What to do with old books? (Note: this is a long read)

Apiarist

I am an avid reader myself. I have read literally thousands of books. But since neither me nor my wife like having too much stuff, we give books away, sometimes to a bookshop, but mostly to charity. I keep books that I may re-read (mostly reference) and a few interesting books that I could give someone to read. So now I have probably just a hundred books left.

Graces7

Darthvadar wrote: »

Some libraries have a Housebound Service, delivering books to people such as yourself... My late mum used to get a visit every three weeks to change books... It's a great service...

Your local library may do this... May be worth a call to them to enquire...

Darth...

Thanks; however the library no longer comes out here.. I also love to support charity shops that do such good work.. maybe one day I can stow away on a ferry and then a car with a huge bag to give then fill I am on a small offshore island...

OP we were in a somewhat similar position a few years back. My Dad had a big library, mainly books on horticulture, botany, animal husbandry, geology -- everything that grows above and below the ground basically. A bit niche. Nobody in the family is interested enough to justify keeping the sheer volume of books on these topics, so we tried to donate them to the local library. And then a different library, and then another -- we couldn't shift them. Even the Charity shops weren't sure about whether they could sell the stuff. The Charities only really want valuable textbooks or popular fiction. The liberaries only seem to accept donations of scientific books if they are up-to-date, whereas a lot of the scientific books we had were from the 1940s -- 1990s.

Even getting rid of (mar dhea) antique books was a struggle. The oldest agricultural books were about 200 years old, and there were volumes of gardening journals from the time of the Great Famine (the grim irony). But I discovered that age alone doesn't make a thing valuable, there has to be a market for them.

We just ended up dividing up the books between ourselves, giving another portion of them away, and giving to charity shops a few small boxes that they probably didn't sell. It's really a pity that he spent upwards of 60 years collecting all of those books and then all that concentration of knowledge just disintegrated and vanished, which is a bit like what happens when you die.

So, in conclusion, I'd warn against just dumping these books on your local charity shop. Make sure first that they're of value to a charity, because if they're too niche or dated, it might just be a burden on the local volunteers in terms of time and space.

Aglomerado

SirChenjin wrote: »

Some shops (B&Q and Homebase are two I've dropped books to) have a table where people can buy the books with proceeds going to charity.
Honestly, I don't think there is much scope for corruption with a few books...

Other than that, sell them in batches, online.

Woodies do this too. Maldron hotels often have a 'take a book leave a book' area near reception.

The manager of my local sue ryder turned away a lot of paperbacks I brought in...some were old and a bit battered and she didn't think they would sell therefore taking up space in her shop. I'm bagging up a few at the moment as a friend's neighbour would love some books to read so I'm passing them on that way.

The idea of putting books in a recycling bin galls me!!!

SirChenjin

SirChenjin wrote: »

I don't think there is much scope for corruption with a few books...

Thieves don't steal books and readers don't steal.
I seen a book shop somewhere in europe that left their stock of books outside overnight (used books).

TheValeyard

Library. Or places where you can drop off books and people can take them freely.


Never throw a book out.

Graces7

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

OP we were in a somewhat similar position a few years back. My Dad had a big library, mainly books on horticulture, botany, animal husbandry, geology -- everything that grows above and below the ground basically. A bit niche. Nobody in the family is interested enough to justify keeping the sheer volume of books on these topics, so we tried to donate them to the local library. And then a different library, and then another -- we couldn't shift them. Even the Charity shops weren't sure about whether they could sell the stuff. The Charities only really want valuable textbooks or popular fiction. The liberaries only seem to accept donations of scientific books if they are up-to-date, whereas a lot of the scientific books we had were from the 1940s -- 1990s.

Even getting rid of (mar dhea) antique books was a struggle. The oldest agricultural books were about 200 years old, and there were volumes of gardening journals from the time of the Great Famine (the grim irony). But I discovered that age alone doesn't make a thing valuable, there has to be a market for them.

We just ended up dividing up the books between ourselves, giving another portion of them away, and giving to charity shops a few small boxes that they probably didn't sell. It's really a pity that he spent upwards of 60 years collecting all of those books and then all that concentration of knowledge just disintegrated and vanished, which is a bit like what happens when you die.

So, in conclusion, I'd warn against just dumping these books on your local charity shop. Make sure first that they're of value to a charity, because if they're too niche or dated, it might just be a burden on the local volunteers in terms of time and space.

Maybe a college library? An ag college?

