About Natural History Books

We will be on vacation from April 26 until May 12, 2023.  You will be able to order productions on our website, but we will be unable to fulfill orders during this time.

Contact Information:

Natural History Books
1025 Keokuk Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
Call: (319) 354-9088
Fax: (319) 354-0844
Email: noriko@naturalhistorybooks.com

Natural History Books is the premier source for rare and hard to find books in all areas of natural history.

Natural History Books is an independent, rare book retailer operating out of Iowa City, IA.  The business is owned and operated by Noriko and Russell Ciochon.  We only sell books through our NHB website and other book service websites.  We do not offer books for sale within the state of Iowa.  We specialize in rare and hard to find books in all areas of natural history especially ornithology, herpetology, ichthyology, mammalogy, paleontology, botany, evolutionary biology and travel and exploration.  Our rare and hard-to-find book section has many fine hand-colored plate books.  Our latest acquisition is the academic mycology collection of University of Michigan mycologist Alexander H. Smith.  In his lifetime (1904-1986), Smith published 200 articles, books, and monographs about fungi.  His private research library was extensive. 

We are always buying natural history books – if you have a collection to offer, please contact us at noriko@naturalhistorybooks.com or by calling (319) 354-9088.

Nearly all books we sell are in very good or better condition.  We have tried to describe condition precisely.  Books described as fine are in as new condition.  Books described as near fine show only slight signs of wear.  Very good books show below average wear.  Books described as good usually have some condition problems. We do not carry books that are rated lower than good condition.

Selling Books and Prints on Consignment

We are happy to sell books and prints with a value greater than $500 on consignment. Consignment commissions are a percent of the proceeds from the sale of the items and are determined on a sliding scale based on the value of the items for sale. Books and prints will a higher values will have a lower percent commission. All books we sell on consignment must be related to natural history and the categories we have listed on our website. Please contact us directly using the information below to establish a consignment agreement.

Thank you for your business. We hope you enjoy our books.

Noriko Ciochon
Owner

If you have any questions, comments, or special requests please feel free to contact us. We can be reached best by email at noriko@naturalhistorybooks.com. You may also call us at (319) 354-9088. We welcome any feedback about our site or our selection of books.