Metacomet Books

Metacomet Books was established by James Sanford as a used and rare bookstore in Providence’s old commercial section some 30 years ago, with an active business in both the retail and wholesale trade. In those early days, we boasted one of the largest stocks of used books in New England, reaching  close to a quarter of a million volumes on over three miles of shelving. Buyers, particularly specialist dealers, visited us from all corners of the country. Over the years the company expanded into mail order, collection development, book fairs, online book selling, and eventually niche publishing. Its gradual mutation from traditional storefront retailer to  a fully computerized sales operation is typical of the reinvention that one often sees in the book world these days.