This year will see Firsts, London’s Rare Book Fair – the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association (ABA)’s annual flagship event – move to its spectacular new home at Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London, a fitting return for the UK’s most prestigious rare book fair.

Firsts London, which will take place from 21st-24th October 2021, expects to call the contemporary exhibition space home for the foreseeable future, part of an ongoing move by the ABA to invest long-term in the fair’s success and growth.

In line with previous editions, Firsts London 2021 will see leading international dealers present iconic rare books, manuscripts and works on paper from the ancient world through to the 21st century. Saatchi Gallery’s world-class gallery space will provide an outstanding location in London to showcase selections from some of the world’s finest book sellers.

This year, additional measures are being put in place to ensure Firsts London maintains a Covid-19 safe environment where visitors and exhibitors can enjoy the best the fair has to offer. The venue has recently installed a state-of-the-art ventilation system, and the fair will also put in place a one-way entry and exit system, in addition to several hand-sanitizing stations throughout the gallery spaces.

“This October Firsts London will offer booksellers and visitors a well-deserved and much anticipated opportunity to reconnect, meet and trade in Saatchi Gallery’s inspiring setting, which I am sure will be particularly appreciated by dealers and rare book enthusiasts alike following an eighteen-month period of only being able to attend online fairs and events,” says ABA President and Fair Chairman Pom Harrington.

“While the success of the online fairs proved the format has a permanent place in the antiquarian book selling landscape, there is nothing that compares to the atmosphere and sense of discovery that a real-life fair provides.