Another Way To Find Old Books New Homes
In October, I suggested that you donate the books you’ll never read again to a library or book sale. For some people, though, getting something in return makes it easier to let old things go, and books are no exception.
I love books, so it’s easy for me to understand how they can accumulate over time, but our bookshelves just don’t have room for all of our “old friends”, as my good friend Jennifer Burke calls them. It is hard to part with books that have given us so much knowledge, fantasy and entertainment, but we have to move past that—we can’t keep everything—and only hold onto the books we love. Go through your shelves one at a time, looking at each book to see if you truly love it and will ever read or touch it again. If the answer is no, it’s not one to keep.
If donating your old books to a library sale or charity isn’t something you want to do, your other option is to seek out a used book store that will give you cash or a credit for other books in trade for your “old friends”.
In my area, there is Characters Books. They give an in-store credit for most books, but will pay cash for “unusual titles or collectable books”. They also have a coffee shop as part of the bookstore, so it’s altogether an enjoyable place to browse and relax. The trade-in method of recycling your books means that someone else will get to read them, and you’ll take home something new to enjoy and find knowledge in.
I once read that Vancouver has the most avid readers in the nation—let’s help keep Vancouver that way. Read more, hoard less.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
There is a man in Port Alberni who collects old books, categorizes them and ships containers to countries where books are too expensive for people to buy. He is from Jamaica and used to own a book store. He sends most of his to used book stores in Jamaica who sell them for very little or even rent to people who can’t even afford the very low price. He sells them for under a dollar to cover the cost of shipping. He has helped these book stores set up the rental portion. He is now getting requests from other Caribbean countries to ship to them. There must be something similar in the Vancouver area. I was recently very disgusted when I went to the recycling depot in North Vancocuver to find a bin full of old hard cover books that seemed to be from some elderly persons home. A shame that their family couldn’t be bothered to pass these treasure on.
September 15th, 2011 at 8:53 am
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February 5th, 2012 at 1:57 am
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