Used Book Search FAQ

This means the publisher no longer has it in stock and does not plan to reprint it. Even books only a year or two old can be out of print. When a book is out of print, it can no longer be ordered directly from the publisher or a wholesale distributor. There is, however, a large secondary market for books no longer in print, so we can usually find a copy for you.

A book search is a service in which a bookseller tries to find a particular title for a particular customer. We have have a lot of books - new, used, and collectible - in our shop, but when we do not have the volume you are seeking and it is not available new, we will connect with other dealers to try to locate the book for you.

Nothing. Really. If we find the book, you can pay for the book. Will the book cost a lot? No, not necessarily. You should count on any book costing at least $10-$15 though, because that's usually the minimum cost for searching, finding, and obtaining a book. Obviously the condition, edition, scarcity and desirability of a book will affect its price. If we find your book, we will give you a quote stating its condition and cost before you decide whether to order it, and there is no obligation to order it. So you have nothing to lose.

If we find the book, we will call (or email, if you prefer) with a quote with the bibliographic information of the book, i.e., the author, title, illustrator, publisher, copyright, edition, condition and price. If we have found more than one suitable copy with different info or price, we will give you multiple quotes. PLEASE NOTE: We will not proceed with an order until we get your OK on the quote. And depending on the timing, it is possible the copy we quoted will no longer be available. In this case, we will re-search and re-quote another copy.

You can assume the book is hardback unless otherwise stated. We will describe the book (and the dust jacket, if there is one) with a condition grade. Condition grades are commonly excepted withing the used and collectible book trade. Refer to our discussion of condition grades to better understand this scale and vocabulary. 

Here's the book you've been waiting for! An early edition in good shape with dust jacket what you want! And the price is reasonable! Simply respond to our quote promptly, and we'll order the book for you, and then hold it until you come to the store to pick it up, or otherwise give payment to have it mailed to you (or the recipient of your choice).

It takes some effort to search for books, so if you find it before we do or you get it for Christmas or whathaveyou, we would appreciate notice from you so we can discontinue our search. Likewise, a yea-or-nay reponse to our quote is very much appreciated. If the price is too high or the condition too rough, let us know so we can find a more appropriate copy for you. If we send you a quote and don't hear from you, we will remove your request from the search list.

Obviously, the more information you can give about the book you're looking for, the better. We don't need ISBN numbers, but a title and author certainly help. A title and brief description can usually do the trick. If we find multiple matches with different authors, we'll query you. If you want a specific edition, please tell us as much as you can about the publisher and date of publication.

Occasionally we can also recognize a book from your description of a childhood memory, but not always. Check out our Stump the Bookseller page to read some wild requests we've gotten, and requests that we have figured out. Feel free to help decipher any of the mysteries still outstanding.

We put a great deal of effort into a book search on the assumption that you really want the book. We ask that you give a prompt yea-or-nay reply to any quote we send about books found for you so we can promptly order them from our source or let that source sell the book to the next available customer. Our search is based on information that you provide, thus we must assume that it is accurate and that you really want Genevieve Foster's George Washington's World and not Jean Fritz' George Washington's Mother. Once ordered, the only acceptable reason for return is if the book is not as described.

There is a basic condition vocabulary and rating system amongst book dealers for describing books, and it works pretty well. We tend to overdescribe flaws and undervalue the condition grade so that the book looks better than you expected it would. But these are used books, descriptions tend to be subjective, and we are often relying on someone else's description of the book when we send you a quote. So if you think the book you receive is not as it was described, you may return it within ten days for a full refund, minus any shipping fees. Advance notice of your intent is appreciated.

Give us a call or send us an email (or stop in the shop). Tell us everything you know about the book, and we'll start searching. Easy. We look forward to hearing from you, and wish us both good luck in the quest.