Terms & Conditions

1. About these terms

These terms apply to every item you buy from Marshall Rare Books through this website, or by telephone or email. Please read them before you place an order. They sit alongside our Shipping & Returns policy, our Privacy & Cookies Policy and our Website Terms of Use.

Marshall Rare Books, 20 Gretton Road, Gotherington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 9QU, United Kingdom. VAT registration number GB 293 3799 09. You can reach us by email at info@marshallrarebooks.com or by telephone on +44 (0) 1242 672997.

Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

2. Authenticity and descriptions

We sell only genuine antiquarian books, manuscripts, maps, prints and objects. Each one has been examined and described carefully and honestly, including its condition and any faults or restoration we know of, and with all known provenance.

• Dimensions are given height by width. For books we measure the book-block; for maps and prints we measure the platemark or, where that is not possible, the printed image.
• Colouring described as original or contemporary was applied to the map or print at or about the time of publication. Any other colouring is, in our opinion, later.
• Undated manuscripts and drawings are dated as accurately as we can, but any date we give is an estimate and not a guarantee.

Photographs show the actual item for sale. Descriptions, bibliographic references and statements as to age, edition or attribution are given in good faith as our professional opinion.

3. Prices

Prices are shown in pounds sterling and include shipping and insurance to anywhere in the world, so there is nothing further to add at checkout. Customs duty and import taxes charged by the destination country are the buyer’s responsibility, as set out in our Shipping & Returns policy.

We take great care over our prices. If an item is listed at the wrong price by mistake, we will tell you before we accept your order, and you may then buy at the correct price or cancel.

4. Placing an order

Most of what we sell is unique, so items are offered on a first come, first served basis. Placing an order is an offer to buy. A contract is formed only when we confirm by email that we have accepted your order.

A listing can remain visible for a short time after an item has sold. If that happens, or if we cannot accept your order for any other reason, we will tell you promptly and refund any payment in full.

5. Payment

We accept all major credit and debit cards. Payments are handled securely by our payment provider: your card details are never seen or stored by us, and we receive only confirmation that payment has been made. Payment is taken when you place your order.

6. Ownership and risk

An item becomes yours once we have received payment for it in full. It is our responsibility, and fully insured by us, until it is delivered to you.

7. Delivery

UK orders are normally sent by a next working day delivery service once payment has cleared. Overseas orders go by courier with online tracking. Every item is packed by hand and insured from the moment it leaves us until it reaches you. Full details, including what to do if an order arrives damaged or does not arrive, are in our Shipping & Returns policy.

8. Your right to cancel and return

If you are a consumer, you may cancel your order within 30 days of the day you receive it, without giving a reason. This is longer than the 14 days the law requires. You then have a further 14 days to send the item back to us, and we refund you in full, including the original delivery cost, within 14 days of receiving it.

Please return the item in the same condition in which you received it, by the same or a similar method to the one it came by. How to cancel, how to return an item and our cancellation form are set out in our Shipping & Returns policy.

9. Our guarantee

Separately from any right to cancel, we guarantee the authenticity of everything we sell. If an item ever proves not to be as we described it, return it to us and we will refund it in full. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, whose codes of practice govern how we describe and guarantee what we sell.

10. Our liability to you

If we fail to keep to these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our failure. We are not responsible for loss that was not foreseeable when the contract was made.

Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for your rights where an item is not as described, or for anything else that cannot be limited under English law.

If you are buying in the course of a business, our liability to you is limited to the price you paid for the item, and we are not liable for any loss of profit, business or opportunity.

11. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The terms that apply to your order are the ones shown on this page when you placed it.

12. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. If you are a consumer, you may bring proceedings in the courts of England and Wales, or, if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, in the courts there.

13. Questions

If you have any question about these terms or about an item, please contact us. We are always happy to help.