Selling Rare Books & Manuscripts
We are keen, active, and transparent buyers of high quality first editions, manuscripts, and books that have incredible stories to tell. We buy individual items, collections, and entire libraries from all over the world, and pay by fast bank transfer, domestically and internationally.
J.R.R. Tolkien is our particular specialism, and we are always seeking significant Tolkien material — first editions, proofs, signed and inscribed copies, letters and archives. Recent sales include a newly discovered copy of Songs For The Philologists for £65,000. Alongside Tolkien we buy rare books across English Literature, first editions, antiquarian books and early printing, fine bindings and private press, and medieval manuscripts.
We know that selling rare books is rarely a small decision. You may be finding the right home for a family heirloom, an executor trying to understand what a library is worth, or a collector parting with something assembled over decades with real connoisseurship.
So we have made selling to us a transparent experience. You will get a considered valuation, our terms explained plainly before you commit to anything, and a clear account of where your books will go. They will be described and photographed properly, published in our own printed catalogues, shown at international book fairs, and placed with the collectors and institutions who have been waiting for them.
We are members of ILAB, the ABA and the PBFA, which means we work to a published code of conduct, and your books are fully insured from the moment they are in our care.
How It Works
1. Get in touch. Send a photograph by email or use the form below. Tell us what you have and anything you know about where it came from.
2. We value it. I'll come back to you personally within 24 hours with an assessment and a realistic view of its value. If it needs to be seen in person, or researched further, we'll tell you that and how long it will take.
3. You choose how to sell - Outright, or by Consignment
Sell to us outright | Sell on consignment | |
|---|---|---|
Available for | Any single book or collection | Items and collections generally valued over £10,000 |
You receive | c. 50% of retail value | 75% of the sale price |
Paid | Immediately | When it sells |
Best for | Certainty and speed | The highest return |
Risk | None — the price is agreed and guaranteed | We agree a minimum price, so it never sells below a figure you're happy with |
4. We collect. We can arrange collection by fully-insured courier and pay for the delivery, or you can bring it to us at Howbery Park by appointment.
5. You're paid. If you've sold to us outright, we will pay by bank transfer as soon as we've seen the book and confirmed it's as described. On consignment, we catalogue it, photograph it, and put it in front of buyers; on our website, in our printed catalogues, at international book fairs, and direct approaches to collectors we know are looking. You're paid within 14 days of the sale clearing, and we'll keep you updated throughout.
If you're ready, then send us photos and details by email or use the form below. If you'd simply like to know what something is worth, that's a perfectly good reason to get in touch; there's no expectation that you sell.
Tom Ayling · ABA, ILAB, PBFA
+44 1491 877244 · info@tomwayling.co.uk
Ready To Sell?
Please fill in the form below:
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does it cost anything to ask?
No. If you are thinking of selling, our assessment is free and carries no obligation. If you simply want to know what something is worth, that is a perfectly good reason to get in touch. (Formal written valuations for insurance or probate are a separate, chargeable service — see below.)
2. What should I send you?
A photograph or two is enough to start. If you can, include the spine, the title page, the page on the reverse of the title showing the date and printing, and any inscription or bookplate. If you can't find those, send what you can and we will tell you what else we need.
3. Do I need to know what I've got?
No, and often people don't. Identifying a first edition can be difficult, and it is our job rather than yours. Tell us what you know, including where it came from, and we will do the rest.
4. How do you work out what something is worth?
Every valuation is based on a worldwide survey of current prices, historic sales data stretching back 150 years, and our own experience of present market conditions. Condition, provenance, completeness and a host of other factors are taken into account.
5. Who pays for shipping, and are my books insured?
We do. Where arranged, collection, shipping, and insurance are all at our cost, and your books are insured in our care and in transit in both directions.
6. I'm outside the UK. Can you still help?
Yes. We buy internationally and regularly work with sellers in the United States, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. We handle and pay for all shipping, insurance and export arrangements, and we can pay in any world currency by fast international wire.
7. How long does it take to sell?
The great majority of the books we take on consignment sell within thirty days. Our consignment agreement runs for twelve months, which gives an unusual or specialist item the time it sometimes needs to find the right buyer.
8. I'm an executor, dealing with an estate.
Get in touch whenever you like. You don't need probate granted, an inventory, or any paperwork in place before we can look at what's there.
9. Do you provide formal written valuations for insurance or probate?
Yes. This is a separate service from selling, and is always conducted in person. It is charged by the hour. If you subsequently sell the material to us, the valuation fee is refunded in full.
10. Will anyone know that I sold it?
No. Discretion is guaranteed. We never identify a seller, and provenance would only ever described publicly with your agreement.
11. How and when will I be paid?
By bank transfer. If you have sold to us outright, we pay as soon as we have the book in hand and have confirmed it is as described. On consignment, you are paid within fourteen days of the sale clearing.
12. What happens if a consigned book doesn't sell?
At the end of the twelve months we will talk it through and do whatever suits you best: extend the consignment, buy the book outright ourselves, or return it to you at our cost. You are never left without a decision or out of pocket.
What Rare Books Do We Buy?
We are always looking for fine, beautiful and interesting rare books and manuscripts. Here are some specific things we are actively looking for:
Literary First Editions and Manuscripts:
J.R.R. Tolkien first editions, including:
Songs For The Philologists (1936)
First edition of The Hobbit (1937)
First edition of The Lord Of The Rings (1954-5)
Signed letters, and manuscripts, by J.R.R. Tolkien
All Books 'From The Library Of J.R.R. Tolkien'
Books Signed or Annotated by J.R.R. Tolkien
Other collectable editions of The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings
Jane Austen first editions, including:
First edition of Sense And Sensibility (1811)
First edition of Pride And Prejudice (1813)
First edition of Mansfield Park (1814)
First edition of Emma (1816)
First edition of Northanger Abbey And Persuasion (1818)
Early editions of all Jane Austen novels (pre-1840)
Oscar Wilde first editions, including:
First edition of Ravenna (1878)
First edition of Poems (1881)
First edition of The Happy Prince And Other Tales (1888)
First edition of The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1891)
First edition of The House Of Pomegranates (1891)
First edition of The Ballad Of Reading Gaol by C.3.3. (1898)
First edition of De Profundis (1905)
First editions of Oscar Wilde's plays.
Signed limited editions, and inscribed copies of the above.
Books from Oscar Wilde's library.
Letters and manuscripts written by Oscar Wilde.
Fine Bindings And Private Press Books:
Fine bindings by John Ramage, or Ramage
Fine bindings by T.J. Cobden-Sanderson
Fine bindings by Douglas Cockerell
Fine bindings by the Guild Of Women-Binders
Books printed by the Kelmscott Press
Books printed by the Ashendene Press
Books printed by the Doves Press
Pre-1700 bindings in fine condition
Arts & Crafts period bindings
Finely bound sets of works in multiple volumes by well known authors
Finely bound sets of works on Philosophy and Psychology
Medieval Manuscripts:
Complete medieval codices, including Books Of Hours.
Illuminated leaves from medieval books.
Fragments, or groups of fragments, from medieval manuscripts.
Provenance:
Books owned by famous figures
Books owned by Kings and Queens
Books owned by Popes and Cardinals
Books in fine armorial bindings
Books with interesting provenance tales
Books with ownership of historic interest