Paper Cavalier  /  Sourcing  /  Since 2006

Paper Cavalier finds and delivers books others can’t.

We connect scattered inventories so the books you need are within reach.

117 countries. 18 marketplaces.
20 years of it.

A bookshop that doesn’t stop at its shelves.

Our own shelves

A serious stock of books, held, catalogued and graded at our sites in London and Brooklyn, ready to ship the day you order. That is where most bookshops end. For us it is the starting point.

And a sourcing layer

Sometimes the book you need went out of print years ago, survives in a handful of copies, and is listed somewhere under a misspelled author name with no cover image. When it isn’t on our shelves, we go and get it, through a network of distributors, other bookshops and private sellers. We find the copy, check its condition and send it to you.

Records, not listings

One entry per edition, so the copy you ask for is the copy you get.

Condition, graded

Every copy carries its own grade, from New to Acceptable, and its own price.

Routed, not posted

Orders ship from our fulfilment sites in London, Brooklyn and European hubs.

How a request runs

  1. 01

    Request logged

    Title, author, ISBN or a link — whatever you know. A person reads it.

  2. 02

    Index swept

    Eighteen marketplaces searched for the edition you described, misspellings included.

  3. 03

    Copy checked

    We match edition and condition against what you asked for.

  4. 04

    Routed

    We reply by email with the copy and its price. Once you order, it ships from London, Brooklyn or one of our European hubs.

Field supply

All supply →

The things we had to make for ourselves because nobody sells them properly: the kit we use to move books without damaging them, in the same quantities we use it.

  • Shipping Floor Apron

    Shipping Floor Apron

    Waxed black canvas, riveted pockets sized for a pencil, a loupe and a condition card. Mark stitched in accent red.

    PC.SUP.01

  • Magnet

    Magnet

    50 mm, flat-printed on rigid board. Holds up one invoice or a shelf list.

    PC.SUP.02

  • Washed Index Tee

    Washed Index Tee

    Garment-dyed charcoal, 240gsm. Fades the way a good spine does.

    PC.SUP.03

  • Night Shift Mask

    Night Shift Mask

    For the person still cataloguing at 3am. Sold without explanation.

    PC.SUP.04

We give a FAQ

What counts as hard to find?

Anything out of print and not sitting in a distributor warehouse: long-tail and specialist titles, small print runs, and books whose publisher has moved on.

How do you price a book you do not own yet?

We look for the copy first, then reply by email with what we found and its price. Nothing is charged until you decide to buy.

What if the copy arrives worse than described?

Return any book within 30 days. If it arrives not as described, damaged, or wrong, we refund the purchase price and original shipping; otherwise a 15% restocking fee applies. Returns and refunds.

Do you ship to my country?

We ship to over 117 countries, from our fulfilment sites in London, Brooklyn and European hubs.

Can institutions buy on invoice?

Yes. Contact us with your order and billing details, and we’ll arrange an invoice.

Do you buy books?

We buy selected books. Send us a list or a few photos, and we’ll let you know whether we’re interested.

Tell us what you’re looking for.

No account, no subscription. A human reads every request.

Open a request