About Us
We specialize in first editions of literature, mystery/detective fiction and poetry, as well as offering interesting and collectible books and ephemera in all fields. While our main focus is on books published from the middle of the 19th century to the present, we occasionally offer earlier items that pique our curiosity and interest. Our goal is to offer fine and interesting books at fair market prices.
The Quill & Brush was originally established in 1976 as an outgrowth of a part-time, home-based business run by the husband-and-wife team of Allen Ahearn (1937-2025) and Patricia Ahearn (1937-2014). They began by issuing printed catalogs in the early 1960s under the name "Allen Ahearn, First Editions," before opening their first combined book store and art gallery in 1976, which prompted the apt name change to Quill & Brush. Their first open store was in an antiques barn in Olney, MD, where they operated for a year or two before moving to a larger space at a specialty mall located in Bethesda, MD, on the outskirts of Washington, DC. As is true for so many booksellers, a sudden, large rise in rent led them to move shop back home.
The Ahearns co-authored the well-respected reference book for booksellers and collectors, Collected Books: The Guide to Values (the latest edition is the 4th, revised and enlarged one published in 2011). They also co-authored the book-collecting primer Book Collecting: A Comprehensive Guide and over 200 individual Author Price Guides.
The Quill & Brush is presently run from the home of the Ahearn's eldest daughter, Beth Fisher, with the assistance of her daughter, Ariana Lobasso. They plan to update their parent's and grandparent's guides in the next few years someday.