Today in Amsterdam, Netherlands - SASCHA KOK AND ROSALBA HELP BUY BOOKS FOR THE CHILDREN IN SOUTH SUDAN

Back to Europe, to the Netherlands, for a moment. While I was blogging on the Portland Pop Up Fair, I received an email from Sascha Kok, antiquarian bookseller in Amsterdam. Today she and her family held an ILAB Pop Up Market in front of their antiquarian bookshop. Rosalba, Sascha's little daughter, stand in the cold outside all day to help raise funds.

Special thanks and warmest regards go to Rosalba Kok for her brave help for the children in South Sudan!

April 2016 – For immediate release. Pictures: ILAB, UNESCO, the organizers

AMSTERDAM – A Dutch and English Story in Pictures

By Frank Rutten

De aanloop.

Om 11 uur zou het schip van Mokum Mariteam voor onze winkel komen aanleggen. Dan zouden de deelnemende antiquaren, Die Schmiede, Kok, Spinoza, en Brinkman hun kramen aan boord inrichten, de stand voor de Unesco klaar maken en weer afvaren. Maar om 10 uur werd ik door de schipper gebeld met de medeling dat het schip die ochtend zware averij had opgelopen, en voor een paar weken uit de vaart zou zijn. Gelukkig kon dezelfde ochtend nog een vervanger gevonden worden, en rond twaalf uur konden we aan boord.

The running up.

Our ship was due at 11 o’clock in front of our shop. One hour before the skipper phoned informing me that the ship had suffered severe damage that very morning and was out of service for the next weeks. Luckily another smaller vessel was found as subsitute, and an hour later than planned the participating antiquarian bookdealers, Kok, Die Schmiede, Spinoza, and Brinkman, came on board, set up their stands and the UNESCO-posters, and up we went to our first landing stage.

De vaartocht.

De eerste stop was het Amstelveld, vervolgens gingen we naar het Rokin t/o de Bijzondere Collecties van de UvA, en tenslotte naar het Singel vlakbij onze winkel. Het was stralend weer, de boot was – ook al moesten we improviseren – opvallend opgetuigd, en we trokken veel bekijks. Nog meer kijkers trokken we toen Reinier Sijpkens zich met zijn Muziekboot bij ons voegde. Aan boord hadden we het genoeglijk met elkaar, een filmgroepje van de School voor Journalistiek te Utrecht was erbij om een reportage te maken.

Sailing the Amsterdam canals.

First call was at Amstelveld at half past one, off Prinsengracht. After that over Amstel river, right in the centre of our city, on Rokin, opposite of the Special Collections department of the University Library. Along the route we attracted a lot of attention from tourists and locals alike. We flew the Unesco Book & Copyright banners and ILAB and NVvA-flags. Here Reinier Sijpkens joined us in his ‘music boat’, a cockle-shell-boat furnished with a real organ, and trumpets. Fine water music we had, which he dedicated to Unesco and ILAB alternately. Last stop on Singel canal near our shop, Antiquariaat Brinkman, at 4 pm. We had a fine day, glorious weather, a very pleasant passage,company accordingly. A crew from the School of Journalism was on board, and filmed a news item with some in-depth interviews.

Opmerkingen achteraf.

Een leuke dag die het oude boek en de NVvA en de ILAB onder de aandacht van veel passanten en toeristen heeft gebracht. Ik denk dat de belangrijkste winst, behalve een gezellige dag voor de deelnemers, zit in het feit dat de ILAB voor het eerst een mondiale actie heeft gevoerd.

Some retrospective remarks.

We had a fine day, and brought ILAB and NVvA to the attention of a lot of passers-by and tourists. The main benefit of this day – besides having had a very nice day in the company of some fine colleagues – was that ILAB showed it can mount a good show wordlwide, and that we really felt part of a global network.

Video.

Voor een reportage van onze tocht gemaakt door René Krul zie deze link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyMLGIpRta4

Video.

