At Randall House we deal in fine and rare books in many fields: collectible books, limited editions, and out-of-print titles. From Shakespeare folios to Carter's ABC for Book Collectors, from fine bindings to fine-press printing, from children's books to early Bibles, from incunabula to modern first editions, our stock has long reflected a simple conviction — that a well-made book is both a vessel of ideas and an object worth keeping.
In addition to books we have always carried autographs, manuscripts, autograph letters, historical documents, and ephemera. A wonderful selection of original paintings, etchings, and works on paper by renowned artists has rounded out the shelves. For half a century the house has served collectors, libraries, and institutions from its home in Santa Barbara, California.
A House Built on the Book
Randall House grew out of the great tradition of American antiquarian bookselling. Founded in the mid-1970s and established in Santa Barbara in the 1980s, the firm earned its reputation the slow way: by handling fine copies honestly, describing them accurately, and standing behind every book it sold. That standard — scholarship joined to plain dealing — is the identity this archive preserves.
Our Departments
The collection was organized into subject departments, each curated with a specialist's eye. Explore the fields that defined the house:
- Modern First Editions — twentieth-century literature in first printings and fine dust jackets.
- The American Revolution — early Americana, pamphlets, and documents of the founding era.
- California & the West — Californiana, exploration, and the literature of the frontier.
- Jack London — first editions and association copies of California's great adventurer-author.
- Robert Louis Stevenson — the teller of tales, in first editions and ephemera.
- Natural History — voyages, botany, ornithology, and the hand-colored plate.
- The Grabhorn Press — the summit of San Francisco fine printing.
- Sporting Books — angling, the field, and the turf.
- Autographs & Manuscripts — letters, documents, and the hand of history.
- Books About Books — bibliography and the literature of collecting.
What We Do
Beyond selling books, the house offered the services a serious collector needs: appraisals for insurance, estate, and tax purposes; a want-list search service for the elusive title; and representation at major auctions. If you are considering selling a book or a library, the house's experience in valuation remains a useful guide.
New to the field? The Glossary of Book-Collecting Terms demystifies the vocabulary of the trade, and our printed catalogues illustrate how a fine copy is properly described.