Before accepting any offer to buy an antiquarian book, it is essential to have it professionally appraised.

Not all antiquarian books have the same value, and it does not even depend on the age of the book. Every antiquarian book is unique, and its sale price will depend on many specific factors. There is no standard pricing for antiquarian books - neither by genre, date, nor title.

Websites offering valuations are often phishing sites that collect emails and personal information without genuine expertise, providing only general information or AI-generated responses. Any purchase offer without prior professional appraisal should therefore be treated with caution.

After appraisal by a recognised specialist (for example, an expert certified by a professional association such as ILAB), you can confidently consider selling your books.

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Antiquarian books do not have barcodes or ISBNs, as this system was only introduced in 1970. It is therefore impossible to sell old books through mass-market applications that rely exclusively on barcode scanning.

These online platforms are designed for recent second-hand books with standardised values. By contrast, the value of an antiquarian book depends on criteria that only a specialist can assess: rarity of the edition, state of preservation, provenance, autograph inscription, quality of the binding, historical significance, and so forth.

To sell antiquarian books without a barcode, the appropriate solution is to contact a specialist bookshop. Whether bound in leather or in soft covers, some old books of modest appearance may be valuable, while others that appear luxurious may in fact have little worth.

We offer free appraisals of books and manuscripts, based on photographs submitted online or directly at our Paris bookshop, with no need for a barcode or ISBN.

Le Feu Follet - Edition-originale.com is a member of ILAB and of French antiquarian books experts company. It appraises, values, and purchases for cash rare and valuable antiquarian books, manuscripts, and autograph letters by writers, artists, scientists, and historical figures, as well as other rare documents of symbolic or historical significance.

A major participant in the French antiquarian book market and a recognised expert for over 25 years, Le Feu Follet - Edition-originale.com guarantees complete transparency and satisfaction for both sellers and buyers.

You can sell your antiquarian books directly:

• In our bookshop: visit us at 31 rue Henri Barbusse, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris (Latin Quarter), from Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Online: send us your enquiries by email, with photographs and a description or list of your items.

• Expert appraisal: authentication validated by a certified expert.

• Price: a reasonable and comparative valuation, accompanied by a firm purchase offer or tailored advice on selling.

• Payment: immediate settlement by bank transfer, cheque, or cash, in accordance with legal regulations.

• Fees: no costs to be borne by the seller. Free appraisal; taxes, any expert travel, and shipping costs are covered by Le Feu Follet bookshop (see conditions).

• Transparency: once acquired, the item is subsequently offered for sale on our website Edition-Originale.com.

• Information: the sharing of knowledge is an essential condition of trust. The expert explains the bibliophilic elements that determine the value of the work, as well as its other specific features.

• Respect for the work and its provenance: all works presented by our bookshop are accompanied by detailed descriptions highlighting their significance, while respecting the confidentiality requirements of sellers and collectors.

• Bibliographical research and cataloguing: the booksellers of Le Feu Follet carry out extensive bibliographical research on historical works and major collections, and produce reference articles and bibliographical catalogues, including on Maurice Blanchot, Mouloud Feraoun, Olympe de Gouges, Marquis de Sade, Victor Hugo, Léon Walras…

• Right of withdrawal: any purchase from a private individual includes a 15-day right of withdrawal after the transaction. Le Feu Follet bookshop extends this right to all its acquisitions (including in-shop purchases) upon simple request.

• Satisfaction guaranteed: Le Feu Follet - Edition-Originale.com is currently the only bookseller-expert with over 200 enthusiastic reviews on Google (4.8/5 - 189 reviews).

• Personalised advice: referral to other specialists, auctioneers, or sales channels for any rare material falling outside our fields of interest or expertise.

We purchase rare and valuable antiquarian books, manuscripts, and autograph letters by writers, artists, scientists, and historical figures, as well as other rare documents of symbolic or historical significance:

• incunabula and antiquarian books (15th to 19th centuries)

• armorial bindings

• limited first editions

• fine bindings

• signed and inscribed copies

• autographs and manuscripts

• historical documents

Auction sales

For very large collections, certain major historical items, or conversely for groups of material not well suited to sale through a bookshop or gallery, it may sometimes be advisable to consider an auction sale. Le Feu Follet will advise you accordingly and can support you should you feel it necessary for your interests to be properly represented:

 

• Choice of auction house: each auctioneer has their own specialities and strengths. Drawing on over 25 years of experience and acquisitions in all the major auction rooms, the librairie Le Feu Follet will advise you on the most appropriate sales channel for your collection.

• Negotiation of commissions: auction house commissions generally range from 40 to 55% (10-25% charged to the seller, 25-30% to the buyer). Additional costs (storage fees, catalogue fees, taxes etc.) may also be charged to the seller. Le Feu Follet handles the negotiation of these fees in your best interests, depending on the significance of the items consigned for auction.

• Estimation: the expert valuation is non-binding as to the final result. The sale price is determined by bidding and may be higher or lower than the estimate. A reserve price (the level below which the auctioneer will refuse the sale) must be negotiated. Our expertise ensures a reserve price aligned with the true value of your valuable works.

 

• Bibliographical information: auction catalogue descriptions are often kept to a minimum. It is then up to prospective buyers to inspect the item prior to the sale in order to assess its importance and bid accordingly. As expert advisers, Le Feu Follet bookshop applies its bookselling expertise to produce a sale catalogue with full bibliographical descriptions, ensuring the items offered are properly presented.

• Post-sale follow-up: Le Feu Follet bookshop supports you throughout all dealings with the auctioneer, through to full settlement and the return of unsold items, for whose subsequent sale we will advise you in your best interests.

 

Sale on consignment

For exceptional items, or for estates of artists, writers, or major intellectual figures, Le Feu Follet bookshop may offer sale on a commission basis. In agreement with you, we will study your collection and produce a unique bibliographical catalogue, which we will present on your behalf to leading institutional and private collections. However, bookselling is a matter of patience: to be effective, consignment must therefore be considered over a long period, with no guarantee of results.

→ see our case study: Maurice Blanchot archives sold to Harvard University