Books and you

[Martinus]

I have been replacing my bookshelves this week and I realized that I have a lot of books that I will probably never read again. They are either cheap pulp paperbacks that I bought at some airport or something to have something to read on a plane (hello Dan Brown), but also stuff like dictionaries and encyclopedias that become more and more out-dated and really useless in this day and age of teh intranets.

Now, I've been raised in a culture/family where books have been always valued and treated unlike other utility objects. The thought of throwing a book away or burning it fills me with horror, and they are often in a shape that is too bad to give them away to some charity or school or whatever (I have a propensity to read books intensively, which means most paperbacks are seriously damaged by the time I'm done with them).

So I am considering locking them away in the attic or something, but I realize it is a sub-optimal solution.

So how do you deal with these issues?

[Valmy]

I give/sell them to the local used book store.

Or I would just toss them if they are particularly crap books or worn out too bad to be used again.  Right now my bookshelves are stuffed with history books.

[Martinus]

I also have like a cartload of various D&D and Warhammer books.

[Ed Anger]

I tossed some shitty sci-fi in those packages sent to soldiers. They got nothing else to do than read Kevin J Anderson. I sold off my crappy history books in a yard sale. Otherwise they stay and take up room, and eventually get put in the storage unit.

I don't even let people borrow my books. THEY BEND THE SPINES.

[Brazen]

I usually give them to charity shops along with unwanted clothes. Though in a bout of poverty, I sold quite a few to the book stall in the market and got a good price (they pay particularly well for sci-fi, apparently).

There is no excuse for keeping Dan Brown anywhere.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/21/oxfam_donations/

[saskganesh]

If you have a mix of "good books you do not want" and "bad books no one wants", sell them in boxes together. sell by the bundle (estate auctioneers trick).

[Martinus]

If you have a mix of "good books you do not want" and "bad books no one wants", sell them in boxes together. sell by the bundle (estate auctioneers trick).

CBA.

[ulmont]

The thought of throwing a book away or burning it fills me with horror, and they are often in a shape that is too bad to give them away to some charity or school or whatever (I have a propensity to read books intensively, which means most paperbacks are seriously damaged by the time I'm done with them).

So I am considering locking them away in the attic or something, but I realize it is a sub-optimal solution.

I give them away to a charity or lock them in the attic.  If they're seriously damaged, though, go for the throwing away.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Donate them.  The Red Cross will take them.  Or I give them to libraries' for their book sales.

[Neil]

I keep them.  The thought of giving anything away disgusts me, as does the thought of throwing anything out, or selling anything.  Who knows, I might feel the need to reread some crappy fantasy novel that I read in grade school again.  And I know I'll want to read some classical sci-fi at some point.

[Capetan Mihali]

I give them to an organization that sends books to prisoners who request reading material.  I don't know if any thing like that exists in Poland, though.

[Ed Anger]

  Who knows, I might feel the need to reread some crappy fantasy novel that I read in grade school again. 

Elric lost its magic as soon as I turned 18. 

[Grey Fox]

Give them to Monkeybutt.

[Neil]

  Who knows, I might feel the need to reread some crappy fantasy novel that I read in grade school again. 

Elric lost its magic as soon as I turned 18. 

Yeah.  Nevertheless, I might someday feel like reading them again.

[Ed Anger]

Give them to Monkeybutt.

He doesn't want them.