We became booksellers in 1962, specializing in first editions, a specialty that continues today. The The Ahearns have over 45 years of experience in the field.
The Quill & Brush was established in 1976 as an outgrowth of a part-time business run by Allen and Patricia Ahearn who started collecting and cataloging books in the early 1960s. At present the Quill & Brush is operated by Allen and Pat and their daughter, Beth Fisher. The Quill & Brush specializes in first editions of literature, mystery/detective fiction and poetry, as well as collectible books
in all fields. The firm focuses mainly on books published from the middle of the 19th century to the present. Their stock of over 15,000 books is housed in a beautiful library in the Ahearns' home, nestled in the woods at the base of scenic Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland. The Quill & Brush issues catalogs, offers books on the internet and at book fairs, and invites customers to visit the library Monday through Saturday by appointment. Allen and Pat Ahearn are the authors of Collected Books: The Guide to Values (4th, revised and enlarged edition published in 2011), Book Collecting 2000 (Putnam: 2000) and over 200 individual Author Price Guides, all of which require they keep current on the market prices for collectible books and make them uniquely qualified to offer professional appraisal services and to establish fair prices when purchasing books or libraries. The Quill & Brush is unique in its proud adherence to their long-standing, stated policy of accepting the return from a collector of any book at any time (in the same condition in which it was sold to them) for full store credit of the original purchase price. Their goal is to offer the finest copies of books available at a fair market price.
