How do you thrift for books?
I've always been a big fan of going to a second hand book store/thrift store and searching around for some cheap books to add to my bookshelf. When I was younger, it helped me get more bang for my buck, and growing up in the greater Portland Oregon area, I had access to Powell's Books which was an amazing place to go and see how many books I could get for $10-20 when my parents would take me.
I don't get to shop for books often as I made a foolish (joking) agreement with my wife that I would read all of the books I own before buying new ones, but when I do, I love that sense of going into a used book store/thrift shop and seeing what I might find.
I tend to try and complete series that I'm missing books in or that I know are on my to read list and will often pull out my phone to check. But when I was last browsing through the used book stores near the market my family goes to, it got me wondering how other people search go thrifting for books and I thought up a few questions below
Do you:
- judge books by their cover?
- have a list of books you search for?
- set a spending limit and see what you can get?
- go with family or friends, or is it a solo venture?
- frequent the same shops or try to cast a wide net?
- use online sites to purchase your second hand books?
- have any fun stories you'd want to share?
If you have other thoughts on buying books second hand, feel free to share them!
I used to be much more of a second hand shopper than I am now. Not that I read less, but I use the library more now and don't live in an area with as many amazing second hand bookstores. I used to live around the corner from Dog Eared Books and would pop in once or twice a week. I really miss having it so close.
I absolutely judge books by their cover. I also collect books based on their covers. I started reading Murikami when they were printing John Gall covers and I won't buy a new one if it isn't one of his. I love the aesthetic and like having a complete collection. That is unless there isn't a version of it. I've also grabbed books or albums just because I like the art. It has lead to some weird reads and weird music... and wine for that matter.
I always have a little list of recommendations from friends or my mom or seeing them online. I have a good friend who moved to Taiwan and books are a way we keep our connection strong. I get a rec from him about one a month and the ensuing conversation we get into about them is a great impetus to pick up the books. Otherwise I always check the sections of a few of my favorite authors to see if there is anything I haven't read by them - if not I'll check out their neighbors. I always find some gems that way.
Not usually. I try to limit myself to one book unless I come across an absolute treasure trove. The less I get the more frequently I can go.
When I lived in SF I'd take dates there sometimes. It was always a good barometer for what they were into and it makes for easy conversation. Do they like to cook? Are they into art? Do they have an author they love? You can dive pretty deep with someone quite quickly in a bookshop. And if it's awkward you can always hide behind a bookshelf ;). Otherwise it was usually just me.
I'm a creature of habit so I almost always went to the same shop. I do love checking out other bookstores, especially on vacation. I recently got to go to Tsutaya Books Daikan-yama in Tokyo and it blew my mind. It was awesome! Literally something for everyone.
Sometimes Bookshop.org
Off the top of my head not really, but I'll give it a think!
I'd love to hear your answers to some of these!
I was working when I posted this, so I did get some time to post my own answers!
I also thrift books much less than I used to, in large part because I've switched mostly to audiobooks and using my library. So, these days my thrifting is usually very intentional and focused more on reference material, like plant ID guides, than on books for fun reading.
Judge books by their cover?
-Yes! When I was younger, especially, I would often pick up fiction books on a whim.
-Part of the joy of thrifting (anything books, clothing, etc.) for me is that the lower cost makes me feel better stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something I'm less sure I'll enjoy.
Have a list of books you search for?
-When I thifted more often for fun, I'd usually look for authors I recognized than specific books. Sometimes I'd have specific books in mind but I figured there was a lower chance of coming across a specific book than any book in a given author's repetoire.
-These days, I'm more likely to want informational or reference materials in physical form, so I am more likely to search for specific books.
Set a spending limit and see what you can get?
-No. I wouldn't spend a tonne, but if I found a few books I'd read, and they were within my overall affordability, why not buy them all? Likewise, if I didn't find anything that struck my fancy, I wouldn't buy anything.
Go with family or friends, or is it a solo venture?
-Usually solo, like most shopping for me. I just prefer to go at my own pace.
Frequent the same shops or try to cast a wide net?
-Whatever is convenient.
Use online sites to purchase your second hand books?
-Only very recently! I was looking for a specific reference material that's been out of print for a couple decades and very hard to find. Without the wonders of online searching, it would have been like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Have any fun stories you'd want to share?
-About that hard-to-find reference material I was searching for online: Long story short, I picked it up through a midnight rendez-vous in a parking lot. I found a copy from an online-only seller about an hour away from where I live. At the time, Canada Post (Canada's national mailing agency) was on strike, so before I made the purchase I called the seller to check they had an alternative shipping method. Although they did, it was inconvenient (small town problems) and pricy. The seller mentioned he would be driving through my area overnight in a couple of days, and could meet me at midnight in a random parking lot to give it to me directly. I agreed to the rendez-vous, and it all worked out, with both my kidneys intact!
