Selling Secondhand Books
If you have items that you wish to sell, please email us
with full details of the items for sale and the price.
Please record all faults to avoid misunderstandings. Check our
book descriptions page
for guidance.
We buy both single items and large collections. Although we prefer to deal by post where
practical, if you have a lot of items for sale, we may be able
to come and look at them if you are in Southern England.
You can phone us too on (01329) 517724. Email is better if possible as it is easier to avoid mistakes
and we are likely to be able to make a more considered (and generally higher) offer.
We will respond to all requests with either an offer, or a polite refusal if we are not interested.
We buy non-fiction (the more unusual the better), first edition fiction, TV and film related items, humour, British comics, childrens fiction and annuals. We are also about the largest seller of secondhand books by the Folio Society in the UK. As a rule of thumb, we generally offer around £4 a volume for bulk purchases of Folio Society books in nice condition (pro rata for boxed sets) and £8-10 each for Easton Press volumes.
For high value items or large collections we also sell on commission. This may be appropriate for you if you are looking to maximise the amount you make for your items, and you do not need to see an
immediate return on them (although items generally sell quite quickly as we advertise extensively). Please contact us for further details.
We do not want items in poor condition, and we
also rarely buy items without dustwrappers (the paper cover) if they were issued with one
for anything after about 1930. We also rarely buy paperback fiction books, unless they are paperback originals,
i.e. first editions. Paperback non-fiction is of interest though, particularly quality material of a serious or academic nature, rather than layman books. Particular items generally not required are Reader's Digest editions, encyclopedias, book club editions, most fiction reprints, most fiction post-1970, most fiction without dustjackets and most fiction uniform sets (unless leather bound or high quality items). We pay a premium for items in fine condition,
particularly children's books, with bright covers, without cover damage and inscriptions.
See our book collecting articles for more information about
buying books for resale, and information about particular
authors and subjects.
As an example, we are always interested in the following:
Modern First Editions
AMIS, Kingsley pre-1960
AMIS, Martin pre-1980
AUDEN, W.H.
BALLARD, J.G.
BECKETT, Samuel pre-1960
BELLOW, Saul
BETJEMAN, John pre-1960
BOWEN, Elizabeth pre-1940
BURGESS, Anthony - pre 1960
BURROUGHS, William
CHANDLER, Raymond - All titles
CHRISTIE, Agatha pre-1960
DOYLE, Arthur Conan - particularly Sherlock Holmes of course.
FITZGERALD, F. Scott
FLEMING, Ian
FORSTER, E.M.
GREENE, Graham
HEMINGWAY, Ernest
HUXLEY, Aldous
ISHERWOOD, Christopher
JAMES, P.D.
JOYCE, James
KING, Stephen
LARKIN, Philip
LAWRENCE, D.H.
NABOKOV, Vladimir
ORWELL, George
POWELL, Anthony - All titles EXCEPT 'The Fisher King' and 'Oh how the wheel becomes it'.
Also any literary criticism about Powell, particularly 'The Dance to the Music of Time'
series.
SAYERS, Dorothy
TOLKIEN, J.R.
WAUGH, Evelyn
WELLS, H.G.
WODEHOUSE, P.G.
WOOLF, Virginia
Very Good or Fine copies of most pre-1970 first editions by most popular writers are
always considered. Also early reprints in dustwrappers may be of interest.
Non-Fiction
Fine copies in dustwrappers on most subjects, the more obscure the better. For examples, see our non-fiction catalogue below.
Topics sought include the following, but the more unusual the better so if you have books on taxidermy or puppetry please give us a call:
Architecture
Aviation
Ballet
Biography
Books
Erotica
First World War
History
Humour
Literature
Military
Music
Natural History
New Age
Poetry
Politics
Royalty
Second World War
Theatre
Theology
Trains
Travel
Children's
ADAMS, Richard - Watership Down.
BLYTON, Enid - Secret Seven, Famous Five, Five Find-Outers, 'Adventure' series, 'Mystery' series.
BRENT-DYER, Elinor - All titles, particularly the Chalet School series.
BUCKERIDGE, Anthony - All titles, particularly pre-1960 Jennings.
CROMPTON, Richmal - All William titles.
FAIRLIE-BRUCE, Dorita - All titles.
JOHNS, W.E. - All titles, especially Biggles of course.
RICHARDS, Frank - All titles.
ROWLING, J.K. - first editions in dustwrapper.
SAVILLE, Malcolm - All fiction titles, particularly the Lone Pine series.
Pre-1970 BEANO Annuals
Pre-1970 DANDY Annuals
Pre-1970 RUPERT Annuals
GILES Cartoon Annuals
GILES Cartoons (Numbered 1-10, i.e. 1946 to 1956).
GILES 'SPECIAL' - NUJ.
TV and Film
THE AVENGERS - Meet the Avengers Star Special. Will pay £25.
THE AVENGERS ANNUAL - 1967 (Emma Peel cover). Will pay £30.
THE AVENGERS versus The Mohocks (1960s one off UK magazine published by Thorpe and Porter). Will pay £25.
THE AVENGERS NUMBER 1 (1960s one off US magazine published by Goldkey). Will pay £15.
THE AVENGERS TV TIMES SPECIAL 1976 Will Pay £10.
Film Magazines and Annuals, preferably pre-1950
DOCTOR WHO ANNUALS (especially Hartnell 1966 'red' cover)
DOCTOR WHO and The Invasion from Space (Annual size hardback)
Comics
TV21 - any copies
LADY PENELOPE - any copies
COUNTDOWN - any copies
TV ACTION - any copies
TV TORNADO - any copies
LOOK-IN - any copies from 1971 - 1975
BEANO, DANDY, RUPERT comics pre-1970
DIANA pre-1970 only featuring THE AVENGERS
All pre-1970 Picture Library (COMMANDO, BEANO, SCHOOL FRIEND etc)
WESTERN COMICS(pre-1965)
We are always interested in bulk purchases of the above and other British comics,
preferably pre-1970 in nice condition.
Ephemera
THE AVENGERS bookmark silhouette of John Steed and Emma Peel on a playing card from 1960's.
Given away free with contemporary paperbacks. Will pay £15.
'It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature' - Henry James
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