OT-What to do with old textbooks?

[jojo2324]

Uhhh, let's face facts. Six years later and I STILL haven't cracked open that Astronomy 101 text. I called my local library and they don't take textbooks. I don't want to just throw them away...They cost me thousands of dollars after all. But they're not serving any purpose other than cluttering my bookshelves. Any suggestions?

PS - These are mainly books that I could not sell back because of new editions coming out, etc. Those wiley publishers...

[divabell]

You might find a used bookstore that would take them--some do, some don't. Maybe there would be a market for them on eBay/half.com--I don't know.

Didn't you hate that new edition racket? They just get students every way they can...

[flagger]

If you figure out what to do with them, let me know. We have quite the collection of Engineering books that Ms. Flagger just refuses to toss.

[bluej]

I haven't used this site (yet), but I have threatened to get rid of DH's books on more than one occassion using it!

http://www.textbookbuyer.com/premiumprices.html

edited to add: What is it w/ Engineer's not being able to toss stuff? Paul has books, papers, you name it from his freshman year of college. The man is getting his PhD, I think he's a little smarter now than he was then! Not to mention that stuff being a little outdated.

[brubeck]

Often the local charities (Goodwill, Salvation Army) will take textbooks. You could also try one of those places that sends educational materials over to third world countries.

Worst comes to worst, sneak it into a white paper recycling bin at someone's office. :-)

As a teacher I end up with tons of unwanted textbooks. The trick is to sell them to buyers while they are current, but once they're not the options are limited. (as you have just discovered) :(

[Momof3Labs]

You could stack them up, somehow secure them, and put a glass top on them and call it an end table.... Or two shorter stacks, and call it a coffee table....

Got any bodies that you want to throw into the Hudson? They could double as cement boots. But probably not a good idea since I'm sure they would trace the books back to this post :-).

[August Mom]

You might try another library if there's one relatively nearby. DH and I donated lots of textbooks, casebooks and hornbooks to our local library. We couldn't believe that the library would take them, but the librarian was pretty excited about it. LOL

[em_jon98]

You could try to list on Amazon (enter ISBN, click on 'used and new' and then 'Sell Yours Here'). They don't charge you to list, but do charge a commission if you sell.

You never know what people will be looking for...perhaps an old prof will be reminiscing about a textbook he once had, or something equally weird :)...

[August Mom]

Or list it on half.com (although that may have merged into Ebay at this point. DH sold something obscure from college there.

[Calmegja]

Wait...aren't they supposed to be sorted according to year and stored in great big plastic tubs on shelves in the basement?

Because that's what my insane hubby had us do with our books. I didn't have the heart to stop him. Apparently, he will really need organizational management books later in life, just as I will have constant need for immunology textbooks, right?

;-)