Where do you get your books ?

[DATo]

Please excuse me if this topic has already been discussed.

I get most of my books used from used book stores, book fairs or the library sale table. I will occasionally pay full price when I want to read a book badly enough and don't want to wait. The last time I did this was after a discussion on an internet board where the posters were raving about 'A Confederacy Of Dunces'. I had gotten to know the posters there quite well and trusted their judgement so I went right out to Boarders and bought it ... no regrets, it was worth every penny of the full price.

But this is how I mainly built what I consider a really great library : I am from St. Louis, and every April there is a HUGE book fair held at one of the shopping centers (The Greater St. Louis Book Fair - you can Google it). There are literally a couple of acres of books organized by topic. The books are collected through donations all year by the non-profit organization and the proceeds go to local charities. It lasts for only one weekend - Friday night through Sunday, and sometimes into Monday. The most expensive hard bounds top out at $5 and paperbacks are $1.50. As the fair continues the tables are restocked as the books are bought with more books so you never know when a prized title will appear so I go all three days. Also, as the fair goes on the prices are reduced to the point that hard bounds can go down to fifty cents and paperbacks to a dime. I have been known to spend a couple of hundred bucks and leave with three shopping carts full of books.

I also check out the sale table at the local libraries. For instance, yesterday, at the library, I bought a like-new hard bound copy of 5 John le Carr'e novels for a half a buck.

Just wondering if, as a rule, you buy books new, used, through the net, or just check out from a library and return ... also, how many people purchase online electronic medium (not in public domain but downloadable on a time-out basis for a price).

.

[pa3de8]

I get most of my books of paperbackswap.com. Very rarely buy a new book anymore unless it's something I wish to keep. Also get books from Goodwill, which is a pretty good and cheap source of books at times. I have three Goodwill's within ten miles.

Scott B.

[DATo]

Thanks so much for the "Goodwill" suggestion pa3de8! We too have Goodwill stores in my community but I never considered looking for books there before. Great idea !!! Thanks again !!!

[pa3de8]

Thanks so much for the "Goodwill" suggestion pa3de8! We too have Goodwill stores in my community but I never considered looking for books there before. Great idea !!! Thanks again !!!

No problem. I never thought of it either until I stopped there one day and saw the whole back wall lined with them. I think it's .75 cents for soft covers and 1.50 for hard covers.

Scott B.

[sweetpea]

Actual paper books from www.omahonys.ie
Kindle books from Amazon

[Gannon]

@Dato

Omg, those book fairs sound like heaven to me. I could spend a whole day there and I would need a couple of wheelbarrows for all the books I would buy. Great to see that the proceeds go to charities as well.
As for where I get my books, I get about 90% of my books off the internet. There are no really good book shops where I live.

[RuqeeD]

I am from St. Louis, and every April there is a HUGE book fair held at one of the shopping centers (The Greater St. Louis Book Fair - you can Google it). There are literally a couple of acres of books organized by topic. The books are collected through donations all year by the non-profit organization and the proceeds go to local charities. It lasts for only one weekend - Friday night through Sunday, and sometimes into Monday. The most expensive hard bounds top out at $5 and paperbacks are $1.50. As the fair continues the tables are restocked as the books are bought with more books so you never know when a prized title will appear so I go all three days. Also, as the fair goes on the prices are reduced to the point that hard bounds can go down to fifty cents and paperbacks to a dime. I have been known to spend a couple of hundred bucks and leave with three shopping carts full of books.
.

Oh I really wish we had something like that here! There's not really anything even close

I normally buy my books from Amazon either through the main or through it's marketplace. There are really great prices on the Amazon Marketplace, books priced as little as 1p (and a reasonable £2.80 shipping delivery from all over the world). Sometimes if I can't wait for a book and its a new release I'll buy from the supermarket. For my classics, there are two really great bookshops here that have such a great range in different editions for absolutely brilliant prices, I have an ongoing love affair with those shops .

[Tralala]

Goodwill prices can vary, depending (from what I can tell) on the general state of economics in the area. Here (Madison, WI) Goodwill's a bit pricier. But GWs up north are more reasonable, and the ones in Rockford are dirt cheap. More depressing, though.
Salvation Army's usually the best for books, selection and price.
Savers is okay, not great. And you've gotta deal with a lot of "oh, isn't this quaint!" people.
The book store attached to my local library is the BEST! I don't know if they don't know what they've got, or if they just don't care...I always leave with at least ten books, and never spend over ten dollars.

[DATo]

@Dato

Omg, those book fairs sound like heaven to me. I could spend a whole day there and I would need a couple of wheelbarrows for all the books I would buy.

A little story about my last visit to the book fair mentioned in my OP:

I had attended the fair on each of the weekend days and I also went by after work on Monday (I get off at 3 PM) and was surprised to find the fair was still ongoing. There were only a few people there as this was a workday and the last day of the fair. I thought I would just linger around till the rush hour traffic died down a bit. They don't want to repack the books because of all the work involved and whatever is left over is, sadly, thrown into huge dumpsters rather than restocked.

After I had been there awhile someone came over the loudspeaker and said, "All hard bound editions are now reduced to one dollar and paperbacks to 25 cents." Well, I started stacking books which interested me - hard bound as well as paperback - into my shopping cart. After about another half hour went by someone came over the loudspeaker again and said, "All hard bound books now 25 cents and paperbacks a dime." So I started shoving even more books into my cart including a complete, and mint, 11 volume hard bound set of Will and Ariel Durant's 'Story Of Civilization'. When my cart was overflowing I took it up to the check out and started taking the books out. You give your books to one person who reads the price to another person who tabs the cost. The "tab" woman said to me with a mock scornful look on her face ... "DON'T TAKE THOSE BOOKS OUT !!!" ... I just sort of stood there with a confused look on my face and then she smiled and said .. "How about 5 dollars for the whole cart?" I don't think I ever got my wallet out so fast before in my life.

