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Common questions
Is rarebooks.ie legit or a scam?
AboutUs doesn't label sites "legit" or "a scam": this page lists the dated registration, DNS, HTTPS, mail-authentication and safety checks we could verify, each with its source, so you can decide for yourself.
Who owns rarebooks.ie?
Nobody has completed AboutUs's owner verification for rarebooks.ie. That's true of most sites here — it isn't itself a warning sign.
Correct a description, link or other detail. Submissions are reviewed before publication.
3 of 4 safety checks passed (Oct 25, 2026).
Site is live · HTTPS valid
RareBooks.ie
Cathach Rare Books, operating as RareBooks.ie, specialises in scarce and antiquarian books of Irish interest, including rare and signed first editions of twentieth-century Irish literature, Irish topography, and Irish history. The site serves collectors, researchers, and bibliophiles with a particular focus on major Irish literary figures such as James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, and Samuel Beckett.
Checked in the last 30 daysOlder, dated recordFrom registration records
On AboutUs since 2006 · one registrar since Nov 25, 2020 · no ownership change on record since 2010 · last checked Oct 3, 2026.
Registration
No registration date on file yet. AboutUs reads it from RDAP when the site is checked.
AboutUs record
AboutUs wiki pageAboutUs wiki pageJun 21, 2006 – Nov 9, 2013An AboutUs wiki page described rarebooks.ie from Jun 21, 2006 to Nov 9, 2013 (2 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023Said about itself in 2006Jul 1, 2006“Twentieth century Irish literature, rare and signed first editions, Irish topography, Irish history”Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
Registrar
Blacknight SolutionsBlacknight SolutionsNov 25, 2020 – Jan 24, 2025 (latest)Registrar Blacknight Solutions in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for rarebooks.ie, from Nov 25, 2020 to Jan 24, 2025.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Ownership
Ownership recordsMay 4, 2010 – Jan 24, 2025Registration records for rarebooks.ie are held from May 4, 2010 to Jan 24, 2025 (36 records). None shows a change of registrant. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
No ownership changes recorded, 2010–2025
Zone file
No nameserver records held, May 2010 – Nov 2016No nameserver records held, May 2010 – Nov 2016No nameserver records held, Jan 2025 – Oct 2026No nameserver records held, Jan 2025 – Oct 2026Nameservers: ammonet-international.netMay 4, 2010Registration records listed ammonet-international.net nameservers (ns1.ammonet-international.net, ns2.ammonet-international.net) for rarebooks.ie from May 4, 2010 to May 4, 2010.
Certificate
Certificate from Let's EncryptAug 18, 2026 – Oct 3, 2026 (latest)Let's Encrypt certificate valid Aug 18, 2026 to Nov 16, 2026, as seen on Oct 3, 2026.Source: TLS check, Oct 3, 2026
2010201520202025Jan ’26Oct ’26← last 12 months, drawn wider
Every dated fact on this lifeline (9)
Jun 21, 2006 – Nov 9, 2013AboutUs record: An AboutUs wiki page described rarebooks.ie from Jun 21, 2006 to Nov 9, 2013 (2 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Jul 1, 2006AboutUs record: “Twentieth century Irish literature, rare and signed first editions, Irish topography, Irish history”Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
May 4, 2010 – Jan 24, 2025Ownership: Registration records for rarebooks.ie are held from May 4, 2010 to Jan 24, 2025 (36 records). None shows a change of registrant. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
May 4, 2010Zone file: Registration records listed ammonet-international.net nameservers (ns1.ammonet-international.net, ns2.ammonet-international.net) for rarebooks.ie from May 4, 2010 to May 4, 2010.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Nov 15, 2016 – Jan 24, 2025Zone file: Registration records listed blacknight.com nameservers (ns1.blacknight.com, ns2.blacknight.com) for rarebooks.ie from Nov 15, 2016 to Jan 24, 2025.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Automated safety checks
DNS (passed)
HTTPS (passed)
Page metadata (passed)
Security headers (failed)
Add the HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, and X-Frame-Options response headers.
AboutUs has not vetted this site. Everything below is what we could measure automatically. Anything you do on the site — paying, sharing personal details, downloading — is between you and the site, not AboutUs.
Current facts
Latest available measurements; dated entries retain their dates. These are measurements, not an endorsement of the site.
not yet retrieved
Current AboutUs record
Jun 28, 2026 – Aug 17, 2026 (latest)
Authority and Safety last refreshed Aug 17, 2026.
Source: AboutUs checks
Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Nameservers: blacknight.comNameservers: blacknight.comNov 15, 2016 – Jan 24, 2025Registration records listed blacknight.com nameservers (ns1.blacknight.com, ns2.blacknight.com) for rarebooks.ie from Nov 15, 2016 to Jan 24, 2025.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
DNS moved to blacknight.comNov 15, 2016rarebooks.ie's nameservers moved from ammonet-international.net to blacknight.com at some point between May 4, 2010 and Nov 15, 2016. Last seen at ammonet-international.net: May 4, 2010 (registration record). First seen at blacknight.com: Nov 15, 2016 (registration record). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the about 7 years in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → registration record)
Nov 15, 2016
Zone file: rarebooks.ie's nameservers moved from ammonet-international.net to blacknight.com at some point between May 4, 2010 and Nov 15, 2016. Last seen at ammonet-international.net: May 4, 2010 (registration record). First seen at blacknight.com: Nov 15, 2016 (registration record). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the about 7 years in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → registration record)
Nov 25, 2020 – Jan 24, 2025Registrar: Registrar Blacknight Solutions in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for rarebooks.ie, from Nov 25, 2020 to Jan 24, 2025.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Jun 28, 2026 – Aug 17, 2026AboutUs record: Authority and Safety last refreshed Aug 17, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Aug 18, 2026 – Oct 3, 2026Certificate: Let's Encrypt certificate valid Aug 18, 2026 to Nov 16, 2026, as seen on Oct 3, 2026.Source: TLS check, Oct 3, 2026
Registrar and registration date not retrieved yet — we retry on every view.
latest result
HTTPS request succeeded for www.rarebooks.ie.
checked Oct 3, 2026
The live front page reads as an online shop that sells products, mainly for specialists in its field.
We withhold an authority number until independent evidence (global rank, link-graph presence) has accrued. The facts we do have about this site are shown below — we'd rather say “not enough signals yet” than invent a low score.
Safety evidence
No unexpired threat-feed result; name-similarity check available (recorded about 69 days ago); 3/3 transport and email checks available (oldest recorded about 69 days ago). This is evidence coverage, not a probability that a website is safe.
Missing DMARC (mild)
What rarebooks.ie said about itself, 2006
Quoted from the site's AboutUs wiki page in each year it changed (1 version). These are the page's own words at the time, not AboutUs's assessment. New words · dropped words
2006
Twentieth century Irish literature, rare and signed first editions, Irish topography, Irish history
Site history
Dated record — historical facts always carry their date.