Selling your books to Books Tell You Why

On an ongoing basis we receive inquiries from people who are hoping to sell their books, from single items to entire collections. If you would like to contact us with books to sell, please review the information we will need to determine whether your items may be of interest to us, photos/images/scans prove very helpful:

  • Title/Copyright page information, including author, title, date, publisher and city of publication.
  • Edition or printing information, if known
  • Book/Binding description (Is it leather or cloth? Is the entire book bound in leather or just the spine? Are the page edges gilded or otherwise colored?
  • Detailed condition description. Please note any significant flaws or defects, markings, inscriptions, etc. to the binding or text.
  • Is the book signed or inscribed by the author? Is there any dedication to an individual? Does the book have an interesting history or provenance?
  • If it is a 19th, 20th, or 21st-century book, does it still have its paper dust jacket, and if so, what condition is it in?
  • Is the book housed in any protective or decorative case, is is a simple slip case or decorative clam-shell case? What is its condition?
  • If it is a set, how many volumes does it have? Are any volumes missing?

Please contact us per e-mail, phone, or mail to send above information. We will contact you shortly after having received it. We may need additional information or make arrangements to view your items.

Please keep in mind that we do not purchase many of the books offered to us as they are neither collectible, rare or first editions, or are in poor condition, incomplete, or are not in line with our focus areas.

As we are aiming to sell our books at fair market prices, we obviously need to purchase them at a cost below market price.

Please note that we do not provide appraisals or assessments of a book's value. There are many professionals offering this service for a fee.

We also encourage you to make use of our Rare Book Forum, where you can showcase your books and offer them for sale to our visitors.