[Maud Fitch]

The library.....and if I love it, I will buy it from a bookstore.

[Tralala]

@Dato

Omg, those book fairs sound like heaven to me. I could spend a whole day there and I would need a couple of wheelbarrows for all the books I would buy.

A little story about my last visit to the book fair mentioned in my OP:

I had attended the fair on each of the weekend days and I also went by after work on Monday (I get off at 3 PM) and was surprised to find the fair was still ongoing. There were only a few people there as this was a workday and the last day of the fair. I thought I would just linger around till the rush hour traffic died down a bit. They don't want to repack the books because of all the work involved and whatever is left over is, sadly, thrown into huge dumpsters rather than restocked.

After I had been there awhile someone came over the loudspeaker and said, "All hard bound editions are now reduced to one dollar and paperbacks to 25 cents." Well, I started stacking books which interested me - hard bound as well as paperback - into my shopping cart. After about another half hour went by someone came over the loudspeaker again and said, "All hard bound books now 25 cents and paperbacks a dime." So I started shoving even more books into my cart including a complete, and mint, 11 volume hard bound set of Will and Ariel Durant's 'Story Of Civilization'. When my cart was overflowing I took it up to the check out and started taking the books out. You give your books to one person who reads the price to another person who tabs the cost. The "tab" woman said to me with a mock scornful look on her face ... "DON'T TAKE THOSE BOOKS OUT !!!" ... I just sort of stood there with a confused look on my face and then she smiled and said .. "How about 5 dollars for the whole cart?" I don't think I ever got my wallet out so fast before in my life.

That's what I'd call a bookgasm!!

[mitchritz]

i get my book usually from the library or some time borrow from friends

[RuqeeD]

A little story about my last visit to the book fair mentioned in my OP:

I had attended the fair on each of the weekend days and I also went by after work on Monday (I get off at 3 PM) and was surprised to find the fair was still ongoing. There were only a few people there as this was a workday and the last day of the fair. I thought I would just linger around till the rush hour traffic died down a bit. They don't want to repack the books because of all the work involved and whatever is left over is, sadly, thrown into huge dumpsters rather than restocked.

After I had been there awhile someone came over the loudspeaker and said, "All hard bound editions are now reduced to one dollar and paperbacks to 25 cents." Well, I started stacking books which interested me - hard bound as well as paperback - into my shopping cart. After about another half hour went by someone came over the loudspeaker again and said, "All hard bound books now 25 cents and paperbacks a dime." So I started shoving even more books into my cart including a complete, and mint, 11 volume hard bound set of Will and Ariel Durant's 'Story Of Civilization'. When my cart was overflowing I took it up to the check out and started taking the books out. You give your books to one person who reads the price to another person who tabs the cost. The "tab" woman said to me with a mock scornful look on her face ... "DON'T TAKE THOSE BOOKS OUT !!!" ... I just sort of stood there with a confused look on my face and then she smiled and said .. "How about 5 dollars for the whole cart?" I don't think I ever got my wallet out so fast before in my life.

Ok I'm moving. Where did you say this happens again?

[Gannon]

@Dato

Omg, those book fairs sound like heaven to me. I could spend a whole day there and I would need a couple of wheelbarrows for all the books I would buy.

A little story about my last visit to the book fair mentioned in my OP:

I had attended the fair on each of the weekend days and I also went by after work on Monday (I get off at 3 PM) and was surprised to find the fair was still ongoing. There were only a few people there as this was a workday and the last day of the fair. I thought I would just linger around till the rush hour traffic died down a bit. They don't want to repack the books because of all the work involved and whatever is left over is, sadly, thrown into huge dumpsters rather than restocked.

After I had been there awhile someone came over the loudspeaker and said, "All hard bound editions are now reduced to one dollar and paperbacks to 25 cents." Well, I started stacking books which interested me - hard bound as well as paperback - into my shopping cart. After about another half hour went by someone came over the loudspeaker again and said, "All hard bound books now 25 cents and paperbacks a dime." So I started shoving even more books into my cart including a complete, and mint, 11 volume hard bound set of Will and Ariel Durant's 'Story Of Civilization'. When my cart was overflowing I took it up to the check out and started taking the books out. You give your books to one person who reads the price to another person who tabs the cost. The "tab" woman said to me with a mock scornful look on her face ... "DON'T TAKE THOSE BOOKS OUT !!!" ... I just sort of stood there with a confused look on my face and then she smiled and said .. "How about 5 dollars for the whole cart?" I don't think I ever got my wallet out so fast before in my life.

That sounds fantastic, the only part that is disappointing is that they dump what is not sold. I would love to fly over for the next fair but I don't think I could get all the books I purchased onto the plane back.

[Bighuey]

Thats a fantastic deal. When I lived in Utah I bought books from Deseret Industries, thats the LDS church thrift store. They usually had a good selection, from a dollar to two dollars. Paperbacks were 50 cents. Once a month they would have a half price sale, sometimes 3 for a dollar and we would get a car load at those sales. Sadly, the ones that were left they threw away. I caught them one time throwing stuff in the dumpster and I asked them if I could have the books. They said, go ahead. Its all garbage. I got about 100 books, some furniture, a microwave that worked, a TV that didnt work, records, picture albums and a treadmill. I just meant to get the books, but I couldnt pass up the rest of the stuff. I love junk.