About Us

Long before we were booksellers, both of us were avid readers and book buyers.  The transition from book collecting to book selling was a natural one (although we are also still collectors and readers.)  We began selling books online in the CompuServe Book Collecting forum in 1993 long before there was any commercial internet.   By 1997,  we were full-time booksellers,  with books in a collective shop, selling on line, participating in a  few book fairs on the West Coast  and issuing occasional catalogues.

In 1998 we relocated from Sacramento to ten acres in the Sierra foothills of Amador County’s wine & historic gold rush country, about 40 miles east of Sacramento.  It is lush and green in the springtime (as shown above)

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relaxing at the seminar

We were lucky enough to participate in  the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar for  three summers  –  from 2006 to 2008 – a fantastic experience!  It is a week packed with incredible information, and offers an opportunity to meet others who are passionate about books.  While one its nicknames is “boot camp for booksellers” many librarians and book collectors also attend (the seminar is now held in Minnesota)

In addition to selling online, we operate Books Upstairs, a store within a store at  the Antiques Upstairs Mall, 5 Main Street, Jackson, CA (open every day from 10-5). The emphasis there is on Western Americana & history, vintage juvenile series, children’s books, Civil War and military books, older fiction,  inexpensive reading copies of the classics and old magazines.

We can also be found in the dealer’s room at events like the Left Coast Crime Mystery convention.

Catalogues – We issue catalogues in both printed and pdf format approximately  two or three times a year.  Most are on specific topics and all are illustrated in full color.   You can find the some of our pdf catalogues here.

Bookfever.com – We have over 35,000 books currently  listed online.  Our focus is on first editions from the mid 19th century to the 21st century,  with a special emphasis on books signed or inscribed by the author.  Over 12,000 of our online books are signed or inscribed by the author or illustrator.  We also have  tens of thousands of books  which are not yet entered, so please let us know if there are any other books you are looking for.  We love helping collectors find obscure books in their areas of interest. While we only have one copy of most books, occasionally we do have additional copies, so please let us know if you are looking for more than one copy.

We have been members of the  Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA) since 1997 and the California Booksellers Alliance (CALIBA – formerly the   Northern California Independent Booksellers Association – NCIBA) since 1998.