Established 1976. Open shop in Victoria BC, Open Wed-Sun 11-5. Specialists in weird, fantastic, supernatural,utopian, interplanetary, science fiction and lost race fiction; also rare books, literary first editions, poetry broadsides. Antiquarian maps, charts, views, prints, engravings.
where to find rare books in toronto
The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is a library in the University of Toronto, constituting the largest repository of publicly accessible rare books and manuscripts in Canada. The library is also home to the university archives which, in addition to institutional records, also contains the papers of many important Canadian literary figures including Margaret Atwood and Leonard Cohen.
Our collection of rare books, manuscripts and other materials is strongest in the fields of British, European, Caribbean and Canadian literature; philosophy; the history of science and medicine; Canadiana; Hebraica and Judaica; and the history and art of the book.
Stephen Fowler (SF): If you are familiar with the W.W. Jacobs piece, you know that the message of that story is "be careful what you wish for." Several years before I opened the shop, I already knew that I'd like to create a bookstore where people would be surprised by unexpected books (not the book you're looking for, but the one you didn't even know existed). So the "careful what you wish for" sentiment seemed to apply... plus, "The Monkey's Paw" is a memorable and somewhat creepy title, which also seemed fitting!
After we'd had the machine for a while, I came to understand that the reason it suited the shop so well was because it basically provided the Monkey's Paw experience in miniature: for people who didn't have the time, patience, or money to browse the shelves, it was an instantaneous way to get the thrill of bibliographic discovery. Some of my acquaintances in the book trade dismiss the Biblio-Mat as a cheap gimmick, and accuse its users of not being "serious" book people (and indeed our more experienced customers do prefer to spend their time browsing the shelves, rather than feeding tokens into the machine). But having seen literally tens of thousands of budding bibliophiles receive books from the Biblio-Mat, I can attest that its users are mostly curious, open-minded, and prepared to find interest and amusement in whatever the machine selects for them. And through it, we've been able to find homes for countless orphaned old books.
SF: However difficult it may be to sell old books, it's definitely MORE difficult for me to find them (buy them). Although millions of books were printed in the 20th century, the interesting and valuable ones are becoming rather scarce at this point; and to keep up with the demand, I'm constantly scrambling to find more. If I keep the business going for another decade or two, I'll eventually run into a situation where I simply can't find the sorts of books I like to sell, in the quantities necessary. To steal a phrase from the oil industry: I feel like we may have reached "peak book."
SF: Unlike many of my colleagues in the rare book trade, I don't really care so much about terrifically valuable books. I'd rather sell 20 interesting old books for $50 each (or 50 books for $20 each!) than a single elite rarity for $1,000. That said, I do occasionally come across something quite remarkable, and of course I'm happy to sell it for good money. A particularly scarce item I once turned up was an enormous trilingual lexicon printed in German, Latin, and ancient Greek, published in Alsace in 1587. I happened to find a customer for it on a bitterly cold winter day, when the furnace at my house had broken down; I sold the book for the exact price of a very expensive furnace repair!
We are always purchasing good books. We seek out and pay a premium for, valuable books, including rare books, fine bindings, illustrated books, first editions, signed books, and more. We also offer book searches, acquisitions development consultations, appraisals, movie rentals, and mail orders.
AbeBooks' uniqueness is our network of independent booksellers who work with us to provide the most diverse selection of rare, used and out-of-print books on the Internet. It is these sellers, with their experience, commitment and love of the used and out-of-print book business who help all our buyers find that treasure they've been looking for.
