What is Lambiek?

Lambiek is Europe's first comics shop, and the finest of Holland. Founded in 1968 on the Kerkstraat in Amsterdam, the Lambiek name is derived from a popular Willy Vandersteen comics character, and now is probably the oldest existing comics shop in the world. As publisher and editor of two comic encyclopedias and other related books, we are widely recognized for our expertise on all matters concerning comics and sequential art.

Lambiek.Net, online since 1994, presents the Comiclopedia - a comics compendium with over 9,950 comic artists from around the world. We are always adding new artists, and we welcome your comments and updates.

The English version of our History of Dutch Comics makes good use of our vast collection of old and rare comics, excerpted from our 100-page Dutch version.

Lambiek hosts the annual 24 Hour Comics Day in Amsterdam, and last year's event was on the weekend of 20-21 October 2007.

Nearly 20 local artists created a 24-page comic in 24 hours, with artists in 90 other locations participating around the world.

In December 2004, Lambiek comic shop and art gallery moved down the street to Kerkstraat 132, near the Hans Brinker hotel, and it's better than ever! Come by and see our huge selection of old and new books. Read the March 2005 newsletter for details.

Visit Lambiek for comics and artwork!

You don't have to make a special trip to Amsterdam just to buy books and art from Lambiek, now that our online store is opening. Shop for books and artwork by many comic artists, or browse some original artwork for sale in our virtual expositions, featuring works by great artists like Chris Ware, Peter Pontiac, Pascal Doury, Jim Woodring and Robert Crumb.

With a continuous 39-year tradition of helping people find something unique and interesting every time they visit, Lambiek has kept them coming back. We have many signed silkscreen posters and many original works from some of the best comic artists in the world, and a few are available on our specials pages.