Appraisals

Book Appraisals

The Los Angeles Public Library does not appraise books. However, we realize that this is a topic of great interest to many people and can suggest two places to begin:

  • The Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the American Library Association is a great place to start for questions regarding rare and older books and their values: click here.
     
  • Your Old Books (Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 1996), a pamphlet written by Peter Van Wingen, lists questions to ask yourself when attempting to determine a book's value. Click here for a pdf version, courtesy RBMS.
  • The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, publishes an annual membership directory, with book sellers and appraisers listed by region. Click here for appraisers in the Southern California area. It includes subject and geographical indices to help you contact the booksellers who might be of assistance.

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