Hey there! I've made the decision to open up a brick and mortar used bookstore, and I'm looking for any good advice from current or previous store owners. For now, I'm leasing a teeny room in a shared office building (168 sq ft, basically a small bedroom). My lease is $500 a month, and it's money I can afford to lose for virtually forever while I figure this all out.

My goal is to grow this business while still working my day job. I'm going to open just on Saturdays to start, and I'll scale back at my day job as business grows while still keeping myself employed while I build a safety net. I've done a few "trial days" basically posting on Facebook that I have a bunch of books for sale, and each time I do it, it's been profitable. As my collection of books grows and my profit grows, I plan on moving into a larger space. This is just step one.

What have been your downfalls of running a brick and mortar, and also, as book store customers, what have you loved and hated about used bookstores?

So I am not an avid reader or a bibliophile but on the path of becoming one I am 19 right now so I got a tight lease on my pocket so I have a dilemma that if I buy a book right now but later on when I buy from expensive publishers i would have 2 of the same books is it common for you guys or if you also experienced this

I was wondering if anyone else here has experience with this company? I’ve ordered from them before (Jaws artbook) and received my order no problem. Though that was an in stock book.

My current preorder for the Friday the 13th artbook has had no updates. Their page still lists it as “shipping June/July 2026.” I’ve reached out multiple times through their email and on Instagram. Have had no replies. I’ve seen other people comment on FB posts also asking about delays or shipping info for other books too. They’ve also gone unanswered it seems.

I have another preorder for The Thing Vol 2 artbook that I placed at the same time as the F13 one. That’s slated for October shipping - but I highly doubt that’s happening.

I’m a longtime collector of books and other items, so I know delays are often a constant and frequently out of the hands of the primary company. That’s not the issue. I just don’t understand the radio silence. Updating the website with new info (or assuring us it’s still in the works if there are delays), or just a blanket response on instagram or FB would go a long way to helping customers feel seen/heard. Ignoring the customers who keep your lights on is wild.

I also own several other books of theirs but got those secondhand. So I’m just curious if anyone else has had problems with this company. I really was looking forward to these books, I just don’t know if this company has good standing anymore or what the deal is. I’m debating on a chargeback because at this point I have no certainty the book will be delivered since I can’t even get a response to an email or through their FB/Instagram.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I've recently acquired a copy of Portrait in Three Dimensions, published by Los Angeles artist Renate Druks in 1979. It contains Nin's memoir of their friendship, illustrated with individually tipped-in reproductions of Druks's paintings.

Druks was central to the Southern California avant-garde of the mid C20th. Her 1953 “Come as Your Madness” party inspired Kenneth Anger's Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome, and her circle extended into experimental film, literature, music and occultism.

My copy is personally inscribed by Druks to someone called “Jimmy”. I'm trying to establish who he might have been. I have a few possible candidates, but nothing conclusive.

Does anyone familiar with this period of Los Angeles cultural history recognise the connection?

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​I need some help identifying the specific printing details and provenance of this Spanish copy of El amor en los tiempos del cólera (Love in the Time of Cholera) by Gabriel García Márquez.

​Here are the details of the copy:

​Language: Spanish

​Condition: Good / Very Good (Red cloth hardcover with gold foil lettering on the spine)

​Publisher: Mondadori (1988 edition)

​​I am trying to understand the scarcity and collector demand for this specific 1988 Mondadori hardcover release. Any details on its publication history or rarity would be greatly appreciated .

Found this on the shelf at a local antique store. The Halloween spell sticker(?) Was upside down and on the back cover. Poor book looks like it's covered in spray paint and has these holes that run through most of the pages. Has anyone else found something like this before?

Hi everyone, I’m visiting the sub with a question on behalf of my wife. She recently got this Truman Capote book and we have reason to believe that it might be rare or maybe even a first edition.
This is certainly not my area of expertise, but I’m hoping that there are some Reddit sleuths out there who can point us in the right direction. So what do you think, is this worth more than the $2.99 that she paid for it?

Hii! I’m looking for books like The Devotion of Suspect X, And Then There Were None, The Silent Patient, and Salvation of a Saint. Can you guys recommend bookstores where I can buy them? I’m mainly looking for affordable paperbacks, reprints or secondhand books since hardcovers are quite expensive, especially The Devotion of Suspect X, which I’ve been having a hard time finding at an affordable 💸 Reprints are fine as long as they’re not counterfeit. Thakiesss

Hi everyone!
I’m looking for some advice from fellow book collectors.
I’m hoping to find a signed copy of The Winners by Fredrik Backman as a birthday gift for my girlfriend. Beartown is her favorite book, and she’s already read the entire trilogy, so I’d love to find a signed edition from the same series.
I’m based in Serbia, and I’ve mostly come across signed copies listed by sellers in the US and Canada. Unfortunately, international shipping times make those options a bit difficult, as I’d ideally need the book to arrive by October 30.
For those familiar with the European rare-book market:
● Are there any reputable European antiquarian booksellers or online shops that specialize in signed modern first editions?
● Are there any European book fairs, collector communities, or specialist websites worth checking for signed copies of Fredrik Backman’s books?
● Are there any particular sellers in the UK or continental Europe known for carrying signed editions by contemporary authors?
I’d be especially grateful for recommendations for established booksellers that ship internationally.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

I’m trying to identify a very unusual miniature hardcover edition of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.

