Eilenberger Rare Books buys individual books and collections, as well as ephemera, manuscripts, and historic photographs. Our focus is American history, especially concerning North Carolina and the South; accounts of travel and exploration; and works on natural history. However, we buy books on a wide variety of subjects, including literature, food and drink, horticulture, science and technology, medicine, philosophy, religion, printing history, finely illustrated works, and many others. We make selective purchases based on the scarcity and condition of items and the demand for them in the marketplace. We love old books, however, age is not the main factor that determines the value of a book or our decision to buy it.
How to Get Started
Please send us an email and tell us a little bit about your books or other materials. What subjects are covered? Are the books generally in good condition? How did you acquire the materials (inheritance, collected yourself, bought at an auction or estate sale, etc.)? Where are the books located? Do you have any pictures? We can often learn a good deal about the content and condition of a collection by a few snapshots of your bookshelves or some representative volumes.
The Next Step
To accurately evaluate your books, we will need to see them in person. For larger or more valuable collections, or for folks who live nearby, we may be willing to travel to see your books. If you live at a greater distance or have a smaller number of volumes, we may ask you to ship them to us and we will provide instructions on how to do so in a way that will ensure the safe transport of your valuables. Prior to seeing your collection, we may ask you to make a list of some or all of the books. This will help us better assess our interest in them and to do some preliminary research that will save time when we inspect your collection.
The Offer
If all goes well when we see your books, we will make an offer. You may accept our offer and be paid immediately, or you may walk away without any further obligation. Any information or advice we have provided is free of charge.
Appraisals
Any comment that we may make about the value of your books while evaluating them is merely our best estimate of the price that they might bring on the current retail market and should not be construed as an appraisal. An appraisal is a formal declaration of the value of an item made for insurance purposes, for supporting tax deductions of certain charitable donations, or for settling estates. Appraisals are usually billed at an hourly or daily rate, irrespective of the declared value of the item, and the cost is often prohibitive unless the item or collection is quite valuable. We do not currently perform appraisals, however, we may be able to help you decide if you need one and will do our best to direct you to an appropriate professional.
Consignment Sales
In addition to purchasing books, we sometimes sell books on consignment. If you would like to consign your books with us, you and E.R.B. will sign a contract for a mutually-agreed length of time (usually a year at the minimum) during which period we will offer your books for sale through catalogs, online venues including AbeBooks and Biblio, and direct offers to institutions and collectors. You and E.R.B. will share the proceeds as the books are sold. The terms vary based on the contents of your collection but are structured to give you a price that is fair and often better than if you sold the books outright to us or another dealer. If you are willing to wait a little while to be paid for your books, consignment can offer competitive rewards in the long run.
How to Get Started
Please send us an email and tell us a little bit about your books or other materials. What subjects are covered? Are the books generally in good condition? How did you acquire the materials (inheritance, collected yourself, bought at an auction or estate sale, etc.)? Where are the books located? Do you have any pictures? We can often learn a good deal about the content and condition of a collection by a few snapshots of your bookshelves or some representative volumes.
The Next Step
To accurately evaluate your books, we will need to see them in person. For larger or more valuable collections, or for folks who live nearby, we may be willing to travel to see your books. If you live at a greater distance or have a smaller number of volumes, we may ask you to ship them to us and we will provide instructions on how to do so in a way that will ensure the safe transport of your valuables. Prior to seeing your collection, we may ask you to make a list of some or all of the books. This will help us better assess our interest in them and to do some preliminary research that will save time when we inspect your collection.
The Offer
If all goes well when we see your books, we will make an offer. You may accept our offer and be paid immediately, or you may walk away without any further obligation. Any information or advice we have provided is free of charge.
Appraisals
Any comment that we may make about the value of your books while evaluating them is merely our best estimate of the price that they might bring on the current retail market and should not be construed as an appraisal. An appraisal is a formal declaration of the value of an item made for insurance purposes, for supporting tax deductions of certain charitable donations, or for settling estates. Appraisals are usually billed at an hourly or daily rate, irrespective of the declared value of the item, and the cost is often prohibitive unless the item or collection is quite valuable. We do not currently perform appraisals, however, we may be able to help you decide if you need one and will do our best to direct you to an appropriate professional.
Consignment Sales
In addition to purchasing books, we sometimes sell books on consignment. If you would like to consign your books with us, you and E.R.B. will sign a contract for a mutually-agreed length of time (usually a year at the minimum) during which period we will offer your books for sale through catalogs, online venues including AbeBooks and Biblio, and direct offers to institutions and collectors. You and E.R.B. will share the proceeds as the books are sold. The terms vary based on the contents of your collection but are structured to give you a price that is fair and often better than if you sold the books outright to us or another dealer. If you are willing to wait a little while to be paid for your books, consignment can offer competitive rewards in the long run.