The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto features several large collections: the Hannah Collection is one of three major collections in the history of Medicine in Canada, with the Osler Library and the Woodward Collection at the University of British Columbia. The collection covers all aspects of medicine, and is particularly strong in the areas of obstetrics and gynecology, anatomy, dentistry, psychoanalysis, and Canadian medical history. Other strengths of the collection are popular medicine, pharmacoepias, eighteenth-century British medical works, treatises on the plague, vaccination, and ephemeral publications, such as patent medicine literature.The library also includes the Toronto Academy of Medicine rare book collection, which includes theT.G.H. Drake Collection of pediatric books (1200 items), the Kilgour Collection of Chinese medicine, and several manuscripts, notably the casebooks and personal papers of Ontario doctors. There is a collection in the history of the discovery of insulin in Canada, the Frederick Banting Papers, to which were added the Charles Best Papers and James B. Collip Papers. The Florence Nightingale Papers have twenty autographed letters written between 1873 and 1879 by Miss Nightingale to her friend and disciple Annie Machin, who had gone to Montreal to establish a nurses' training school at the Montreal General Hospital. The library also contains the Charles M. Godfrey collection of medical caricatures, featuring cartoons by Alken, Bunbury, the Cruickshanks, Gillray and Rowlandson.
Please search or browse our inventory of hard to find, out of print, used, and rare books. If you can't find what you like please fill out our off-line search form and we will search our off-line inventory, other bookstores and book search services for you.
Our King Street store carries a large inventory of rare books published from the 15th to the 20th centuries and a selection of current in-print titles with a focus on art books and modern reads. We also sell antique maps & prints, original art with a Canadian specialization, 20th century Canadian and International etchings, linocuts, aquatints and lithographs, vintage posters, manuscript documents, antique jewellery, vintage stamps and coins. Custom framing is also available at our three locations.
Beautiful oversized photography and artbooks; antique, rare and vintage editions; obscure and wonderful poetry and philosophy and the latest paperbacks you've been meaning to read... come get them all.
We specialize in first editions of English and American literature, literary letters and manuscripts, livres d'artistes and illustrated books, and also carry a variety of interesting and rare books and manuscripts in other fields: European literature, fine and designer bindings, Americana , science, travel, music, etc.
We buy and sell rare and unique texts of all topics and bindings, with specific focuses on theology, history, literature, illustrated works, fine bindings, and vellum bound books from the 16th to 17th century.
Liesl Weiss long ago learned to be content working behind the scenes in the distinguished rare books department of a large university, managing details and working behind the scenes to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she's left to run things, she discovers that the library's most prized manuscript is missing.
Rare and antique books can be collectible items if they are in good condition and in demand, but it can be hard to determine whether your books are valuable and, if they are, where to sell them to get the best price for your items. Rare and antique book buyers often frequent certain web pages and auction sites in the hopes to find themselves a special edition. Whether you are selling old classics, rare cookbooks, or a signed first edition, we have a few tips and tricks to help you out.
BookScouter.com is a great option if your rare book has an ISBN number. Simply enter the number and receive offers from over 30 buyback vendors, allowing you to find the vendor ready to buy your book. For older books without an ISBN number, however, you cannot use this site. There are several alternatives that we recommend. They are:
It is important, however, to note that even if a book is rare and copies are difficult to get, it may not be valuable. To help understand how in-demand your book is, look for the ISBN number, as you can use this to find the exact details of your book.
If you are looking where to sell your antique books, online rare book auctions are a great way to do so, as this is a great platform to expose your book to rare book buyers around the world. An auction houses job is to market their products effectively to the correct audience, meaning that they may be able to get you a great price for your book.
Parting with a special old or rare book that you have owned for a while can be a difficult experience, even if you are looking to sell it on to someone who will appreciate the text as much as you, you may miss owning it yourself. When you do sell your book, however, it is important that you first ascertain its value and then find a suitable platform to sell it in to help you get the best deal.
We welcome enquiries from school, college and university teachers wishing to use our collections with their student groups. There is teaching space available next to the reading room where groups can work, with capacity for up to 15. Members of the curatorial team are happy to assist if required with handling advice or technical information. If you are interested, please email rarebooks@lib.cam.ac.uk giving at least a week's notice before your preferred date. 2ff7e9595c
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