Tom Congalton, newly elected ILAB President (image via ILAB) Thomas Congalton, proprietor of Between the Covers Rare Books, Inc. and long-time ABAA member, was elected ILAB President yesterday at the annual President's Meeting. His election by his international colleagues, all Presidents of their respective national associations, was unanimous. The meeting took place during the 40th ILAB Congress, held this year in Lucerne, Switzerland. The Congress will be followed by the 24th ILAB International Book Fair in Zurich, which will run from September 27-30.

Tom Congalton is one of America's foremost authorities on Modern First Editions and 20th Century Literature (if you're interested in this genre and aren't familiar with Tom, take note!). He established his firm in 1985 and became an active member of the ABAA after joining in 1990. Tom is a past-President of the ABAA (2000-2002) and has been a member of the ILAB Committee since 2006. Over the years he has played a vital role in the both organizations, working diligently on domestic and international matters that affect the antiquarian book trade. Tom's election was received by a standing ovation from all those in attendance at the President's Meeting, and outgoing President Arnould Gertis made the following remarks:

Tom Congalton, over a long period of time, has shown his great commitment to the League and his concise, short but always accurate comments on various topics, his impartial but clever and clear judgements, and his capacity to quickly see and understand the essence of a problem, make him the perfect new President of ILAB. He has been a wonderful Vice-President and I owe him a lot of thanks for his unfailing commitment, support and intelligent contributions to our discussions. To continue the metaphor coined by Adrian Harrington in 2010: the Ship of ILAB is safe in the good hands of Tom.

We are so proud of and excited for Tom, and know that he will be an outstanding President. Congratulations and cheers!

Want to learn a little bit more about Tom Congalton? Check out this video interview.