Browse Books
First editions, signed copies, and notable rarities currently available.
Browse the shelvesI’m Kevin Sell,
the Rare Book Sleuth.
I buy and sell rare books, help collectors track down hard-to-find titles, and still get excited when the right copy turns up.
Browse the books
A little about me.
I started collecting rare books when I was sixteen. On a trip to Manhattan, I saw a display of Ray Bradbury first editions, including The Martian Chronicles, which I had just read, and realized that a book could be more than its text. It could be a historical object, something people sought out and collected. Something clicked. I started collecting, then selling to support my collecting habit.
I worked at independent bookshops, including The Book House in Dinkytown, before starting The Rare Book Sleuth. I have degrees in philosophy and psychology, graduated from the Colorado Antiquarian Bookselling Seminar, and received an IOBA Educational Scholarship. I'm a proud member of the ABAA, ILAB and IOBA.
The books I handle now cover a lot of ground: literature, counterculture, science, history, music, art, and plenty that doesn’t fit neatly anywhere. I buy and sell, help collectors find material that rarely surfaces, and work with people who have a single important book or a larger collection to sell.
You work with me.
The Rare Book Sleuth is deliberately small. I handle inquiries, research, cataloging, and client work myself. The person you first contact is the person who stays with the book or collection.
That makes it easier to be candid about what something is, why it matters, and whether it is a good fit. It also keeps the process straightforward, whether you are buying, selling, or asking me to look for something exceptional.
How can I help?
Private Acquisitions
A focused search for an exceptional book, manuscript, or historical object.
Learn moreSell a Book or Collection
A straightforward way to begin with a single important book, an archive, or a collection.
Learn about selling