Become Part of a British Library Collection Story!

Support the British Library at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair

April 4 – 7, 2024

Park Avenue Armory

Introducing a new way to support the British Library this spring:

at the NYIABF, you can become a part of a British Library collection story!

Contribute to help the Library acquire much-needed items to support its unparalleled holdings!

Through the ABAA Connect program, attendees at the Fair or in advance can contribute in part or in whole towards the value of one of the items British Library curators have identified as key to develop their holdings. At the Fair, you can explore the items in person, and learn more from both the booksellers and from British Library and ATBL representatives on site.

The best part?

For American or UK donors, your contributions to support the British Library's collections are tax-advantaged!

In the US, you can donate recommended towards the acquisition of any item via the ATBL; in the UK, donate online here or reach out to [email protected] for more information on how to contribute in British pounds.

We look forward to seeing you at the Fair!

Click here to explore all of the items on offer and contribute in advance online, and read below for some of the featured materials!

1902 Edition of Jessie M. King's The Story of Rosalynde

Jonkers Rare Books, C2

This beautiful, 1902 work is one of just 30 copies, and is an example of the extraordinary bindings crafted by groundbreaking British female book artist Jessie M. King. Printed on Japanese vellum with intricate ink and watercolor designs, this stunning work would be the first of King’s bindings to enter the Library’s collections.

$18,200

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Lysons' The Environs of London

Maggs Bros. Ltd., A4

As well as being an antiquarian and topographer, Daniel Lysons was a prolific scrapbooker. The Library has one of the strongest collections of his folios in the world, which shed light on early 19th-century Britain through maps, illustrations, and everyday ephemera. This detailed and wide-ranging topographical account would strengthen the Library’s collection of Lysons’ works and be a valuable resource for those searching for historical accounts of London and its surrounding counties in the 1800s.

$29,000

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1811 Edition of The Good Boy's Soliloquy

Bromer Booksellers, Inc., C28

A little volume that includes over a dozen engraved images depicting a “good boy” misbehaving, each accompanied by a witty couplet. This book represents a contrast to more moralistic 19th-century works. One of only two copies in public collections, this text would be a valuable addition to the Library’s wonderful and rare collection of early children’s books.

$3,000

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Collection of 18th- and 19th-Century Works on Mental Health Hospices in England

Librairie Paul Jammes, E18

Gathered by the French psychiatrist Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol, this bound collection of scarce 18th- and 19th-century pamphlets describes the state of mental health treatment in England and Scotland, from its financing to the abuses happening in hospices. In documenting UK mental healthcare in this period, this acquisition would help the Library broaden its documentation of underprivileged and less well-represented groups in its collections.

$13,000

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