About Us

 

“A real class act with some vintage treasures and books covering most subject areas. The books are nicely displayed, attractively priced…”
- The Used Book Lovers Guide to the South Atlantic States, p.58

Specialties

Wolf's Head Books store on San Marco Ave. in St. Augustine.

  • RegionalAmerican history
  • Military
  • Military manuals
  • Yearbooks at all levels
  • Signed fiction
  • Floridiana
  • Genealogy
  • Natural history, especially birds
  • Medieval England
  • Books & Ephemera in most other fields

Services

  • Appraisals
  • Book Search

Corporate History

As happens to so many people who eventually become booksellers, we began buying books, putting them on consignment in another bookstore. Eventually we had so many pieces of ephemera and books that we decided to open our own store. Barbara resigned from her teaching position while Harvey Wolf continued to profess in the field of Public Administration at West Virginia University.

Our first location was in the basement of the water department building right next to the post office in downtown Morgantown, WV. We opened our doors in 1980, knowing that in a few months we would have the whole two floors when the water company moved. But we always knew that we wanted to live near a warm water ocean, and while on vacation to Florida we found the perfect location and building in St. Augustine. One month later Barbara had up-and-moved here and in October 1988 our second store opened. Harvey continued to teach at WVU and supervise our store in Morgantown. It was pretty rough having two stores 850 miles apart, so in 1992 we sold the Morgantown store.

Harvey retired early from WVU in 1995 and devoted full time to the St. Augustine store. Unfortunately he passed away in March of 2010 but Barbara along with principle staff person, Michael Theeke, continued the open shop, selling on the internet and traveling to shows around the country.

We really love being booksellers in St. Augustine, as we’ve made some wonderful book-friends in the area. In addition, lots of tourists take their annual vacations in St. Augustine. And not to be left out are the book friends we’ve made over the internet who someday we’d like to meet in person.

Affiliations

  • ABAA: Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America.
  • ILAB: International League of Antiquarian Booksellers
  • FABA: Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association.
  • ADASTA: Antique Dealers of St. Augustine.
  • SMAMA: San Marco Avenue Merchants Association.

Wolf’s Head Books, Inc. was founded by Barbara E. Nailler and the late Harvey Wolf and assisted by Michael Theeke.

Harvey Wolf was a book collector beginning as a teenager. Two years of his early adulthood were spent at West Point. For many years he was a physicist in the aerospace industry; then started second and third careers as a professor of Public Administration, and antiquarian bookseller. He attended 11 colleges and universities with his final degree being earned at University of Southern California.

As a young girl, Barbara E. Nailler got hooked on books by her grandmother, Bernice Furbush, who started her reading Gene Stratton-Porter and Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth. Barbara was a junior high school teacher in Dundee, Michigan and Professor of Educational Psychology at Fairmont State College (now University) in West Virginia prior to becoming an antiquarian bookseller.  Her degrees are in Biology, Science Education and Educational Psychology.

Michael Theeke of Wolf's Head Books.

Michael Theeke is a native of Adrian, Michigan and attended West Virginia University.  Mike has BA and MA degrees in East European Studies. His special areas of knowledge are Russia and Eastern Europe, though after 15 years association with our firm, is knowledgeable in most of the subjects we carry.  For two years he resided in Russia teaching conversational English.

Hours:

  • 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Monday – Friday
  • 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday
  • 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Sunday