News | February 22, 2013

St. Bride Foundation to be the Official Charity of the London Book Fair

The ABA (Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association) is delighted to announce that the St Bride Foundation will be the official charity of the London International Book Fair which opens on Thursday June 13 and runs until Saturday June 15.


The St Bride Foundation was created in the 1890s originally as a social, educational and cultural centre and housed both a technical library and printing school providing tuition for local printers and students. The school eventually outgrew its premises and relocated, ultimately becoming part of what is now the London College of Communication. Much of the equipment remained on site and a new Printing Workshop re-opened in 2010 bringing the teaching of printing back to Fleet Street. The Foundation still provides a theatre, bar, function rooms for hire, and the only library in the UK entirely devoted to the history of printing and allied crafts.

As Chief Executive Glyn Farrow explained: “We are delighted to have been asked by the Book Fair to be its official charity. We are looking forward to the 2013 fair where we will offer a variety of workshops and demonstrations by the skilled crafts people who still work with us today. We hope that this association will generate awareness of the Foundation and the wonderful facilities we have to offer. During the last year we have forged strong links with ABA and are now enjoying a really positive and supportive partnership.”


The London International Antiquarian Book Fair is the oldest book fair in the UK. Now in its 56th year, it will be taking place in the National Exhibition Hall at Olympia for the second year running. It also returns to its traditional dates in June and will once again coincide with the second weekend of the Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair, held in the Grand Hall next door. 


So far, 164 exhibitors from 20 countries have registered to exhibit at the Fair - almost 100 more than at this point in 2012. Among the 20 new exhibitors for 2013 are Antiquariato Librario Bado e Mart of Padua (Italy); Libreria Alberto Govi di Fabrizio Govi and Studio Montespecchio di Jan van der Donk - both of Modena (Italy); Antiquariat Burgverlag and Antiquariat Johann Anton Schantl - both of Vienna, Austria; L'Intersigne Livres Anciens and Jean-Baptiste de Proyart - both of Paris; Librairie Ancienne Ormara of Versailles (France); Eric Zink Livres Anciens of Le Vésinet (France) and Antiquariaat Dik Ramkema from the Netherlands. From the United States - Books Tell You Why of South Carolina; Productive Arts of Ohio and Musinsky Rare Books and Schubertiade Music & Arts - both from New York, and British dealers such as Ashley Baynton-Williams of London; Roland Belgrave Vintage Photography Ltd of Brighton; Sophie Dupré of Wiltshire; Paul Grinke of London; Madoc Books from North Wales and York Modern Books of York. Antiquariat Turszynski of Munich (Germany) is returning after a 7-year gap.


For more information please visit www.olympiabookfair.com or follow the Fair on Twitter @OlympiaBookFair.