The Overcoat and the Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol (Signed by the Illustrator Saul Fields)

Rare Collections is a specialist book dealer based in Cape Town. We predominantly focus on collectable, signed and investment books that cover a wide range of genres, including Speculative Fiction (Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror), Modern First Editions, Fine Press Books, Signed Books and more. Most of our listings will show a discount, this is not intended as a cheap marketing tool, but rather an actual indication of the discount offered to our South African customers compared to the same listing for international buyers. We achieve this via several means, but predominantly due to the lower shipping cost compared to international courier charges, which we subsidize.

Our books are purchased by collectors world-wide, our selection on BidorBuy has been carefully curated and priced for our South African customers, giving value and access to books which rarely (if ever) are seen on the local market. As investment category books are priced in USD (as is the case on our website), and do not carry capital gains tax. Our USD price is always competitive with international trends and our South African pricing even more so. We always send a letter of provenance with each sale, providing information on the history and ownership of your book to the extend that the information is available to us.

We make a concerted effort to source books in collectable condition and the majority of our stock is obtained from the USA and UK. We also strive to provide detailed descriptions and photos of each of our books to make sure you have all the buying information you might require. We guarantee that our descriptions are accurate, this guarantee does not expire and in the VERY UNLIKELY event that we have made a mistake you are welcome to return the book for a full refund. We use internationally accepted ratings of book condition. We will generally not list books that are rated below VG and we strive to have the majority of our books listed having at least VG+ or better rating. In cases where a book also has a dust jacket we will give a rating for both the book and dust jacket (DJ).

As New (AN): The book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. This could be the description for a book that has been lost in a warehouse for years, never shelved, thumbed or even opened yet may still be some years old.
Fine (F or FN): Generally indicated in three levels F-, F and F+. A Fine book approaches the condition of As New, but without being crisp. The book may have been opened and read, but there are no defects to the book, jacket or pages.
Very Good (VG): Generally indicated in 3 possible states VG-, VG and VG+. Describes a book that shows some small signs of wear - but no tears - on either binding or paper. Any defects should be noted by the seller.
Good (G): Describes the average used worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects should be noted by the seller.
Fair: Worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc. (which must be noted). Binding, jacket (if any), etc., may also be worn. All defects should be noted.
Poor: Describes a book that is sufficiently worn. Any missing maps or plates should still be noted. This copy may be soiled, scuffed, stained or spotted and may have loose joints, hinges, pages, etc.

We are always happy to discuss our other available books (not all are listed) or source something special for our customers. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any particular requests or questions.