Final thoughts
-After a very stressful, exhausting encounter with bedbugs at an airbnb some years ago (luckily I prevented bringing them home), I have become quite conscious of their existance. I realize it's possible to encounter pests anywhere, not just used items, but nonetheless I always do a cursory look for signs in used goods I buy, and then either tumble-dry on hot or freeze used goods I buy. For books, that means popping in the freezer for a few days. Yes, yes it's probably overkill but it gives me peace of mind, dangit!
I pretty much just head to the sci fi section and then buy anything with an author I recognize or if it has a cool title I’ll search for a summary for it and decide that way
I managed to find a copy of Childhoods End - Arthur C Clarke last time!
A book cover can be such a draw to start reading it, and I'm not a big a fan of the trend of more minimalist covers. I found this post that shows the different covers for Wheel of Time's release, and I love the look of the original covers. When I'm shopping, if I see a cheap book with one of those "retro" style covers, it will definitely go on my short list for that trip.
Speaking of covers, it can really interest looking at the covers for different editions, especially for international editions, and seeing how interpretations differ.
I really enjoy collecting books, and there's a lot of book series I've read previously that I'd enjoy picking up one day, like the Sharpe series or most of Bernard Cornwell's back catalogue. This is part of why I ended up making that agreement with my wife, as I know my collecting would out pace my reading speed and shelf space.
If I bought all the books I wanted to get, I'd probably be able to open a small library!
I used to go in with a $10 or a $20 and see what I could get, but as I grew up and started shopping less, I became a bit more choosy on what I would get it. If it's only a couple of bucks, and it's from a series I've read or am actively collecting, I'm likely to grab it.
Other days, I might limit myself to only buying 1 book and spend a lot more time picking one out.
I would usually go with my wife when she felt like it, and occasionally would go by myself. Now that I have kids, I don't think I've gone to a book store without them, and usually we end up buying books for them even though they have a bunch already.
I used to go to different shops, sometimes when I would be driving somewhere if I noticed a thrift store I'd stop in if I had the time to look around.
Now, I tend to only go to a group of used book stores that are above the wet market my family frequents. I don't go in often since we usually get to the market before all the stores are open and I since I'm trying not to get more books for myself I don't want the temptation of browsing as every time I've been I could easily get ~50+ books just on from the ones I've seen that I'd want to add to my collection and that's without digging in to all the books that they have.
I have used Thriftbooks a couple of times, but when I'm thrifting, part of the fun is seeing what I find in person. It was part of why I was sad when Goodwill launched their ecommerce platform, as I could tell the difference in the number and quality of books that were available at my local stores in the area before I moved.
I did think I had found a first edition of Dune when I was a kid, but it was at Powell's books and I quickly realized that they know what they're doing and wouldn't just let a first edition on the shelves.
I also found a hard cover copy of a volume of Vinland Saga on a "cleareance" rack outside a used book store for $2 which I think at the time was ~$20 new.
One of my favorite dates with my wife was when we went to a book store with an attached café and spend an afternoon browsing then reading the books we purchased while sipping coffee.
I do judge books by their cover! I do this anyway to an extent. Brennan Lee Mulligan once cited being in an improv classroom with someone who groaned aloud when the "Don't judge a book by its cover" cliche was mentioned. She was a cover artist - the cover is literally supposed to attract you to the book! That's stuck with me. But also, there are just so many books, I have to pick somehow.
I don't usually have a list of books I search for, but I might have a couple in my brain, and I always have authors. But usually I'm not looking for books I've read. I might look for, say, the original Magic School Bus books for my niblings, but I don't really have a want list for myself.
I spend a lot less than I used to - I don't really thrift books at thrift stores, but we have a 2-3x a year charity book sale (where I've donated a lot of books myself in the past) and a local bookstore that buys/sells used books along with new ones that I aim for. I don't typically go in with a limit, but I'm less incline to buy books just to own them unless they're already special to me than I was 8 years and 3 moves ago. (I own a house now, but not nearly enough shelves). When I travel though I love hitting local shops, I got to go to Powell's in Portland a few years ago, and I'll be in Pittsburgh next month and will probably try to find a bookstore if there's one near the conference hotel.
Online sites - only if I'm looking for something specific, and usually out of print. I do a lot of library books, both physical and digital, and one of my regular gifts is an Amazon gift card that lets me buy a book when I can. The Internet Archive can also be helpful (or was in the past; the lawsuit may have impacted this), where I was able to "check out" a scan of a totally out-of-print paperback novel about mermaids that one of my favorite authors referenced.
