Services

Book Buying

We are always looking to buy collections or individual books of value in our areas of interest. We travel or arrange for shipment of good collections, so please don't hesitate to contact us even if you are some distance away. Read our guidelines below, and then call us at 360-880-3160 or email us at books@walkaboutbooks.net  to let us know what you have. Photos are always very helpful, but kindly reduce image size to 1 MB or less before sending. We will respond one way or the other, and if we're interested, we'll arrange to see the books in person (if practical). Once we have examined the books, we’ll make you a fair offer based on what the books are worth and how quickly we expect to be able to sell them. 

Our particular interests include Americana (especially California and the West), travel and voyages (all continents), polar exploration, Alaska, mountaineering, national parks, and natural history. However, we are happy to consider collections of collectible or unusual books in any field. We also purchase photograph albums, letters, diaries, and other manuscript material with interesting content. We do not purchase damaged books (missing covers or pages, writing in the text, water-stained, etc), and we do not buy magazines, comic books, or old encyclopedias or textbooks.

**In the interest of saving time, we request that you only contact us to discuss selling your books when you are able to tell us specifically what the books are. We get many inquiries about whether we buy "really old books" or "vintage hardcovers." Of course we do! But we don't buy all of them. Subject matter, desirability (popularity with readers and collectors), author, title, publisher, publication date, and condition all factor into our decisions about what to buy. There's no way for us to know whether we might want your books without at least a few of these details. Thanks!

Appraisal Services

We offer professional, written appraisals for insurance, estate, and tax purposes. In conducting this service, we act as an independent and disinterested provider of value, and we will not offer to purchase your books. We adhere to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraial Practice (USPAP) and the code of ethics of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA).

We can appraise single items or collections. Fees vary according to the purpose of the appraisal, needs of the client, and amount of research required. Please contact us for additional information by calling 360-880-3160, or e-mail us at books@walkaboutbooks.net with “Appraisal” in the subject line. Please provide as much detail as possible about your books and the purpose of the proposed appraisal (e.g., insurance, charitable donation, probate, etc).

If you are interested in selling your books, please refer the Book Buying section above.

Search and Want Services

We maintain a customer want list and will be happy to keep you updated on new arrivals in your areas of interest. We also conduct searches for hard-to-find books and can assist you in selecting an appropriate gift for the book collector in your life.

Catalogues and E-Lists

We issue occasional E-lists announcing new arrivals or highlighting our selection in specific fields, as well as at least one print catalogue annually. If you are interested in receiving either or both, please sign up using the link at the left side of this page.