Book Finds - Book Review

Book Finds - How to find, buy and sell used and rare books
3rd Edition
Ian C. Ellis
Berkley Publishing 2006
First Edition Published 1996

Everything you ever wanted to know about buying and selling used and rare books. How to buy and sell books using very little cash. Most dealers use trades to do business.


I remember back in New Zealand whenever I would haunt the shelves of my favourite local book shop (The Hard to Find but Worth The Effort Second Hand Book Shop). If I had books to trade, I was always offered trade or cash. If I needed the cash immediately I would take the cash, otherwise I usually took the trade.

I found this book to be a very readable and a very educational book. Ian Ellis has been a book dealer for 20 years. He currently owns a bookshop somewhere in the USA from which specializes in science fiction and mysteries. If anyone knows where his bookshop is, or what his webpage URL is, please let me know. Thanks. There is a vague mention of a website www.bookfindsonline.com but it seems to be offline.

Anyway this book is very detailed for anyone who is interested in getting started with running their own bookshop, how to get started and what to look for when one are buying books.

Chapters include The Book (history of the book); Edition, Condition and Scarcity; Book Scouting; Book Trading; The Internet; Auctions And Catalogues; Signed Editions and Ephemera; Book Repair and Restoration.

Oh yes, and I read this book for the Non Fiction Challenge.