The World's Leading Prize honouring original contributions to the field of bibliography and book history
The ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography is sponsored by the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers with the generous support of the B. H. Breslauer Foundation. The 19th edition of the prize will be awarded in 2026.
Authors, publishers, academics, scholars, and the book trade are invited to submit works published between 2022 and 2026 for the ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography!
The prize is awarded every four years, with a first prize of US$10,000 and second and third prizes of US$5,000 and US$3,000 respectively. In addition to the prize, the judges may, at their discretion, award Honourable Mentions to other deserving entries.
Additional prizes of US$1000 for submissions from an Asian, African, and Central & South American publisher
For the 2026 Prize three additional awards of US$1000 each will be offered for a submission from an Asian, African, and Central & South American publisher or author in the field of bibliography, or book related history. These special awards are meant to encourage authors from these underrepresented regions to participate in the Prize thus helping ILAB to expand its mission of creating a worldwide network for booksellers, book collectors, librarians, and bibliographers.
ILAB would like to thank rare booksellers Asia Bookroom, Peter Harrington, Scott DeWolfe and Charles Kutcher for sponsoring these additional prizes.
Please do not hesitate to contact our Prize Secretary, Mr Daniel De Simone, or any member of the jury if you have any questions.
Only one copy is required for the submission.
The final date for the submission is May 1, 2026.
Submissions for the Prize should be sent to:
The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers
ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography
Peter Harrington
100 Fulham Road
SW3 6HS London
United Kingdom
2022 Submissions
99 for 2022!
The 18th edition of the prize was awarded on 14 September 2022 at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
99 outstanding publications were submitted for the 18th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography, a record number and a testimony to the active field of bibliography, book history and research.
Please take a look at the Submissions 2022 site above and view the wide range of subjects and languages that were on display.
Winners 2022
1st Prize:
Jack Baldwin, A Catalogue of Fifteenth-Century Printed Books in Glasgow Libraries and Museums, 2 vols (Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2020).
>> “A wonderful celebration of some sixty years working with books”
For more information about the 2022 prize and winners, please click HERE
2nd Prize:
Ernst Fischer; Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels – Historische Kommission, ed.: Geschichte des deutschen Buchhandels im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert Band 3 Drittes Reich und Exil. Teil 3: Exilbuchhandel 1933–1945 / 1; Teil 3: Exilbuchhandel 1933–1945 / 2; Teil 3: Exilbuchhandel / Supplement, 3 vols (Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter, 2020–21).
3rd Prize:
Renaud Adam, Vivre et imprimer dans les Pays- Bas Méridionaux (Des Origines à la réforme), 2 vols (Turnhout: Brepols, 2018).
Honourable Mention
Frank Romano (with Miranda Mitrano), History of Desktop Publishing (New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 2019).
ILAB & The B. H. Breslauer Foundation supporting a worldwide community of scholars, publishers & academics
The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, ILAB, the world’s largest network of professional rare booksellers, recognizes every four years the author of the best work, published or unpublished, of learned bibliography: research into the history of the book or book trade, book design or binding, typography, or books of general interest on the subject. Entries are not restricted to English language publications: all languages and places of publication are considered, by an international jury.
The ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography was founded in the early days of the League. In 2008, its name was changed into ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography to honour a very generous gift granted by the B. H. Breslauer Foundation. The Breslauer Foundation was set up by Dr. Bernard H. Breslauer (1918-2004), an ILAB bookseller who had a life-long passion for the field of bibliography
>> History of the Prize
>> All winners since 1967
This international Prize of $10,000 US is awarded every fourth year to the author(s) of the most original and outstanding published work in the broad field of bibliography. In addition, starting with the 2022 prize, the ILAB Committee and the Breslauer Foundation have agreed to assign a second and a third prize of the value respectively of US$ 5,000 and US$ 3,000 to the second and third most voted book. Apart from the Prize, the jurors may at their discretion award Honourable Mentions to other deserving entries.
The next ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography will be awarded in 2026.
