Old books

[Troy McClure]

I have a huge stack of old books in good condition that I want to get rid of. Most of them are OK books, or at least I could imagine somebody else thinking they are worth reading, but I am no longer interested in owning them. I guess the obvious thing is to donate them to the local library, but does anybody else have a better suggestion, or has anybody done this?

I guess, as somebody who appreciates owning books, and who reads too slowly to borrow books from the library (I usually read the first fifty pages, and then get distracted for a couple weeks, then come back to it, over and over), I would like to give them to somebody else who would like to own these books.

Any ideas?

[Griffin 1]

What are the books, and what do you mean by "good condition"? Are the hinges broken? Any loose pages? Any writing or markings to the text? Do they have inscriptions? Were they published with dustjackets? If so, are the dustjackets with the books? Are the dustjackets torn? Have the corners of any pages been folded? Are the books moldy? Musty? Any water damage? Are there any marks or scrapes on the covers? Are the corners bumped? Worn?

[The Drunken Actuary]

Talk about the third degree!

[Troy McClure]

That's a lot of questions!

A few worn corners, otherwise none of the other damage you asked about at all to the books. The jackets are a mix - some in great condition, some in good, some lost. Of the ones I have, they are pretty much fine (I usually take them off to read the book, and put it back when I am done).

The books are a wild mix - pretty much anything I picked up that I thought looked good at the time. The book the Pope wrote a few years back (can't remember the name), The Bell Curve, James Clavell, Piers Anthony, How to Dress Like a Professional, you name it, some hardback, some paperback.

Also, I am not interested in expending any effort (for example selling online), and I am not interested in getting any money - although if I could get rid of them for some money at no effort, that would be ideal. But, mostly, I just want to give them to a person (people) who would like to have them.

[Griffin 1]

What day is trash day where you live?

[Minerva]

If you don't want any cash, give them to a charitable organization and take a tax deduction. Many public libraries have periodic used book sales as fund-raisers, and you can usually drop them off just about any time (call your closest branch to find out). A lot of churches and synagogues (and other organizations) have rummage sales - some sell books, others don't. (For those, you usually have a limited drop-off window.) Even check your local GoodWill.

If you'd just as soon get a little cash, there is a whole second-hand book industry - large stores that sell overruns and used books. See http://www.halfpricebooks.com as an example. But, watch out, you may walk out with as much as you brought in.

[Griffin 1]

On 2002-02-10 16:41, Minerva wrote:
If you'd just as soon get a little cash, there is a whole second-hand book industry - large stores that sell overruns and used books. See http://www.halfpricebooks.com as an example. But, watch out, you may walk out with as much as you brought in.

Half Price won't pay enough to cover the cost of the gas to get there.

[Macroman]

On 2002-02-10 16:44, Griffin wrote:

Half Price won't pay enough to cover the cost of the gas to get there.

There may be other used book resellers that will pay more, or let you trade towards books you are currently interested in.

I like half-price books for buying used, they generally have the widest selection (I even ran into a couple syllabus texts here) and are in very good condition. I don't know what the local stores pay now.

[Minerva]

Frankly, I've never SOLD any books at Half-price, just bought them, so I haven't a clue about what they pay. When I finally bring myself to part with a book (usually because we have multiple copies), I donate it to the public library booksale. [They get me both ways, because I'm also a great customer! ]

[Griffin 1]

When I'm at Half Price I always listen to what they are offering people for books. I am always amazed at how little people will take for their books. A couple of times I have taken a box of books into their store just to see what they would offer. One time the box I took in contained an Edgar Rice Burroughs first edition and a Cormac McCarthy first edition. One HP store offered me $3.50 for the box, and another offered a whopping $7.75 for the box. I later sold the Burroughs book for $175.00, and the McCarthy book for $325.00.