YABS is a popular educational programme that teaches aspiring booksellers the fundamentals of the rare book trade. Taught by leading members of the UK and international book trade, the course is aimed at both complete beginners and more experienced book dealers
continuing their professional development.

We founded the not-for-profit course in 2014 with fellow director Jonathan Kearns. As YABS directors & organisers, we hosted over 200 students through seven annual seminars, before we handing over the day to day running of YABS to the ABA in 2022.

It’s a special event, based on sharing knowledge within the trade, and it became a word of mouth success from the first seminar. We’re proud of what we achieved on behalf of our students, and goes without saying it wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of the many people involved in the event, including speakers, faculty, scholarship providers, sponsors, and the ABA and PBFA trade associations.