oldest organisation of its kind in the world, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association is the senior trade body for dealers in antiquarian and rare books, manuscripts and allied materials in the British Isles. Its membership also extends to many of the leading booksellers overseas. 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 the mutual trust and respect that exists between the trade and the public.
For more information: www.aba.org.uk

The Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association

The Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association was founded in 1974 with just 20 members. Its primary aim was to provide provincial bookdealers with a shop window in London by holding regular book fairs. Nearly 40 years later it has over 500 members and regularly organises more than 80 antiquarian and secondhand book fairs a year.

For more information: www.pbfa.org