Experts en livres anciens

Faire expertiser un livre ancien

Que ce soit pour tirer parti d’une bibliothèque héritée dont vous ne savez que faire ou pour faire de la place dans les étagères, vous pouvez souhaiter vous séparer d’un ou de plusieurs livres rares. Afin de gagner de l’espace tout en réalisant un profit, il va s’avérer judicieux de faire expertiser les livres et manuscrits anciens par un spécialiste, ce qui vous permettra de ne pas avoir à les brader. Il est donc fortement conseillé de faire appel à un libraire professionnel pour connaître la valeur marchande de votre collection, ce qui vous permettra d’en tirer un juste prix.

Expertise d’un livre ancien : comment ça marche ?

Une expertise pour précéder une vente

Faire expertiser un livre ou manuscrit rare sert généralement de prélude à une revente. Plutôt que de brader les livres dans une brocante ou sur des plateformes internet comme Le Bon Coin, notre librairie ancienne peut faire évaluer vos livres soit dans l’optique d’une vente aux enchères, soit pour le mettre en courtage.

Notre librairie participe d’ailleurs à plusieurs salons du livre (salon international du livre ancien de Paris et la Biennale de Paris, salon international du livre à New York, participation occasionnelle aux évènements à Londres et en Californie, etc.), qui pourront permettre de mettre les ouvrages en valeur.

Notez toutefois qu’en passant par la librairie Jean-Baptiste de Proyart plutôt que par une maison de vente aux enchères, vous pouvez faire réaliser votre expertise en toute discrétion et sans obligation de vente de livres publique à la clé.

Appraising a rare book or a manuscript

Whether it's to make the most of an inherited library that you don't know what to do with, or to make room on the shelves, you may want to part with one or more rare books. To save space and make a profit at the same time, it's a good idea to have your old books and manuscripts appraised by a specialist, so that you don't have to sell them off. We strongly recommend that you call in a professional bookseller to find out the market value of your collection, so that you can get a fair price for it.

Rare books for appraisal ?

According to the UNESCO definition, an antiquarian book is a work that is more than one hundred years old. More traditionally, a rare book is any book printed on a hand press from the beginnings of printing to the middle of the 19th century.

Clearly, this constitutes an extremely vast catalogue, covering a wide range of subjects. Our bookshop specialises above all in European literature and major texts of significant cultural importance.

How is the value of a rare book determined ?

There are a number of factors that can influence the appraisal of a precious book. Among the most important for collectors are :

• The age of the book. A manuscript that is several centuries old can gain in market value simply by virtue of its age.
  Its author. A book written by an illustrious writer will be of more interest to collectors than one written by someone who has fallen into oblivion. A book with an autograph or dedication from the writer is also worth more.
• The workmanship, both in terms of the binding and the quality of the paper. A book with a leather or vellum cover will be worth more than one in cardboard or paper, as will a book using watermarked paper.
• Its state of preservation, particularly as regards bindings. Obviously, a book with several pages missing will lose interest.
• Its edition. For a bibliophile, a work from a first or limited edition is an important factor, especially as the older the editions, the rarer the volumes in good condition.

How important is the notion of collection ?

Jean-Baptiste de Proyart bookshop not only appraises individual antiquarian books, we can also value an entire library. While a single item may be interesting in its own right, antiquarian books can greatly increase in value if they form part of a collection. A series of books in a common format and dealing with the same subject will be worth much more together than separately, and a collection of antiquarian books will attract the interest of collectors. It is therefore advisable not to spread your library too thinly in order to get a better price for it.

Rare book appraisal : how does it work ?

An appraisal prior to a sale

Having a rare book or manuscript appraised is generally a prelude to resale. Rather than selling your books at a flea market or on internet platforms such as Le Bon Coin, our antiquarian bookshop can have your books appraised, either with a view to an auction or for brokerage purposes.

Our bookshop also takes part in a number of book fairs (the Paris International Antiquarian Book Fair and the Paris Biennale, the New York International Book Fair, occasional participation in events in London and California, etc.), which can help to showcase your works.

Please note, however, that by going through the Jean-Baptiste de Proyart bookshop rather than an auction house, you can have your appraisal carried out in complete discretion and with no obligation to sell your books to the public.

Why choose the Jean-Baptiste de Proyart bookshop for the expertise of rare books ?

Our bookshop offers you 30 years of experience in bibliophily and the appraisal of rare books. Your books will be analysed by a team of four people, who will do their utmost to make an exhaustive and encyclopaedic analysis : not only its appearance, but also its content, by drawing up an index card containing all the essential information about the book.

Our appraisal process is free of charge, and is approved by auction houses and our union, the S.L.A.M. We can come to your home to appraise your collection, even abroad if the library seems worth it.

Which books are likely to join our catalogues ?

Whether incunabula, manuscripts from the 15th to the 19th century, or first editions, we are interested in all kinds of books, both ancient and modern. For example, our catalogues may include a copy of the 1595 edition of Montaigne's Essays annotated by one of the author's close friends, or the Jorge Ortiz Linares library.

These are just a few examples of books likely to be of interest to bibliophiles. If you think you might have some rare books you'd like to resell, don't hesitate to give us a call !

Don't hesitate to call on our experts if you would like to have your rare and antiquarian books appraised.