What do you do with your old books?

[teagrrl]

If they're in good condition, I sell them to a local second-hand book store. They usually pay pretty well (but then, they also sell overpriced books). Books I wouldn't be able to get paid for (eg paperback mysteries), I either give to charity or release via Bookcrossing.

[Ads]

[janaka]

usually bring them to goodwill. or i send them on to people who i know will appreciate them.

[lizzymahoney]

I have a huge number of books. Probably over 3000 again. Many of the ones I no longer want can't be sold on Amazon or to used book stores because they are too common, in only fair shape, or freakishly esoteric. Since I dumpster dive, and a significant number of books were rescued from abandoned property and thrift store dumpsters, I know what happens to books the thrifts don't want.

I give books to people interested in particular things like folk dancing or Caribbean cookery. I've donated a selection to the Psych unit at a hospital. Crafts, travel and novels as I recall. Some books were let loose at the local colleges via BookCrossing. I've taken boxes of books I think are still desirable to someone to used book stores. They don't pay much.

Twice a year, I put out a box of books marked FREE when I have a garage sale. Piles of trashy novels remain afterwards, but at least some find a good home. Family and friends are encouraged to take them, too.

A large number of my books are odd taste. I love community cook books. I have a moratorium on collecting them, though. Favorite one is a little construction paper booklet from an Inuit grade school with recipes for pickled seal flippers. Now that one could probably find a good home but for the most part people don't even want the two or three they have, let alone one from a garden club in Albuquerque or a Bible Study group in Sioux Falls. So that's 150 or so right there with no desirability to anyone but me.

I need to develop a callus in my mind for books as I have for my odd bits of china and glassware. If it's damaged and not valuable anyway, toss it out. I have books that have slight dog chewed covers and edge paper staining from roach poop. No one is going to want those, but I still think that maybe I'll need that field guide or that recipe for apple kuchen.

[wonderwoman]

I love to collect poetry, classic literature, and cookbooks-all vintage. I have a small apartment, so I have to really make sure I limit what I do have. But I have some nice ones.
I donate most of the books I have to the local library, and to this homeless guy nearby that sells books for a buck. I have alot of books tho. I love the summer for the yard sales.

[ThePeach]

I like to leave them on the doorsteps of people I think would enjoy them. Sometimes with a note, sometimes not.
Or donate them to the library so 100's of people have a chance to read them.

[Astrid]

ThePeach, what a lovely idea!
I find most of my books in the trash, so I don't care to try to resell them (or even give them so thriftshops cause I wonder if they'd sell), except when I come across something really worthwile. Just written a blogpost about that, see sig if you care to read more.
We pass on our books to whoever wants them and don't care too much if they come back. But one guy, an ex-homeless (who now has a little room in a sort of community house) always returns them because he has no place to keep them and never knows if or when he'll be on the street again.
I recently went through my collection end ended up with two boxes full I don't care to keep, so the doorstep-idea or just put the box outside my yard (thanks lizzymahoney) might be the solution.
I'll check back here for more ideas.

[quornflour]

Does anyone want to do a book swap?

[craftycarol]

I read historical novels. Just read one called ISHI. It was about a Native American who was the last of his tribe. I learned so much about the world we have come to take for granted through reading about our past history. I pass my books and magazines on to friends, family and nursing home residents. Many of the residents don't have family to visit much, so they take a trip through reading once in a while to pass the lonely hours. We all need to think of them more often than we do.

[Mary, Queen of Knots]

There's a nice used bookstore near where I live, so I usually turn my books in there after I finish them. They give store credit, so I use it to buy more books!

[ashgremillion]

I'm a hoarder when it comes to books. Even cheesy gag books I get from friends as a joke (Dungeon Master's Guide for Dummies, for example) I keep.

It's just one of those things I collect and reorganize constantly, I can't let go.