For more extensive coverage of our Odyssee, please link to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyMLGIpRta4

(Text and pictures: Frank Rutten, NVvA)

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands - More impressions from the ILAB Pop Up Book Fair in Haarlem

The Dutch dealers are amazing, their events on UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day clearly belong to the highlights of 23 April 2015. The ILAB Pop Up Book Fair at Haarlem Station, waiting room at perron 3a, was organized by Antiquariaat A.G. van der Steur, Veilinghuis Bubb Kuyper and Antiquariaat De Vries en De Vries. They wrote to us:

"Lots of train travellers found it a lovely surprise to be able to visit a pop up book market just before entering their trains. Unfortunately no delayed trains (unusual for The Netherlands) so mostly short visits with enthusiastic people. The free book and print valuation was a great success. People had to stand in a line to wait for their turn. Many people liked to donate ..."

Thank you very much to the Dutch dealers at Haarlem and especially to Arine van der Lely-van der Steur for sending the lovely pictures.

Some days later - More ILAB Pop Up pictures coming in, and a wonderful video from Amsterdam

It's Monday 27, and we are still receiving pictures from the ILAB Pop Up Book Fairs worldwide, there are still tweets and posts in social media and press mentions, for example in Sweden or Cape Town or such exotic places as the Philippines, also on Book Patrol, Flavorwire and Fine Books and Collections. A list with press links will be on the blog in the course of this week.

The Guardian published a great article about the ILAB Pop Up Book Fairs and created an extra site where visitors could upload their pictures. A wonderful pictorial review of what was going on on 23 April.

And here is something special: a video of the Dutch booksellers and their floating Pop Up Book Fair in Amsterdam.

1 to 6 pm, Amsterdam - An ILAB boat for booklovers

Amsterdam is famous for its 17th century canals, called "grachten". On one of these boats the Amsterdam booksellers from Antiquariaat Kok, Die Schmiede, Antiquariaat Spinoza and Antiquariaat Brinkman held a floating ILAB Pop Up Book Fair today. The boat went from Amsterdam harbour to the city center over the Prinsengracht to Roking, opposite of the Special Collections Department  of the University Library, and landed finally at the Singel, the innermost canal of the old city of Amsterdam.

However, at first, the ship broke down before they could set sail, so while waiting for a replacement the Dutch dealers started selling the symbolic books in the street. Luckily another boat was found, and finally the wonderful journey could begin.

Enjoy the pictures:

Who said rare books and water don't mix? A floating ILAB Pop Up Book Fair in Amsterdam!

Have you ever to Amsterdam on a boat? The wonderful Dutch city is renowned for its 17th century canals or "grachten", where the Dutch antiquarian booksellers will host an extraordinary event on 23 April 2015 - a floating ILAB Pop Up Book Fair!

To celebrate UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day the rare book dealers on Antiquariaat Kok, Die Schmiede, Antiquariaat Spinoza and Antiquariaat Brinkman will cruise the canals on a barge which will be proudly flying the UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day colours. The Pop Up Book Fair Barge will navigate its way through the canals or "grachten" mooring at a number of places along its route to allow Amsterdamers and tourists alike to board, browse, buy books and donate to UNESCO's work for literacy.

Start of the barge:  1 pm at Amsterdam harbour

First mooring: 1.30 to 2 pm at Amstelveld on the corner of Prinsengracht

Second mooring:  2.30 to 3.30 pm on Roking opposite of the Special Collections Department  of the University Library

Third mooring: 4 to 4.30 pm on Singel at nr. 359 (Restaurant Vyff Vlieghen). Singel is the innermost canal of the old city of Amsterdam.

On the boat: Antiquariaat Kok, Die Schmiede, Antiquariaat Spinoza and Antiquariaat Brinkman

Do you need any further excuse to pack your bags and head for Amsterdam?

Books on boats, in the streets, at central stations and in library foyers - How the Dutch celebrate UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day 2015

This is amazing! The Dutch Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (NvVA) has 70 members, all professional rare book dealers and leading experts in their fields. Many of them will take part in the worldwide celebrations of UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day. They are organizing no less than FOUR ‪ILAB Pop Up‬ Fairs on 23 April 2015 - in the streets, at central stations, in libraries and on a boat! This is such a great way to promote the rare book trade, the fascination of books and importance of literacy.

Take the train to Haarlem or the boat to Amsterdam, go shopping in Groningen's Folkingestraat and enjoy the books at Antwerp's Biblioteek Permeke!

ANTIQUAREN MET UNESCO WERELDWIJD IN ACTIE VOOR HET BOEK

> The full program in Dutch can be found here!

Tot ziens!