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Episode 52; Second Hand Books
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I routinely purchase books 2ond hand. Slight damage or marks don't bother me; generally I am more interested in the content than the object. I love finding peoples' book marks (receipts, boarding passes, etc.) in used books too. I am pretty cheap, however. I don't have a specific $ limit but I have passed up books (even in pristine condition) because I felt the asking price was too high for a used book. I like the idea that a well loved book may be passed from person to person. When I give away books, I often worry that they won't find a good home...silly, I know.
I do know a few people who will not purchase 2ond hand books and some also have issues with library books too. But I suspect some of them are germaphobes.
i love to browse through old books. i often can't afford the ones i would like to purchase, but i love secondhand books. i like the idea that the book has passed through many hands before it has reached mine and then it will pass through many more.i love the smell of all books - old and new.
one of my students had a first edition of in cold blood that she purchased at a used book store. she didn't realize what she had and made highlights in the book. she gave me the book at the end of the year to add to my collection.
I love our local used book store. My son and visit visit weekly when we can. :)
I love old second hand books - even more than new books actually. I definitely love the "treasure hunt" aspect but more than that I love the look and smell of old books. It makes me feel connected to the past readers to know that the book I'm reading was in someone else's library. It's a bonus if there is an interesting inscription, markings or an old newspaper clipping inside. I don't even have a price limit - in fact I've spent way too much money on old books just because the cover was so charming and dated. I could go on and on....
I too love second-hand book shops, and like Jennifer, like them better that new book stores. I found your conversation interesting, that Gav doesn't like the idea of other people reading the book. I'm on the other hand, I love the idea that someone else held this book, read it, possibly enjoyed it, and lived in that world. I always wonder, what was this person like? (I just picked up an old EB White book of essays I have at home the other day and the former owner lived on the West Side of New York in the Mayfair. Who was she? What was she like?)I am picky about my books, though, they can't smell a smidge of mold, so frequently at shops and book sales I'll be sniffing the books to make sure they are acceptable smell-wise to me! I also love the hunt for a treasure; I have my favorite authors that I always search for, Alcott, Austen, Cather, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Salinger, Wharton, etc. and see if I can find that special copy. I have a book shelf just for my old classics, I frequently find yet another copy of X that I just can't pass up. ("Little Women" and "Rebecca" are two favorites that I have multiple copies of, but can't bear to part with any of them!)
I mainly buy secondhand books (probably 60%)- but it's not uncommon that they can be more expensive than new ones!Denmark is a small country, and books that are more than 4-5 years old - if they weren't exactly bestsellers, are out of print and hard to track down. So getting them used is the only option if you want to own them.
I love prowling flea markets, various charity shops etc. I don't buy books that are downright icky, but otherwise I'm flexible - as long as price and condition seem reasonable.
I love buying books with dedications etc in them :-)
oh, picking up a book with a dedication inside is brilliant.
This question just makes me think back on a lifetime of used book shopping with fondness. :) I confess I don't do thrift stores for books much any more; I tend to have targeted book desires and it's easier to just go on amazon or get it at the library than to try to hope I luck out at a used bookstore. I frequently buy used on amazon, but I have found that when buying trade paperbacks I can get a really old or weird smelling book. Like last year I was trying to complete my Dorothy Sayers collection, and while most of the copies I ordered were in fine condition, some had stiff spines and smelled... funny. So I know I'm taking my chances with that.
My book club has an annual secret book santa exchange and we encourage each other to give used copies so it's not very expensive. But usually they turn out to be "like new" anyways!
I love secondhand books and I'm not really bothered by their condition. I like to think that every book has a long lifetime of being read by many different people. It's quite a romantic idea, I suppose. And I find it easier to browse for random old gems in a secondhand bookshop than in a new books only shop.The only negative, for me, is if the book is fairly new I do feel a little bit bad that I'm not supporting the author and publisher by buying new. Especially if it's from a small press. But it's usually established authors from big publishers that seem to end up filling the secondhand shelves anyway.
I'm with the possible majority here...used book stores are amazing. Sure, I can browse in a new book store but often, it's the same ol', things I'm seeing everywhere. There is nothing like poking around the shelves or stacks or whatever in a well stocked used book store and finding that gem that was meant just for me. I do want books that are not moldy and falling apart and dirty but most shops I've been in feel this way too and are careful of their material.
