Established in 2017, we market quality books at reasonable prices. We buy and sell rare, used and a few select new books.
Assisting clients to ethically grow, protect or liquidate their book collections.
No matter the weather...
Our Show Room
is open by appointment and:
Monday: 10 AM - 2 PM open
Tuesday: 10 AM - 2 PM open
Wednesday: 10 AM- 2 PM open
Thursday: 10 AM - 2 PM open
Friday: 10 AM - 6 PM open
Open Saturdays 10 AM - 2PM
Sunday: Closed
Closed on Major Holidays
1570 South First Avenue
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Phone: (319) 351-3166
Store is wheel chair accessible.
Enter building through center building door.
FREE PARKING
If you have books that you wish to sell please contact us!
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Jeff Rothermel
Owner / General Manager.
Cap'n Jeff, is the primary book buyer. He enjoys travelling to acquire interesting, rare and affordable books. He has over 30 years' experience assessing and acquiring fine books. He has been buying, selling, and appraising since 2017.
Anne Tanner
Former co-owner of
Locust Grove Used Books
Upstate New York circa 1985
Operations consultant.
Focus area: Journalism, travel and
Iowa Authors.
Betsey Sue Neipert
Saturday Shoppe Keeper
Focus Area: Religion
The Captain's Book Shoppe
is an independent book dealer.
It markets select-new,
quality pre-owned and
rare books- all at reasonable prices.
The Captain's Book Shoppe sells all genres of fiction and non-fiction to include professional journals. The Shoppe maintains and displays over a thousand books that are for sale in the European styled book store. Hundreds of interesting preowned books are added weekly to the showroom shelves.
Quality Books at Affordable Prices.
Rare, Used & Collectable Books.
University Press First Edition Fiction
Biographies Classic Literature
History Vintage Pulp Fiction
Maps Science Fiction
Spiritual Fantasy
Religion Graphic Novels
Travel Mystery / Thrillers
Food / Wine books Romance
Browsers Welcome!
The Captain sorts, grades and markets new acquisitions during store hours. Clients are welcome to poke around the stacks and through the boxes to find treasure that has not yet made it onto the internet.
FREE PARKING!
Store front parking is free. Handicapped parking is directly in front of the store. The store is wheel chair accessible through the building's center entrance door.
Iowa City Bus Stop
Eastdale Plaza #7124 /#7134
1570 South 1st Avenue, Suite H
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
(Across the Street from Java House)
BOOK STORE HOURS
The Store opens daily, Monday thru Saturday, at 10 AM.
Current store hours are always listed on this page and at
home page.
Store hours are also listed on voice mail at:
(319) 351-3166
We are also open by special appointment.
(Closed on New Years Day: 1 January, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day,
the 4th of July, November 11th, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.)
CONSULTING
Assisting world-wide clients to ethically grow, protect or liquidate their book collections.
Coordinating with clients to find and connect with the right expert for their book(s) while maintaining confidentiality when required. Accepting clients operating on a budget.
BOOK APPRAISALS
How much is the book you have worth? That is a common question. Don't hesitate to visit the store. The Captain can discuss your options such as your selling the item on eBay, and what the current market value for that book is. (Book values flux by the month due to start and end of college courses). If you are new to the area, we can refer you to other book stores that may be interested in buying your items.
The entire crew likes books. Come on by or give them a call to discuss what you have.
Jeff appraises books and book collections. The initial consult is free, where he assess appraisal options with you. Our appraiser must physically see, feel and smell the book in order to fully assess its value. No virtual appraisals are made. The Captain's Book Shoppe LLC strictly adheres to the ethical standards of rare book assessors. If the Captain's Book Shoppe accepts money for making an appraisal of a book or collection, we will not buy that book or collection. If the Captain's Book Shoppe LLC serves as your appraiser- and cash was exchanged for the appraisal, we cannot market your book or collection that was appraised by us.
First site visit / assessment if free of charge. The standard base fee is $25 an hour for appraisal work conducted in the store.
