Bob and Alison

The firm of R & A Petrilla adheres to the highest professional standards of service, integrity and judgment. Robert & Alison were founding members and the first elected officers of the Antiquarian Booksellers of New Jersey. The Petrillas are supporting members and friends of various historical societies and university libraries. Bob is a member of the American Antiquarian Society and the Society of American Archivists.

R & A Petrilla have appraised books, manuscripts, papers and documents since 1970. In the past, the firm has owned and operated several antiquarian bookshops, co-owned and run a book & ephemera auction gallery, and issued nearly 250 catalogs of old and rare books for sale. We have written hundreds of appraisal reports for individuals, institutions and libraries--reports ranging from one-page letters to book-length documents.

We keep up to date on the values of books and documents by attending book fairs and auctions, and by regularly visiting bookshops across the eastern US. In our offices, we maintain an extensive reference library. We subscribe to trade journals and to international records of books and manuscripts sold at auction. By computer, we access major research and reference libraries throughout the US and abroad.