Scholarships

ABAA Glaser Scholarship

ABAA Northern California Chapter

2026 George Robert Kane Memorial Scholarship

In memory of long-time member George Robert Kane (Oct. 6, 1913–Nov. 28, 2009), the Northern California Chapter of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America announces the availability of an Educational Scholarship for Summer/Fall 2026. In the interest of promoting professionalism and education relevant to the antiquarian book trade, persons currently working in or actively pursuing a career in the book trade are especially encouraged to apply.

The Scholarship will pay $1,500 towards participation in a course of study offered by the following programs in the Summer/Fall of 2026:

• California Rare Book School (Los Angeles);
• CABS-Minnesota (St. Olaf College);
• Rare Book School (Charlottesville, Virginia)

      All applications must be received by 5:00 p.m., Friday, March 27, 2026. The NCC/ABAA will notify scholarship applicants of its award decision via email by March 31, 2026.

Each application must include at least one written letter of support by a professional bookseller or rare book librarian, as well as the applicant's biography and essay.

Complete application and supporting letter may be submitted via a PDF email attachment to Zhenya Dzhavgova, NCC vice chair, at Zhenya@zh-books.com or by post to: Zhenya Dzhavgova, ZH BOOKS, 39321 Mariposa Way, Fremont, CA 94538.

To apply for the NCC/ABAA Educational Scholarship, please provide the following:

1. A completed copy of the application form.
2. A personal statement or essay (no longer than two pages) in which you describe your past or current experience in the world of rare books, your goals for the future, and what you hope to gain from the studies afforded by this scholarship.
3. Letter of support written by a professional bookseller or rare book librarian.

 Please email Zhenya Dzhavgova to obtain an application: Zhenya@zh-books.com

AbeBooks

To support and promote best practices in rare bookselling, AbeBooks.com is pleased to offer once again the chance to attend this year’s CABS-Minnesota, held in Northfield, Minnesota July 26-31, 2026. Please follow this link to apply.

The scholarships will cover the cost of both registration as well as the room and board. The sweepstakes will end on March 21, 202. Scholarships will be awarded within a week. There will be two lucky winners.

Bibliopolis

Bibliopolis is pleased to offer two scholarships to cover full cost of registration as well as the room and board fee for CABS-Minnesota in 2026.

Applicants should submit essays stating their reasons for wishing to attend. Preference will be given to those who demonstrate need.  Entries must be received no later than Monday, March 30, 2026. The winners will be notified within a week.

Please send essays via email with the subject line "Bibliopolis CABS-Minnesota Scholarship" to:

scholarships@bibliopolis.com

CABS Administered Scholarships

Thanks to the generosity of many members of the trade and the broader book community, CABS-Minnesota directly offers a number of full-ride scholarships. Applicants need send only a single application to qualify for all of the following CABS Administered scholarships .

Each scholarship covers the full cost of registration as well as the room and board fee to attend the 2026 CABS-Minnesota seminar in Northfield, Minnesota. Members of the trade, collectors, members of the book arts community, and librarians are all eligible for all scholarships. We especially encourage applicants from groups that have been historically under-represented in the trade. 

Applicants should submit their contact information along with an essay expressing need, their current status in the rare book trade, goals for the future, and what they hope to gain from the seminar. Supporting letters of recommendation are welcome, but not necessary.

The deadline to apply for the above scholarships is March 30th, 2026, and applicants will be informed of the results around April 17th, 2026.

Applications can be sent by mail or email to CABS scholarship coordinator Maria Lin:

Maria Lin
Rulon-Miller Books
400 Summit Ave
St. Paul, MN 55012
maria@rulon.com

If applying by email: PDFs very much preferred but not absolutely required.  Please include CABS SCHOLARSHIP in your email subject line. If letters of support are sent under separate cover, please let us know. All applications will receive a confirmation reply. If you do not receive one, please follow up to ensure your application is processed.

Between the Covers

The Between the Covers scholarship is offered thanks to the generosity of Tom and Heidi Congleton, of Between the Covers, long-time supporters of CABS.

Belle da Costa Greene

With the goal of actively working to achieve a more diverse and inclusive community of booksellers and librarians, thanks to the generosity of Lisa Unger Baskin, CABS-Minnesota offers the Belle da Costa Greene scholarship. 

This scholarship is especially intended for a bookseller or a librarian from an historically underrepresented community.

We encourage applications from booksellers, librarians and collectors who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, Asian American/Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, working class, persons with disabilities, and/or members of other self-identified communities of booksellers, librarians, members of the book arts community, and those with a strong interest engaging with the antiquarian book trade who might benefit from this scholarship.

This scholarship is named in honor of Belle da Costa Greene, the African-American librarian, bibliographer and director of the Morgan Library.

CABS Alumni Scholarship

Thanks to the continued generosity of seminar alumni and other Friends of CABS, CABS-Minnesota is pleased to offer the CABS ALUMNI scholarship.

Ciletti Scholarship

In honor of Mary and Jim Ciletti, the now-retired owners of Hooked on Books in Colorado Springs and longtime friends and supporters of the seminar, CABS-Minnesota is pleased to offer the Ciletti Scholarship.

Gallagher Scholarship

In honor of the late Don Gallagher, a Denver bookseller and close friend of the seminar for many years, CABS-Minnesota will award one scholarship in his name.

Wonder Book

With the goal of actively working to achieve a more diverse and inclusive book trade, thanks to the generosity of bookseller Charles Roberts of Wonder Book in Maryland, we offer the Wonder Book Scholarship.

We encourage applications from booksellers and prospective booksellers who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, Asian American/Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, working class, persons with disabilities, and/or members of other self-identified communities of booksellers or prospective booksellers with a strong interest in or experience with engaging in the antiquarian book trade who might benefit from this scholarship.