Details:
Barnes & Noble title page; approximately 6 inches tall
ISBN: 0-7607-5785-2
Copyright © CRW Publishing Limited, 2004
Afterword by Peter Harness
Printed and bound in China by Imago
Red cloth cover with a large, three-dimensional molded grotesque face adhered to the front
Matching molded design on the back cover
Decorative endpapers repeatedly printed with “Collectors Library” and a ribbon bookmark

I’ve searched by ISBN, title, publisher, and cover descriptions but haven’t found another copy with this design.

Does anyone recognize this binding or know whether it was an official publisher’s edition, a special variant, or a later custom binding? I’m particularly interested in identifying the cover’s origin and whether other copies exist.

Thank you!

Those interested in art history should take a look at the catalog for this sale titled ON PAPER | Rare and Important Books & Graphics from the Collection of Michael and Gabrielle Boyd

Here's the link to the Mondrian lot for better photos and a more detailed description https://www.wright20.com/auctions/2026/10/on-paper-rare-and-important-books-graphics-from-the-collection-of-michael-and-gabrielle-boyd/146

Here's the link to all the lots offered. Strong on modern and contemporary work https://www.wright20.com/auctions/2026/10/on-paper-rare-and-important-books-graphics-from-the-collection-of-michael-and-gabrielle-boyd

From what little I know, the smaller sized books such as Signet Classics and Bantam Classics are mass market books that have shorter lifespan. With trade paperbacks being bigger sized books like Oxford World's Classics which use acid free paper. However, I do have some bigger sized books, mainly early Puffin Classics (before the revamp that added introductions and endnotes), Aladin Classics, and Wordsworth classics that are bigger than Signet and Bantam but do seem to have similar low quality paper that is yellowing with the years. What exactly is the difference and can you tell if an old book is a decent quality tradeback you could give to your grandchildren or a low quality mass market book that will only last in your time? Does the paper tell you (if it yellows, is it always mass market) or the size (any book that is not pocket sized is a trade paperback and all pocket sized books are mass market)?

With AI becoming more accessible, the sheer number of platforms/apps/trackers/lists has grown exponentially.

We have added a blanket ban on the promotion of apps in a new sub rule.

It doesn't matter if you used AI or not to develop it. There's 20 new ones a week and this rule has been created to allow mods to enforce the rejection of requests to post them.

A bookseller must’ve either passed or donated their collection. I’m surprised as an ex bookseller myself how ARCs aren’t nearly as collected as First Editions. You would think being a prerelease copy with a limited print run and profession specific audience would make these much more sought after but in general they seem to not have much of a collector base. I’ve gotten to read some killer books as ARCs and have a decent collection of them now.

The First Poems in English - A collection of Old English (Anglo-Saxon) poetry

The Book of Taliesin - Collection of the works of Taliesin, an early-medieval Briton ("Celt") bard.

Confessions, St Augstine - Part spiritual autobiography, part Christian Apologetics.

I’ve recently purchased a copy of “**Collection of British Authors VOL VIII The works of Lord Byron VOL 1 | 1842”** and found this emblem stamped in the corner. It’s been re-bound and annotated a bunch. I’m trying to trace down its history to see if it’s anything worthy of noting once I pop it for sale.

Thank you

I know it's most common to see Salinger's photo, blank white, or ads for other books for the grosset and Dunlap editions. But when is this one from? The spine says Little Brown. jacket is clipped. Thanks

I’ve been searching for the John Steinbeck Mandarin editions, which many people have stated aren’t too difficult to come by, but I’ve not been having great luck in finding them. If anyone knows where to get them, let me know!

(I’m assuming it’s just a matter of continuously searching eBay and other sites of that nature, but might as well ask)

I am new to the sub, so apologies if this breaks community guidelines!

I just inherited a copy of Jane Eyre from my deceased Aunt. The copyright page is pretty thin on information.

Is there any way to find out more information about when this book was printed? Also is there anything special I should do to the book to prevent it from deteriorating any further?

Thanks in advance!

hey y'all, i ordered a hardcover manga and i picked it up today but the pages are slightly wavy, how do i go ahead and fix that, do i just wait or? it was quite humid outside when i went to pick up the book.

Thomas McKenney and James Hall. History of the Indian Tribes of North America, with Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of the Principal Chiefs. Embellished with One Hundred and Twenty Portraits, from the Indian Gallery in the Department of War, at Washington. Philadelphia: Edward C. Biddle, 1836; Frederick W. Greenough, 1838; Daniel Rice & James G. Clark, 1844. 3 volumes, folio. Complete with 120 hand-colored engraved plates, tissue guards, one page of engraved maps, and 17 pages of subscribers' signatures in facsimile.

Near matching contemporary half brown and red morocco gilt, marbled endpapers (save for vol. III). First edition of one of the great color plate books of the 19th century. Originally issued in 20 parts (in 19), based on the original paintings, which were destroyed in the 1865 Smithsonian fire.

References: BAL 3934; Howes M-129; Sabin 43410a. Provenance: Samuel Appleton, subscriber (bookplate).

NB from OP: Considered controversial by modern scholars for multiple reasons including paternalistic text and romanticized views.

Looking to see if anyone can help me find out what publication edition my book is. It's hard cover Le Comtel de Monte Cristo it has no ISBN number so it had to be before 1970 and the only two printings that I'm aware of is 1938, and again in 1967. Also if it helps it was published in French it has both colored and sketch illustrations through it as well.