ABEBOOKS.COM RECOGNIZED AT UNITED NATIONS WORLD SUMMIT AWARDS IN GENEVA AS TOP E-BUSINESS WEBSITE WORLDWIDE

(Geneva, Switzerland, December 9, 2003)-AbeBooks, the world's largest online marketplace for used, rare and out-of-print books, today announced it was awarded one of the highest honors bestowed on a high-technology company. AbeBooks.com was selected by the United Nation's World Summit international jury as one of the world's "best-in-class" examples of e-content and creativity. AbeBooks, the Victoria-based company that began listing books online for small rare book sellers in 1996, is very proud to be chosen as one of the 40 winning projects from over 800 that were nominated. The Company is delighted to participate in the 2003 World Summit Awards ceremony held in Geneva on December 10, 2003.

Hannes Blum, President & CEO of AbeBooks remarked, "What an outstanding testament to our website and the community that made it. I could not be more proud of the people-the booksellers, the booklovers, the staff-who make up AbeBooks. This achievement ranks number one on our list of accomplishments."

A jury of thirty-six WSA judges comprised of United Nations delegates, world leaders, and leading figures in the arts, culture and technology selected AbeBooks.com from over 130 competing products as one of five world-class products in the category of e-business. Judging was based on quality of content, ease of use, value through interactivity, attractiveness of design, quality of technical craftsmanship, and strategic importance for development of a global information society.

AbeBooks is one of only eight companies in Canada to be selected for this prestigious award. AbeBooks.com will be showcased around the world in WSA events taking place on all continents during 2004 and 2005.

AbeBooks executives will attend the ceremony this week in Geneva to present AbeBooks.com to the world as part of the Canadian Pavilion. These events are attended by leading representatives from UN member states governments, private sector companies, and civil society.

About World Summit Awards
The World Summit Awards are an international competition taking place every two years to celebrate creative digital products from around the world. Over 800 products from more than 130 countries were nominated this year, all of which are reviewed by an international jury. The jurors select five finalists from eight categories as examples of "best-in-class" products. The WSA's goal is to "make existing excellence visible." www.wsis-award.org

About AbeBooks
AbeBooks is the world's largest online marketplace for used, rare, and out-of-print books with over 50 million books listed by 12,000 booksellers. AbeBooks connects those who buy books with those who sell books, providing abundant selection at affordable prices. AbeBooks is a global company based in Victoria BC, with websites dedicated to book buyers in North America (AbeBooks.com), the UK (AbeBooks.co.uk), France (AbeBooks.fr), and Germany (AbeBooks.de). Through strategic partnerships with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and eBay/Half.com, AbeBooks has become the most important virtual supplier of used books while expanding sales avenues for booksellers.
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Contacts
Richard Davies, PR & Publicity Mgr., AbeBooks.com
Ph: 250-412-3238
rdavies@abebooks.com