Disclaimer. Collectalia is not a legal, tax or insurance advice site. The information on this page is general and based on French legislation in force as of 09/11/2026: it may change, does not necessarily apply outside France and does not take your situation into account. Always have it checked by a notary, a lawyer, an accountant or your insurer before acting on it.
Key points
- A useful library inventory separates ordinary books, listed by shelf, from rare books, described one by one.
- The value of old books rests on the edition, the condition, the binding and the provenance.
- Photos of the title page and the binding, invoices and bibliographic references make up the file for each book.
Old books: what gives them value
The age of a book says almost nothing about its value. An eighteenth-century book may be worth little, a modern first edition a great deal. What counts: the edition (first, deluxe copy from the limited printing, numbered copy), the condition of the leaves, the binding and its binder, the illustrations, an inscription from the author, and the provenance, often betrayed by a bookplate or a handwritten note.
Keeping a library catalogue means noting these elements for the books that deserve it, and keeping an overview for the rest. Bibliophiles know the method: one entry per work, written like a bookseller’s catalogue entry.
What a book record contains
| Field | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Author, title, publisher, date | Identify the work. |
| Edition: first, numbered first, deluxe limited copy, reprint, facsimile | The first criterion of value for a rare book. |
| Language, number of pages or volumes, format, bibliographic format (folio, quarto, octavo…) | Describe the copy as a bookseller would; check that it is complete. |
| Binding (paperback wrappers, half binding, full leather, fine binding) and binder | A signed or period binding can matter as much as the text. |
| Illustrations, condition of the leaves | Note foxing, water stains, missing plates: condition weighs heavily in the valuation. |
| Inscription or dedication | An inscription from the author to a known recipient can transform a copy. |
| Bookplate and provenance | Trace the history of the copy, sometimes a prestigious one. |
| Bibliographic reference, ISBN | Link the copy to the bibliography that describes it. |
| Photos and documents | Title page, binding, bookplate, defects; invoices and valuations. |
Manuscripts, incunabula, artists’ books, maps and atlases have their own sub-categories. Comics, with their first editions and deluxe limited copies, have a category of their own.
Old books, worth and insurance
To know the value of old books, nothing replaces the opinion of a specialist bookseller or an auction house. Prepare complete entries and photos for them: you will save time and the valuation will be more accurate. Keep the history of valuations, dated, rather than a single figure.
A library fears fire, water and theft. After a loss, you will have to prove what it contained: photos of the shelving, a list of the rare works with their entries, invoices and valuations. Check that your home insurance policy covers these books and up to what amount; beyond that, an extension or a specialist policy is needed.
Succession
An inherited library without a catalogue is often sold by the linear metre, to the detriment of the few books that gave it its value. An inventory that flags the important works, shows where they are kept and which bookseller to approach protects your heirs from this mistake. Also note your wishes: keep the library whole, share it out, entrust part of it to an institution. For works of high value, payment in kind (dation en paiement) makes it possible, after ministerial approval, to pay inheritance tax with books. Our estate inventory template can serve as a starting point.
Photos from your phone and sharing
Photograph the title page, the spine and the boards of the binding, the bookplate, the important illustrations and the defects. For an expert valuation or a sale, share a selection with the bookseller or the buyer through a password-protected, time-limited link. If your library sits alongside prints or drawings, see the art inventory.
With Collectalia
Collectalia catalogues your library: one record per work with edition, binding and binder, bibliographic format, inscription, bookplate and provenance, bibliographic reference and condition of the leaves, photos taken from your phone by scanning a QR code, invoices and successive valuations, location by room and position. Import of an existing Excel file, advanced search, a formatted PDF catalogue, a Succession module and free read-only access for the family. Free trial.
Disclaimer. Collectalia is not a legal, tax or insurance advice site. The information on this page is general and based on French legislation in force as of 09/11/2026: it may change, does not necessarily apply outside France and does not take your situation into account. Always have it checked by a notary, a lawyer, an accountant or your insurer before acting on it.