Established in 1966, the ABAC is the premier organization of professional antiquarian booksellers in Canada. Our Association promotes interest in rare books, and our members actively buy, sell, evaluate and appraise antiquarian and modern books and manuscripts.

Confidat Emptor
The Purchaser Is Assured

Welcome to the website of The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Canada - the ABAC! We know full well that in this day and age, it's easier to search for out-of-print books than ever before. Whether you're a collector seeking that elusive piece, or a reader hankering after that book you first read as a child, or simply hoping to replace a favourite volume which your good friend says you didn't lend him, the chances are there's a copy out there somewhere on the web. But ... can you be sure that the copy you find will turn out to be as described? Anyone, it seems these days, can be a bookseller: it's easy enough to set up a website, or list some books on one of the many book databases, but no professional criteria need be met.

On the other hand, if you deal with a professional bookseller who is a member of a recognized national trade association, this uncertainty is removed. The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) is a worldwide organization of twenty-three such associations (including the ABAC) all of whose members abide by a strict code of conduct. Anything purchased from them is guaranteed to be as described, or your money back. At the ABAC we go one step further. No caveat emptor required here: in fact our motto is confidat emptor "The purchaser is assured"!

Here on our website you'll find details of more than sixty Canadian booksellers, some of whom have open shops, some who operate on the internet and/or by catalogue, some who exhibit at book fairs, and some who offer a combination of these. Each is committed to providing a professional service in his or her area of expertise, and will be glad to hear from you.

So go ahead; buy (or sell) with confidence, from any of our ABAC members, or our international colleagues. If you find something in a bookshop, or on the internet, make sure that the seller displays the ABAC or ILAB logo: it's your guarantee!

Wilfrid de Freitas
Former President ABAC