Travel is good

And of course, there is Book Crossing. www.bookcrossing.com I found out about Book Crossing here on Boards.

The Dublin group meets up once a month. I found this a great way of releasing my books. The only trouble is, I have acquired many more books....

Graces7

Graces7 wrote: »

Maybe a college library? An ag college?

Local Ag colleges don't have the resources or a need to maintain and store out-of-date textbooks. They tend to be very practical and not theoretically focused. Changes in farming practices/ scientific techniques over various generations is something that might only interest a handful of academics across the whole country.

Anyway, I'm only mentioning this to warn that charity shops and libraries are very selective these days in what they take-in, and for very good reason.

GoneHome

The Irish Cancer Society have charity shops in various locations, they would be one of the more deserving charities to donate to, as I agree with you I would not give a cent to any of the others mentioned due to there past exploits (SVP included)

endacl

Tikki Wang Wang wrote: »

Tldr

Yet quoted in full...

kowloon

I like having a physical book over reading off a screen, but my eyesight has gone to **** so I end up getting pdfs/ebooks of books I have physical copies of so I can read them with large text on my laptop.
I'd be pretty unhappy if I thought my family would burn or dump the lot when I'm gone. Burning books doesn't sit well with me at all.
Sell them, give them away or stick them in boxes in the attic if the long shelf idea isn't a runner. Failing that you should donate your wife to a charity shop and put the books wherever you like.

SirChenjin

BrownFinger wrote: »

Thieves don't steal books and readers don't steal.
I seen a book shop somewhere in europe that left their stock of books outside overnight (used books).

The line you quoted from my post was related to the OP having mentioned not wanting to give the books to charity shops because of the various things that have come to light about some charities.

Gautama

As expected it took me a while to get on the case with this.

I eventually got around to separated my gardening and horticulture books and put them up on DoneDeal, Adverts and eBay as a trial run.
A dozen books totalling €150 individually, or €100 for the lot.
Sure enough I’ve got a buyer long before the bump date. She’s EFT’d me €20 and will pay the rest when collecting them.
Handy docket!

Gautama

Edgware wrote: »

I believe Andy Dufrense in Shawshank Prison is looking to expand the library

That's one over-rated movie!

Gautama

nuac wrote: »

I have been in Berlin a number of times. I see in Kreuzberg on a Sunday morning piles of books left out for the taking. Keep planning to bring some of my own next trip.

Have happily spent money on books over the decades. Children have suggested Kindle. Not for me.

Perhaps a shipment to Berlin?

I have William L Shirer's "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf".

charlietheminxx

I usually bag them up and bring them to my local TK Maxx, they have a collection point for Enable Ireland. It's quick and it's easy and hopefully does some good.

Gautama

Tikki Wang Wang wrote: »

Tldr

LOL! The irony!

A double whammy for the non-readers out there. Bill Hicks would love it!

bullpost

Halloweens coming - Bonfire?

Do a staging of Fahrenheit 451 - You have all the props

Gautama

Gautama wrote: »

That's one over-rated movie!

An absolutely brilliant book and quite possibly the best adaptation of a Stephen King story ever. Even though the latter category is littered with an awful lot of muck. Better than The Shining, The Green Mile, The running Man, Stand By Me, Misery and both versions of IT, imo, which round out the top 7.

EmmetSpiceland

[Deleted User] wrote: »

An absolutely brilliant book and quite possibly the best adaptation of a Stephen King story ever. Even though the latter category is littered with an awful lot of muck. Better than The Shining, The Green Mile, The running Man, Stand By Me, Misery and both versions of IT, imo, which round out the top 7.

To be fair to ‘The Running Man’, the film is very different from the “Bachman” version.

ToddyDoody

Put them in a mystery box. Advertise mystery box on adverts.ie.

EmmetSpiceland

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

To be fair to ‘The Running Man’, the film is very different from the “Bachman” version.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing a more faithful adaptation of the book because, as is usually the case, the book is better. (Shawshank, ironically, is one of the few that breaks that mould).

There's a novella called "The long walk" which is set in the same universe....i.e. "Reality TV / Gameshow where people can get killed". It was in the Bachmann books, I think. The premise is there are 100 teenagers who all start walking, and if your speed drops below 5 mph or something, you get a strike. 3 strikes and you are killed. Fantastic story, written decades before reality TV even became a thing. Been dying to see a big screen adaptation ever since I read it.

Frank Darabont had the movie rights but they lapsed recently, and it was snapped up by New Line cinema who have pencilled in some Norwegian guy. Can't wait to see it.