Who We Are

In this case, the "we" is the wrong pronoun. I am a one-man band. No help of any kind. Despite the lack of staff or a spouse, I have been in business for myself since 1992 as an antiquarian book dealer. I have always worked out of my home to keep overhead down. But I am open by appointment for browsing and discussion. My main focus in the book world is Americana, early U.S. History and the high points of American literature. In the last few years I have added bookbinding to the services I provide. Doing so has given me greater knowledge of books and added a benefit that most book dealers and binders are unable to achieve - that is, being able to provide customers with an insight of the feasibility of repairing or rebinding an older book and whether doing so makes financial sense given the opportunities of locating a better copy from other sources.

My formal education was in business leading eventually to a Masters degree in business (MBA) with a concentration in finance. I spent 25 years in the corporate world which gave me a solid foundation in business practices, accounting and computer data bases. This knowledge transferred well to the book business in the form of creating a data base for my inventory which could interact with my web site to allow some rather sophisticated automation.

I was one of the first book dealers to start selling books on-line on various venues and through my own web site.  Since 2002 I have been a member of the American Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) as well as the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) two of the most recognized, professional book seller's organizations.  Like my colleagues in these two organizations I carefully develop the descriptions for my books and am proud to stand behind them for an unlimited period of time.  You see, it is my primary goal in business to maintain an engaged and happy customer base making sure that my integrity and good name are never questioned or tarnished.

Thanks for reading.
John D. Townsend


Watch an interview with John here: 2013 ABAA Interview