Allan J. Stypeck is the President of Second Story Books, Inc., the Washington, DC area’s largest used-and-rare bookstore. "Best Used Bookstore", Washingtonian Magazine, "One of 10 Best Used Bookstores in the U.S", USA Today. Second Story Books, Inc. has two locations: 2000 P St., NW, Washington, DC 20036 and 12160 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852.

Mr. Stypeck graduated in 1972 from the American University School of Government and International Service in Washington, D.C. with a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Political Science.

He is a Senior Member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) accredited in Books and Manuscripts; member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the American Booksellers Association (ABA), the Universal Autograph Collector's Club (UACC), the International Autograph Collector’s Club (IACC) and The Manuscript Society.

Mr. Stypeck serves as an expert witness in all judicial court systems, both federal and state. Has worked on criminal and civil cases with the FBI, U.S. Post Office Inspector General, Library of Congress, the Inspector General of the State of Connecticut and has worked with the police and judicial systems of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Instructor at seminars on book collecting for the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Florida; taught an accredited course on appraising at George Washington University, Wash, DC. in conjunction with the American Society of Appraisers and has written the accreditation test for the discipline of book and manuscripts for the American Society of Appraisers.

Lectures on collecting books and assessing their value at the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, American Institute of Architects, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Washington Rare Book Group, Georgetown U., George Mason U., Catholic University of America, U. of Maryland, American U., Howard U., Catonsville Community College, Washington College, St. Johns College and the following public library systems: Wash., D.C., Fairfax, VA, Arlington, VA, Alexandria, VA, Montgomery County, MD, Chattanooga, TN, and is a Darragh Distinguished Lecturer for the Central Arkansas Library System.

Mr. Stypeck has prepared over 3,000 appraisals for donation, risk management, insurance, estate and sale purposes since 1974. He appraises all printed material, including books, manuscripts and stamps, as well as photography, phonograph records, fine art, antiquities, Oriental art and objets d'art.

Mr. Stypeck conducts appraisals for the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of State, National Park Service, the Senate, House of Representatives, White House, Supreme Court, National Archives, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Corcoran Museum of Art, Folger Shakespeare Library, Georgetown University, George Washington University, the University of Maryland, Catholic University of America, the National Library of Medicine at NIH, multiple recipients of the Nobel Prize as well as colleges, universities, major museums, institutions and corporations throughout North America.

Mr. Stypeck also is retained by Dr. Henry Kissinger as a consultant and archivist and by the United States Department of State to assist in obtaining gifts presented to foreign dignitaries by the President, Vice President and Secretary of State.

Previous member, Board of Directors, Montgomery County, Maryland Historic Society and the Board of Directors, Friends of the Libraries, U. of Maryland. Currently a member of the Steering Committee, Friends of the Libraries, American University. Recipient of one of only eight Pillars awarded by the Historical Society of the District of Columbia

1997-2009, co-hosted, along with Mike Cuthbert, the popular hour-long radio show, THE BOOK GUYS,Mr. Stypeck answered callers’ book-related questions every week coast-to-coast on public radio. C-Span 2 frequently broadcasted THE BOOK GUYS on their show About Books. Mr. Stypeck has also appeared on PBS's Antiques Roadshow.

Second Story Books has acted as consultants and agents for a number of large estates, including Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin, book collector Roland Comstock, the African studies collection of Dr. John Willis and handled the sale of the archives and personal property of Russian dancer and producer Ida Rubinstein to the Library of Congress

Mr. Stypeck acted has recently been an expert witness in the following cases: Tulane University vs. Marsh Insurance et al.; Storage America vs. Capt. Bruce Abbott; and POACRE vs. Calvert Marine Museum.