I love owning physical books, I read them less than I used to and feel the need to "keep" less, but if I get one of my spare bedrooms turned into a little reading nook/library with a daybed in there like I plan (it's a very small little bedroom) I may get to shop one of the big sales to fill up some shelves with old favorites and books for the niblings when they're old enough to visit.
I hope you're able to make that little reading nook/library a reality!
I'm usually the second opinion to my wife's interior design, but she's fully on board for if we end up settling in to our "real long term/forever home" that we have a small library/study with floor to ceiling bookshelves.
One of the few Subreddits I still visit is /r/bookshelves as I always find it fun seeing how people arrange their books. If you ever do get that room setup and felt comfortable sharing, I'd love it to see it!
Edit: I went to go back and look at that Subreddit after mentioning it, and it appears I was thinking of /r/bookshelf
I used to love going to used book stores, at one point I worked near two and lived near another one. There was yet another by the bus stop; they put dollar books on a rack outside the store, obviously recognizing their captive audience back before smart phones were ubiquitous. My favorite part about that rack was that I'd get interested in something I wouldn't normally come across. It's fun to wander around the store and see what books the employees have highlighted by putting the front cover facing out, sometimes with an explanation of why they liked it.
I like book covers, I like to see the interpretation an artist made for the book. I like the drawings and I like the more abstract covers that often hint at something you'll discover inside. I do not like when they use a movie poster as a book cover. I'm not completely sure why, something about it feels disingenuous but I can't put my finger on it.
I love the captive audience book rack outside the store by a bus stop. I'm a sucker for seeing a book rack or shelf and immediately wanting to go see what is on it. I know Powell's did the staff recommended books, and that was actually what made me pick up a copy of The Black Company, as they gave a glowing review and I saw they had a used copy for a few dollars. While I still need to finish the series, the first two books I've read were absolutely fantastic!
It's rare, but I have found a few gems just laying around Goodwill.
Notable finds:
Crime and punishment
Origin of species
Oxford history of ancient Greece
(A massive) collection of Sherlock
Each for under $3
Finding deals like that is what makes visiting one of their stores so fun for me!
I stopped in at a Goodwill during covid while my wife was pregnant and saw a copy of Hell's Gate sitting on the shelf, and it was marked for half off, which was great. I remembered seeing some other David Weber titles and wanted to go back down the aisle, but a lady showed up at the end and started coughing up a storm with no mask on, so I decided it was better to play it safe and left with my book.
It was only after I got home from that trip and looked up the series that I realized the other 2 books in the trilogy were all there for half off and I had seen them while I was browsing. I would have been able to get the whole set if that lady hadn't shown up!
I hope you're able to find some more hidden gems in the future!
As a vast collector of books (3500+ volume personal library) something that I have always enjoyed when buying thrift store or used books (which account for 95% of my collection) is finding things in them. Bus tickets from 30 years ago, the original recipe from the purchase that is now barely readable, post cards from places people took their book while traveling. I enjoy finding peoples random notes in the margins either about the book or even just about life in general. Notes written on the jacket clearly stating that this was once a thoughtful gift from someone. These give me a personal connection to the history of this exact printed copy of the book, I like to think about how many hands this copy has passed through, did anyone ever actually read it or did it sit on a shelf for years before being donated? I've found dated notes from people that are very likely no longer alive, did they treasure this book, what did it mean to them?
It really ads to the experience of reading for me, because to me a book is much more than the words printed on the pages, it has a social history to it, its effect on the world, its effect on literature and a each copy has a personal history of the person who read it before you, all the way back until it was new. A 50-80 year old copy of a book has seen a lot.
"Miss you, son, love, Dad" book for thrift: never read.
I watched a mini documentary on this one Japanese department store chain called Yaohan, and one of the source is an obscure out of print book written about the store that someone found as a thrift. The book's dedication says something like, dear Friend, this is a reminder to not give up and chase after your dream, like Yaohan's creator. At the time of print it was a successful, inspirational story. Yaohan has since folded. I wonder at what point the book was donated.
I've felt many of those similar thoughts as yourself. Finding those little mementos in a book can be so fun!
I have an old general history book from 1908. My dad had told me that my grandpa had a whole set of related books, but he wasn't sure where the rest went. The margins are filled with scribbled notes that my aunts and uncles put in the book, and potentially some notes from people who owned the book before them. It was fascinating reading it years ago and having the "modern history" section end before WW1.
I also always felt bad treating a new book "roughly" by putting it in a bag or bringing it around with me, whereas the older second hand copy I was always fine with bringing around since it already had so much wear and tear.