I just got back from my weekly trip to Goodwill seeking old books and wow, I am happy!
Now I only have a couple of rules for buying books at the thrift store.
First, I have to be interested in the book myself. It must be something I want to read or an addition to the reference section of my library. That means that I don’t buy for resale and I buy almost no Westerns or Mysteries except for a few exceptional authors and no romances at all. I like adventure, fantasy, science fiction, classic literature, history, humor, esoteric spirituality, craft manuals, coffee table books, and cookbooks.
Second, unless the book is on my must read list, I do not buy any ex-library books or books with odors or stains. A couple exceptions there include the 1969 copy of Going Down with Janice that smelled like the seventies (as in pachouli and pot) and the hardback graphic Elfquest 1st edition that I picked up today. This copy was exlibris and in slightly rougher shape than I generally accept but it turns out to be quite rare with only a few copies available among all the internet booksellers. I’ll never sell it though. That’s not the point.
I did sell a few of my books recently. I listed ten titles on ebay. In seven days I had more than 1500 visitors due to my inclusion of a rare eight page J. R.R. Tolkien board book of his poem Oliphaunt. That drove some traffic to my other sales, all rare books, all purchased at a thrift store for a dollar nine or less. ‘The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross’, ‘The Council of the Seven Lights’, etc… I sold seven for about $150. I was relieved that the three others did not sell and sorrowful at each shipment as the sold books left my hands.
As I was saying, today was an exceptional day for rare books. I found an advanced readers copy of ‘Beyond the Deepwoods’ and ‘Stormchaser’. Three copies available on the net, none for less than $100. A dollar nine to me and a permanent spot in the book collection. Also today a rare book on the quetzal, ‘In the Land of the Green Lightning’, with an appendix by R. Buckminster Fuller and a first edition of ‘Counterprobe’ by Carole Nelson Douglas.
Not as valuable for sale but just as much of a winner in my eyes is the copy of ‘Time Dollars’. It’s a first edition of the 1992 classic that sparked the time dollar movement. This is a system of equal labor exchange practiced by small community organizations. There is a branch in Des Moines, Iowa whose members include doctors, lawyers, laborers, and childcare providers. Each person’s time has the same value as each other persons regardless of skillset. The book is a resource that teaches how to turn time into personal security and community renewal.
Were there other goodies? Sure… some movies, a gift for the child’s birthday, clothes for the wife… it was like a regular hillbilly walmart with only a better book selection.