Main Street Fine Books & Manuscripts

Main Street Fine Books & Manuscripts deals in out-of-print and antiquarian books, autographs and historic documents, ephemera, maps and pre-1900 newspapers. We operated as an open shop from 1991-2014 in historic Galena, Illinois, and have transitioned to by appointment, mail order and book fairs. Member: ABAA, MWABA, The Manuscript Society.

We take great pride in the quality of our stock and clean and cover all hardbound books in dust jacket sleeves or mylar. Every effort has been made to describe each item and any defects accurately.

Terms & Shipping

All orders ship within two business days. We offer combined shipping on multiple orders. In order for the shipping discount on combined purchases to be applied, please wait for our invoice before making your payment.

Books ship via USPS Media Mail with tracking. Expedited shipping via USPS Priority Mail can be requested. Please contact us for a quote before making your payment.

Autographs, Maps and Ephemera always ship via USPS First Class or Priority. The default shipping charge is for Priority Flat Rate. For reduced shipping on very small items, please wait for our invoice before making your payment.

Large or heavy items may require that additional charges be invoiced separately.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

We ship internationally using eBay's International Shipping Program.

Autographs Guarantee

We are professional, full-time autograph dealers with nearly 30 years' experience buying and selling, authenticating and providing appraisal services. All autographs are guaranteed authentic without time limit to the original purchaser.

William Butts, co-owner, apprenticed under a well-known Chicago dealer in the 1980s. For years he authored two columns in Autograph Collector magazine and after more than 25 years remains book reviewer for Manuscripts (quarterly journal of The Manuscript Society), in which capacity he stresses autograph education and reference works as the cornerstone of any serious dealer or collector. He has lectured on autograph authentication and contributes reviews and articles to publications such as Fine Books and Collections.