Who we are & what we do

   Founded in 1956, The Private Libraries Association is an international society for collectors of rare antiquarian books, modern fine-press books, books by particular authors, illustrators and publishers, books on specialist subjects, and much besdides... 

   Above all, the PLA is for those who collect books for the pleasure of handling and reading and ownership, and for the joys of a book simply as an object, written, designed, printed, bound, and associated with care and attention and love.

   We publish the well-regarded quarterly journal, The Private Library, which prints serious (and not so serious!) essays by members and others about their libraries, specialised collections, the work of interesting printers and private presses, illustrators, and bookbinders, and any other aspect of 'the book' likely to appeal to collectors.  Reviews of new books are also a regular feature. 

   A series of illustrated works on specialised aspects of book collecting has been issued over the past fifty years, and you'll find those still in print described in our current Books Catalogue HERE. 

   Also available is the annual bibliography Private Press Books, the definitive checklist for private press output worldwide, in English, from 1960 to 2010. We are proud to say that The Private Libraries Association has published PPB since 1959.

   And of course we welcome new members... See below.