The book itself outweighs the bargain though it's nice to get a good deal on something you'd never be able to buy anywhere else and didn't even know it existed.
I never really liked used book stores. I always find them a little over whelming and I'm never quite sure what I'm looking for.I do love the bookshelves at charity shops and car boot sales.
I particularly love car boot sales when the seller remarks 'That one is brilliant. I enjoyed it so much but my husband(wife/partner/SO) says I must make room on the bookshelves.' Then you just know the book has been well-loved, you are among friends and that you have to take responsibility for giving the book a good home.
I read secondhand books frequently. In the US we have paperbackswap.com for used book exchange. You post your books and get a credit after someone requests and receives a book from you. The credit is good for any book listed on the site. So you exchange books for the cost of postage.
I love browsing the bookshelves in my local charity shops but it's easy to get carried away and I have to be quite strict with myself (only buying certain authors or books that are already on my wishlist). I am, however, a very active member of www.readitswapit.co.uk which is a UK version of the site Don mentions above, although it works on a direct book-for-book swap basis rather than on a credit system. This way I can stock up on second-hand books guilt free because for every one that comes into the house I have to post one away!
Very interesting podcast. . . I wonder if Gavin also would never wear used clothes. . . I buy all of my kids clothes at Goodwill and I'm wondering if later in life my son will never buy anything used b/c he was forced to as a child. . . Anyway, I love second hand bookshops! I got to spend a semester at Oxford during university and I remember I became friends with Karl (he spelled it with a K after Karl Marx) who dressed all in black and made me buy The Secret History which still might be my favorite book ever. . .
Sadly I rarely shop in used bookstores anymore, get almost 100% of books from the library (which I feel a little guilty about as I'm not supporting authors as much). I also think that it's probably good that Gavin and Simon don't live in huge McMansion houses like we have here in Southern California and instead in those impossibly small apartments in the UK. . . probably it forces them to buy fewer books b/c of space limitations. . . I have friends here who buy books by the yard just to fill the shelves. . . kind of bizarre.
Uuh - I just spent the weekend in London with my mum and my daughter - there's a really nice second hand book market down by the London Eye :-) Got some nice goodies :-)
I like second hand bookstores. They are a great way to get lots of books for a little money. This is especially great when the book is something I'm not sure I want to pay full price for anyway. And I like the idea that a book gets another chance to be read. When I want to get rid of books I think of it as finding them a new home, and am happy to give someone else's old books a new home in my library. That being said, I have to be in the mood to sift through a pile of used books, as often second hand bookstores aren't quite as well organized or as well stocked as a store that sells new books.
I love second hand bookshops! They are my weakness and can be very dangerous. I usually end up leaving with arm loads of books and with dwindling shelf space you can see how this is a problem. It's so bad that going to a second hand shop has now become a treat for me. My husband only allows it on special occasions. He's become my voice of reason. I am a fan of hardcover. I just think they look better in the shelf and they have prettier covers and often lovely ragged edged pages. There is just something about them that makes me think, 'this is how the author meant the world to see the book'. Whereas, paperback books seem more cold and disposable. Anyways, this is where buying 2nd hand comes in handy. I am always on the hunt for that illusive hardcover copy of some of my favourite books.
One of my favourite places to find 2nd hand books is at our local Goodwill. They have 50% off sales every Friday and I've found some wonderful treasures there. And surprisingly many of the used books are still in excellent condition. Some you can tell have never even been read!
I'm also a member of Bookmooch.com, which is a world wide book trading website. When I'm done with a book that I don't feel the need to keep in my collection I pass it on to someone else who DOES want it. I like thinking that it is getting the love it deserves. And it's neat to think about how many hands it might pass as it travels around the world.
I also love second hand bookshops and charity shops as you can get some real bargains from them and it is always nice to have a browse round them every so often as you really never know what you might find in them.
Never spend more than £3.
It can't have any damage or marks.
There is nothing better than browsing secondhand books and finding a gem. One of my best finds was Fisherman's Creek by Daphers in the original Yellow Gollancz hardback - mint condition... cost me 10p!