The Martin Breslauer Archive at the State Library Berlin

The exhibition was arranged to coincide with the ceremony of the 19th ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography on 17 September 2026 during the 2026 ILAB Symposium.

Martin Breslauer (1871–1940), once known as the König der Antiquare (King of Antiquarian Booksellers), established his own business in Berlin in 1905, close to the Royal Library on Unter den Linden. His bookshop housed an extraordinary reference library of some 21,000 volumes, reflecting the scholarly foundations of his profession. By the time he closed his Berlin business in 1936, Breslauer had published 52 catalogues containing approximately 50,000 descriptions.
Forced to leave Germany in 1937, Martin Breslauer settled in London, where he died in 1940. His wife Margarete and son Bernd H. continued the business, first in Britain and later in New York.

The archive, preserved at the Staatsbibliothek, provides valuable evidence of his professional activities and the international networks of the antiquarian book trade. Particularly significant are his personal correspondence, annotated sale and auction catalogues, and records documenting the movement of books and manuscripts between collections.

ILAB Breslauer Prize Jury Chair, Dan De Simone, said in his speech at the ceremony: "Here we are in Berlin at the State Archive where the history of this great nation is stored and used by scholars from all over the world. I want to thank all the members of the Staff who have helped us this week and especially make mention of Carolin Hahn and Dr Achim Bonte.
We are certainly in the right place to make these awards today, because the State Archive is the home of the Breslauer Archive, which contains the history of this great bookselling family, beginning with Martin Breslauer, his wife Margarete and their son Bernard, whose generous gift had funded this important prize since 2001. I think Martin and Bernard would be extremely proud to know that their love of bibliography and the antiquarian book trade was being celebrated here in their place of birth and that the recognition of the following dedicated bibliographers and book historians was being presented in their name."

The display during the 2026 ILAB Symposium included a handwritten letter from Martin to Margarete dated 7 September 1922, alongside annotated auction catalogues from Berlin in 1926 and London in 1950. The latter bears annotations by Margarete and Bernhard H. Breslauer, illustrating the continuation of the family's bookselling activities as well as a photograph of Martin Breslauer with Swedish librarian and bibliographer Isak Collijn outside the Lübeck City Library in 1923 .

ILAB extends its sincere thanks to the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin for making this special display possible and offering a fascinating glimpse into the life and work of one of the most remarkable figures in the history of antiquarian bookselling.

Handwritten letter, 7 September 1922
The label identifies this as an autograph letter from Martin Breslauer to Margarete Breslauer, written at Bad Eilsen, Schaumburg-Lippe, Fürstenhof.
Nachl. 307 (Antiquariat Breslauer), III. 1. 1922–1923, Bl. 6–7.

London auction catalogue, 1950
This is an annotated copy of Catalogue No. 72, London, 1950, with handwritten notes by Margarete and Bernhard H. Breslauer.

Auction Catalogue of the Antiquarian Bookshop Martin Breslauer, Berlin.
An interleaved working copy containing numerous annotations by Martin Breslauer, including a calculation concerning a payment of 130 Reichsmarks for the Prussian State Library.
Catalogue No. 37, Berlin, 1926 (auction held on 13 March 1926), 72 pages.