welcome to spelman's
thank you for visiting us on
shop window
"A true treasure trove"
[The Times]

"One of the 10 best rare bookshops in Britain"
[The Independent, 2005]

"One of the best independent retailers in the country"
[Royal Society of Literature, 2006]


WANTED:

Manuscripts. We are always keen to purchase any manuscripts, diaries, journals, inventories, estate plans &c pre 1850. Also accounts of travels in Europe, especially to Italy. We purchase individual titles or complete libraries - please contact us. Here are a few of the items we have recently sold.


Buy Direct from the Bookseller. As traditional booksellers, we still believe it is more enjoyable to deal directly with our customers. Some of the larger sites have in effect broken the link between customer and seller as direct contact is not possible. Would it not be better to speak direct with the dealer and buy as if you had walked into their shop and pulled a book from the shelf at its true marked price?

ABE charges a percentage on the sale price of all books ordered via the 'Add to Basket' link on its website, as well as a percentage on any credit card transaction processed by ABE; also, very often, postage charges and delivery times are overestimated.

We would therefore ask that, should you wish to buy a book from our on-line stock at ABE, you EMAIL US DIRECT at helen@kenspelman.com, or a
lternatively, you may order securely via our 'advanced search' link, where our books are all listed at shop prices.

For information and tips on buying books on-line at the best prices visit : www.bookbuyersguide.co.uk


our specialist areas - see the areas we particularly deal in

In addition to our rare and antiquarian books, we also have a rapidly changing stock of over 40,000 scholarly and interesting books on all subjects. Private purchases and review copies of the latest titles, are added daily.

Books on the Fine Arts, Architecture, Garden Design, Literature, History, Science & Technology, Philosophy & very many other areas.

books bought: if you are thinking of selling or thinning out your collections - or just have individual books of interest - then contact us - we buy books in all quantities and travel extensively throughout the country.

We can also handle significant items or specialist collections on a private commission basis:

contact: tony@kenspelman.com


catalogues: the majority of our rare and more unusual antiquarian books and manuscripts will not be found on web-sites. We still sell these predominantly through our regular printed catalogues as a courtesy to our long standing private & library customers all over the world. Join our mailing list and get to see the best of what we have, just ask@kenspelman.com


Our latest catalogue is Rare Books & Manuscripts - Catalogue 63, December 2007

Art Monographs - download


Our enlarged premises is now open with the elegant double-fronted building restored back into one bookshop for the first time since the early 1900's

Publishers' remainders: Individually selected quality publishers' overstocks at discounts up to 80% off the published price, & often even cheaper than Amazon.


Visiting Yorkshire?-
then make www.yorkbooksellers.co.uk your first stop. Details of all the bookshops in York, and within a 50 mile radius of the city.


Get ahead of the crowd!

If you want to hear about the latest purchases first, join our e-mailing list for regular newsletters & updates.


Art Exhibitions at Ken Spelman

| previous exhibitions |


House Concerts York

Great gigs by artists from around the world & very highly recommended by Spelman's.


links for collectors

links to bibliographical & other reference sites for booksellers & collectors


register for free tickets for the next...

York National Rare Book Fair

Europe's largest rare and out-of-print book fair. Nearly 200 dealers under one roof. Friendly, fun, and unlike the internet you get to see the books before you buy.


spelmans in the press


Yorkshire Topsites