 

Harris Scholarship Travel Stipend

An anonymous donor has made a gift of $500 for supplemental scholarships as a travel stipend in memory of late bookseller and CABS graduate Craig Harris. All winners of 2025 scholarships without stipends will be considered for the one Harris travel stipend of up to $500. There is no need to make a separate application.

Craig Harris was a Chicago-based dealer in books from and about Asia, particularly Japan, with an expertise in Japanese swords and other antique Asian armaments. A self-proclaimed dead ringer for Harrison Ford, Craig was a decent, kind, and gentle soul; even while ill, he never hesitated to offer a shoulder to cry on, an arm to lean on, a hand to hold. After a drawn-out fight with cancer, he died in 2015 at the age of 62.

ILAB International Scholarship

The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers is pleased to offer again a scholarship for early-career booksellers.

The scholarship will cover the full CABS-Minnesota tuition fee and on-campus accommodation, which includes breakfasts and lunches Monday through Friday for the week of the seminar. It further includes a reimbursement of 75% of travel costs, capped at US$1500.

"ILAB and CABS-Minnesota are delighted to present this scholarship opportunity for the third time, inspired by the strong interest and exceptional caliber of applicants and participants in previous courses. The rare book trade thrives on international collaboration within a global marketplace, a spirit captured by ILAB's motto, 'Amor Librorum Nos Unit.' This partnership with ILAB reflects the faculty of CABS-Minnesota's commitment to upholding and fostering this tradition." CABS-Minnesota Scholarship Committee

Who can apply and how?

Applicants must be in the first 5 years of a full-time bookselling career and reside outside the USA. Applicants shall submit a letter of motivation (no more than two pages) explaining how they would benefit from attending the seminar.

 Key dates

Applications must be received by the ILAB Secretariat no later than 24 April 2026

The successful candidate will be chosen by the ILAB committee and will be informed after 8 May 2026.

Contact

Maria Lin, CABS-Minnesota Scholarship Coordinator: maria@rulon.com

Angelika Elstner, ILAB Secretariat: secretariat@ilab.org

IOBA

Rendell Scholarship

Kenneth Rendell, who began in the business of historical letters and documents in 1959, is offering one or more full scholarships to attend CABS-Minnesota in 2026. Each scholarship will cover the cost of registration plus room and board on campus (worth $2500).

This scholarship is open to any applicant with demonstrated interest in the antiquarian book or manuscript trade. Each application will be judged on the merits of a candidate’s application packet and an assessment of the candidate’s potential for growth and success in the trade. The number of scholarships awarded will depend on the number of qualified applicants.

Please include as your application an essay, explaining in as much depth and insight as reasonable, why you are interested in the rare book business, either in starting a business or working for a dealer, any experience you have had in the field, your personal reasons for pursuing this scholarship, how you view the factors that make a business successful—particularly, what you envision doing that will make you successful. Also, what do you believe will be useful to you from this program?  Additionally, please describe your financial situation and whether you need transportation funding

Essentially, convince us that it will be beneficial to the field, to yourself, and to a general appreciation of history, for you to attend CABS-Minnesota 2026.

To apply, please send your application essay (with your full name and contact information) directly to Kenneth Rendell. Deadline for application is March 30, 2026. Winners will be notified by April 4.

RMABA

Antiquarian Booksellers Association (RMABA) is pleased to renew the Helen & John Dunning Scholarship for $1800 to CABS-Minnesota for 2026. This scholarship covers full tuition. Room and board will remain a cost to the winner.

The RMABA scholarship honors Helen and John Dunning, longtime RMABA members and nationally known figures in the antiquarian book business.

Competition, like RMABA membership, is open to all book people who share the RMABA goals -- but we especially invite applications from residents of the traditional Rocky Mountain states: Colorado, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

To apply for the scholarship, applicants should:

1. Write a ONE PAGE letter telling the committee about yourself and why you should receive the RMABA Scholarship. Letters of support are welcome, but not required.

2. Email your application to abacusfinebooks@gmail.com 

3. Entries must be emailed no later than Monday, March 30, 2026.

The successful candidate will be notified on or before April 13.

Contact Richard Chant at abacusfinebooks@gmail.com for questions concerning the scholarship.

Soon Hood Memorial Scholarship

In memory of 2006 CABS graduate Soon Hood, an anonymous donor has sponsored a scholarship in her name to cover the full cost of registration, as well as on-campus room and board for the 2026 CABS-Minnesota seminar. Members of the trade, collectors, members of the book arts community, and librarians are all eligible for this award.

Soon Hood was a Korean-American bookseller who ran a small shop in Poulsboro, Washington, a town settled and largely inhabited by Norwegians. Due to her location, Soon was always seeking out Norwegian materials for her shop. (And if you think a Korean-American woman living in Washington State and interested in Norwegian books didn’t catch the attention of the faculty, you’d be wrong!) To the end, Soon was always cheerful, humorous, and happy; she never let on at all to colleagues about her illness and in 2012 she died of stomach cancer. She was 47.

An excellent bookseller, Soon Hood loved the book trade. She had many friends in the bookselling community and is very much missed.

Applicants should submit their contact information along with an essay addressing need, their current status in the rare book trade, goals for the future, and what they hope to gain from the seminar. Supporting letters of recommendation are welcome, but not necessary.

Deadline for applications is April 17, 2026, and winners will be notified within ten days. Applications can be sent by mail or email, to:

Rob Rulon-Miller 
Rulon-Miller Books 
400 Summit Ave 
St. Paul, MN 55102-2662 
rulon@rulon.com