Book buying occurs every day except on Saturdays.
BOOK BUYING
Walk-in and Sell Your Books
11 AM - 1 PM (Monday - Friday)
No Book Buying on Saturday.
Our book buyer’s interest shifts with the tide (and market conditions), but a few steady rules are the following:
The Captain usually looks at your items and gives you cash the very same day. Potential sellers with large or special collections may wish to set up an appointment for our buyer to visit you. Appointments for book buying or appraisals can be scheduled for any day of the week.
If the books are dusty, the Captain will be glad to walk outside and look in the trunk of your car at your books.
Captain’s Book Shoppe LLC buys perfect condition 1960s to present hardbound books. If the book has flaws and was printed after 1960, our book buyer is generally not interested in making an investment in a recently published book with imperfections.
Yes, Captain's Book Shoppe buys books published prior to the 1800s. Age is not the primary factor that our book buyer considers.
Captain Jeff travels the world on a search (quest) for interesting books. His last trip to Europe was 15 December 2019 - 9 January 2020. Cap'n Jeff's last westward book buying voyage was 30 January - 6 February 2019. It included a stop at the Pasadena, CA Book Fair on 2 February. The Captain made a book buying trek on 8 July - 28 July 2019 through the Southern United States. If you have books that you think Jeff would be interested in seeing, please contact him. He is always looking for a reason to travel!
The Captain generally does not buy hard bound books that have the local consignment stores price stickers (such as Stuff Inc. or Cozy Closet) still affixed to the dust jacket. If the sticker is removed prior to coming into the store and there is not a noticeable “sticker ghost” and the spine is not cocked, it is possible the Captain maybe interested in the book. Sticky price sticker residue is a defect that spreads to other books. Sticky books literally have zero resale value.
Captain's Book does not buy records, cassette or VHS tapes. Occasionally, the Captain acquires audio book CDs.
Yes, the Captain and crew accept paperbacks of all genre.
PAPERBACKS
Captain's Book Shoppe maintains a nice selection of $1 books (.94 cents + .06% sales tax). Bring in ten paperbacks that are in decent condition and trade them in for a paperback from the "Bargain Back" collection. The Captain and crew generally buy paperbacks for ten cents a copy. The Crew buys paperbacks every day that the Shoppe is open. Book condition matters.
The Captain sells all paperback genres. The Crew and our clients enjoy science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and westerns. Literature paperback classics such as Shakespeare are items that move fast.
Most of the Captain's paperbacks are not listed on their ecommerce marketing sites.
BOOK DONATIONS
Yes, Captain's Book Shoppe accepts boxes of donated books. The Captain will find your donations a great home. Some books due to condition, will be sent to a local paper recycler. Book donations are accepted during normal business hours any day the store is open.
AUTHORS
If you are an author or publisher and desire to sell some of your books through the Captain's Book Shoppe, please contact us.
TELEPHONE & INTERNET SALES
If you are looking for a book, please give Jeff a call at (319) 351-3166. As he conducts his travels, he will attempt to locate the specified book. Once it is found, he will contact you to determine if you are still interested in the item, prior to his negotiations with the current owner.
The Captain will ship your purchase via the most economical method that ensures a safe passage. If you desire custom shipping (faster); please include that in your order request. The requestor may incur additional shipping costs for special delivery orders. If you have a question about shipping charges you may send us an email or give Jeff a phone call.
STORE HISTORY
The Captain's Book Shoppe LLC was founded in 2017. Initially, the firm sold books only via the internet. The firm expanded operations in 2018.
Captain's Book opened the doors at its current location, 1570 S. 1st Ave, Iowa City, IA 52240 on 10 June 2018. It has outgrown its current location. Captain's Book is in search of more storefront and warehousing. Jeff looks forward to hearing from, you, if you have reasonably priced retail / commercial property opportunities.
rchase- may decrease its value.)
the end notes....
Captain's Book restocks their shelves on a daily basis. You are welcome to frequently visit our show room store. Browsers Welcome!
Check back often to see our current collection of books!