About Us

“If it had not been for the journalist, Péter Berényi’s, persistant and hard work, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of Hungary most probably would not have not come to life. The representatives of fifteen antiquarian bookshops established this interest organisation in 2001, and I was entrusted with the presidential position thanks to them. As a legal personality, we and our professional suggestions can be represented more effectively in the discourse with the relevant ministries, in the preparation of legal acts, similarly to our German colleagues, who are respresented by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of Germany. In Western Europe, such organisations are traditionally the late descendants of the guilds.”– as Lajos Borda, one of the founding fathers and first president of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association, put it in the Hungarian daily newspaper, Magyar Nemzet on 13th January 2003.

The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of Hungary has been of great help to its members as well as to collectors. Due to the increase in online book trade, more and more people have „turned into” antiquarian booksellers, and the number of people selling second-hand books has risen dramatically. The expansion does not necessarily mean a rise in quality. In fact, it is more of a decline. Nevertheless, some positive tendecies can also be perceived: several of them have abandonned the second-hand booktrade, some have specialised in particular fields, and again, others have searched for international relations. The latter has motivated the Association to become member of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).

The last conference of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ of Hungary took place in March 2010, when the members voted to become part of ILAB. Our home association joined the international organisation with full rights of membership in the ILAB congress in Bologna in September 2010. The above-mentioned conference in March elected a new presidential board: Ádám Bősze is now responsible for the presidential duties, whereas as vice-presidents, Károly Antal, Lajos Borda, Károly Dankó and György Márffy are working towards the goal that the Association become a vital organisation for the profession while being members of an international network.