A Few Words About Dealers and Publishers:
In the new world of internet commerce where practically every publisher has a website and where publisher-direct ordering is possible, one might logically ask: “Why buy from a dealer rather than from the publisher directly?” Here is our take on that question.
Book publishers and book sellers have existed side by side for centuries (not unlike the similar co-existence of parchmenters, paper makers, binders, etc.). Although today publishers and dealers share one similarity—they both sell books to retail customers—each are very different businesses. The publisher’s primary function is publishing: creating a product—a book—by seeking out, selecting and presenting important intellectual material, and then selling the book it has created.
Dealers, on the other hand, promote and distribute the publisher’s products. More importantly, dealers directly and broadly serve their customers by providing one-stop access to many publishers encompassing many genres and many nationalities. Unlike publishers, dealers provide their customers with guidance, analysis and intimate knowledge of the full spectrum of available materials, regardless of source. We at OMI are proud of our tradition of building strong and continuing relationships with our customers; we do this by offering the following:
- a unique understanding of and enthusiasm for the subject material - "one-stop" shopping for the entire discipline, regardless of country of origin
- comprehensive catalogues—representing all publishers—arranged by subject - easy price comparison of similar products offered by different publishers - consolidation, on one clear invoice, of publications imported from diverse sources - special invoicing that meets the client's needs or requirements - professional
packing & concern for fragile & delicate bibliophile editions
- attention to shipping costs, shipping alternatives & customs regulations - reciprocal support of clients' organizations
Some customer comments:
"Thank you again for such a nice and interesting visit! My friends are so happy because of you!" [NML, Brooklyn]
"The score [Mozart K.370b + 371] has just arrived. I want to thank you for the care you put in making the package, the score is nothing short from perfect! I really hope to make business with you again. Thank you" [MER, Cadelbosco di Sopra, Italy]
"The Bach Bible is here! I rushed home after class when I heard from my husband that it had arrived. We carefully unpacked ALL the packing material – great job! I’m beyond thrilled. This Friday we have a special honors chapel for our graduating seniors. I’m going to bring the huge volume 1 to read from the book of Psalms. Thank you for making this happen sooner rather than later. I’d still be daily checking the euro exchange rate if you hadn’t been proactive in talking with your publisher. I think it’s a win-win!" [RB, Santa Clarita]
"It’s always such a pleasure to work with you both, and to be able to add such rich resources to our collection. Just before in-person teaching became a temporary thing of the past, we offered an instruction session to our cello studio; we had just received those wonderful Jost Thöne volumes and L’archet from you, and we laid them out on our long seminar room table for the students to see. They were absolutely entranced, and it gave our cello professor an opportunity to talk about various instrument and bow styles so beautifully on display in these volumes." [LM, Durham]
"I was JUST going to give you a call! IT IS BEAUTIFUL and PERFECT for the occasion. I am always grateful that I can lay my eyes on these scores we purchase for our special donors even if they stay in the library for just minutes... Thank you very much for the discount. I appreciate your customer service and for the care you both always take in your work." [KM, Los Angeles]
"I thought I'd walked into Ali Baba's cave when I came across your website!" [AB—France]
"I have heard very favourable reports of your emporium from SR who spoke of you as the genie in Aladdin's cave, able to produce the most obscure and sought-after publications for her at the drop of a hat." [NB—London]
"I just want to let you know that your last shipment just arrived safely and unharmed. Thank you very much and I hope I can make an appeal on you when something new (!) comes out related to the Bach facsimiles. I'm very pleased with the Wolff-essays and with the fact that you went on looking for them! It was a pleasure to work with you." [AFB—'s-Hertogenbosch]
"I received my order a little while ago, and to FEDEX's credit they made the time up lost from Hurricane Irene. I am very grateful for such great packing for these precious works which are beautiful and inspiring, and for that I am very grateful to OMI for offering and presenting true facsimile and press reproductions. Very illuminating and superbly printed. The very good work that lay ahead is a lifetime of enjoyment and respect towards these gifted composers and players." [PWM—Houston]
"I received the Canti C volume yesterday and was very impressed with the meticulous packaging that had been carried out. The book was so neatly shrink wrapped and tightly bound in its box, with the ends cushioned, then all sealed up with tucked in filament tape. Just wanted to let you know that is was noted and much appreciated. Thank you for making it such a pleasure to do business with OMI." [GH—San Francisco]
"I received the facsimile on Monday, and have thoroughly enjoyed studying it... it has been really fascinating to try to play the sonata from the autograph, and savour the experience of seeing the music as it was written down by Beethoven himself. Having the other elements—the sketches, the first edition and the commentary—also adds a great deal to the appreciation of the process of composition and publication. I've only ever seen glimpses of autographs before in museum cabinets, and it's been a real joy to be able to sit at the piano and look at different passages with reference to all the related resources." [MB—Conventry, England]
"Today was an other great day with the arriving of the slipcase and the introduction by Oleg Grabar to the Maqamat al-Hariri! All in perfect condition—beautifully done! Really, very clever of you to organize the shipment this way! Thanks a lot, and please excuse my first reaction. I wish you a lot of success and if you should ever be in Basel one day you are welcome for an arabic meal, or maybe you prefer a 'Swissy' one." [HB—Basel]
"I really had a good time visiting with you and of course catching up on what's new in the various facsimile publications. I think OMI could well become the musician's Shakespeare & Co.—a true gound zero for meeting and discussing." [FEG—Washington DC]
"Many thanks for looking after my concerns. Both facsimiles are of great interest to me and I am very grateful to you for drawing my attention to them, especially the 1512 part-books, which I am sure I would never have located." [RL—Somerset NJ]
"I waited until late last night, when there were no distractions, to open your package. I was very pleased. The size was larger than I imagined. The endpapers look great, the old inscription very nicely attached. I now look forward to spending more time with the music. (Already I wonder why he began the sonata, crossed out the page and used it instead as the title page!) Thank you again!" [SB—Cape Elizabeth ME]
"I stumbled into your treasure chamber a month or so ago looking for some reliable Rameau editions and couldn't believe what I was seeing. I am so thankful you have put this stuff on the web and that one doesn't have to go searching every obscure publisher for something. I hope I'll be purchasing things from you for the rest of my life." [SL—Ljubljana, Slovenia]
"Thank you very much and I am sorry for all the hassle. I hope your hearts won't sink when I get in touch again quite soon. I want some two-part renaissance facsimile to help make others as addicted as I am to playing from facsimile... Just to say the music arrived this morning, beautifully packed and in perfect condition. I am delighted." [KLP—Norwich, England]
"Thanks once again for all of your help with this—for your prompt service, for your courteous replies to my questions, and (especially) for taking an interest in providing such esoterica to what must be a rather small market!" [JB—Saskatoon, Canada]
"I just wanted to let you know of the safe arrival of Il Codice Laurenziana yesterday. I have never seen anything like it—it is absolutely beautiful and has already been much admired by my colleagues. It seems far too good to pass over to the library, but then again there is no point keeping such a splendid volume tucked away with no-one to admire it!... I would like to thank you again for Il Codice Laurenziana and its magnificent packaging (people were asking me what was in the 'body bag') and look forward to receiving the Manuscript Chantilly." [AC—Nottingham, England]
Bird
decoration, Libro d'ore di Alfonso d'Este – Offiziolo Alfonsino,
Ferrara, 1505-1510. Lisbon, Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, inv. L.A.149, fol.63
(Il Bulino) | 
