About Aardvark Rare Books:

Joshua Hirschstein, Owner. Member: IOBA

Aardvark Rare Books has a 30+ year history of being a trusted book-dealer on the internet and locally in Eugene, OR. Founded by ABAA-member Ezra "The Bookfinder" Tishman in 1995, Aardvark Books and Ezra the Bookfinder built a national reputation as a pleasant, honest, forthright, and knowledgeable book finder, book buyer, book seller, and book appraiser.

Current owner Joshua Hirschstein, began his book career as a 16-year-old page in the Seattle Public Library. He graduated from Western Washington Univ. with an English degree and credentials to teach high school English and history. He had stints as an educator and earned an M.A. in Writing Education at U.C. Berkeley, all the while working part-time in public and university libraries.

He married his sweetie, Maren Beck, in 1988, and they landed in Eugene, Oregon, where Joshua founded and operated Lane Tutoring Service for 32 years. In 2007, Joshua and Maren, after some rewarding backpack travel in SE Asia with our young teen sons, Ari and Zall, founded a textile import and workshop-tour business that promotes and works directly with the traditional, independent silk, hemp, and cotton weavers of Laos and Vietnam (visit Above the Fray at www.hilltribeart.com). The boys grew up...

Joshua met his neighbor, previous-owner Ezra, in 2021, and they shared an affection for tending their mini-farms just outside Eugene. Invited into the tombs of Ezra's extensive collection of books, both catalogued and uncatalogued, sparked the intrigue of Josh. With the tutoring world moving online, and the textile import business firmly in the hands of Maren, Joshua pondered a new chapter, and returned to the love of handling the printed word. He worked closely as an employee with Ezra beginning in 2022, and extended his knowledge attending CABS (Colorado Antiquarian Book School) in 2023. Ezra sold the business to Joshua in August, 2025.

Ezra Tishman has been, and continues to be, a mentor: opening doors, sharing knowledge and "trade secrets" regarding books and business, teaching the art of cataloguing, holding firm to the ethics of the trade, preaching the necessity of iron-clad packing, and helping Joshua develop Fingerspitzengefühl - that is, “fingertip feeling” a shelf of dusty books to sense those of intrigue and value. Ezra's fingerprints, indeed, are all over the 30-year success and quirkiness of this business!  

That said, we have every intention to remain close friends and partners-in-the-trade.

Joshua may be reached at 541-683-3131, or office@aardvarkrarebooks.com.