What did you do with your old college textbooks?

[symbolipoint]

Visiting used-book sales was a great hobby at one time, so I was keeping more in store than just most of the ones I used while in college. I have since donated some back to a couple of local libraries on some very few occasions.

 

[DEvens]

Sadly, used bookstores won't even take old textbooks for free. So, unless it's some really famous text that has some special significance, once you don't want it any more you likely are going to dump them or such. Digital is taking over. Fewer and fewer people want paper bound books any more. And textbooks get revised and updated specifically to force people to buy new ones and not be able to resell the old ones.

The few exceptions are likely going to be glimmering at you. For example: If you have the original Feynman and Hibbs on path integrals, you can probably get some cash for it. Especially in good condition. It's listed "used" on Amazon for about $200. It was much more before the revised and corrected edition came out.

So just scan your books to see if there is anything in there like that. Big name author(s) on some specialty subject might be collectibles.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

I kept my textbooks for decades because if I wanted to look something up there's no substitute for revisiting a page I learned from years ago. But when I retired I didn't have the space or the inclination to keep any but a few treasures.

A colleague was stocking a private library for his kids and grandkids, so I donate them to him. I filled 8 of those boxes that copy paper comes in.

 

[gmax137]

I kept my textbooks for decades because if I wanted to look something up there's no substitute for revisiting a page I learned from years ago.

This ^^^

The easiest way to move books I don't want anymore is to find a public library that runs annual booksales. When I was getting ready to move cross country I culled 12 boxes of books and took them to the library. They don't want them for their collection, rather they sell them off at a dollar apiece. EDIT: They take anything, as long as it isn't water damaged or musty.

That's how I got my copy of Bird Stewart Lightfoot.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

They don't want them for their collection, rather they sell them off at a dollar apiece.

That's a good way to make sure that they go to someone who has at least some appreciation for them.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

So, unless it's some really famous text that has some special significance, once you don't want it any more you likely are going to dump them or such. Digital is taking over.

We sold our set of encyclopedias for $1 by advertising in our local Facebook group.

Digital is taking over. I was shocked when students showed me these picture-perfect PDF's of our current class's textbook. These were not someone's scan. They were professional. Students said something about China's lack of copyright laws.

 

[CrysPhys]

The easiest way to move books I don't want anymore is to find a public library that runs annual booksales. When I was getting ready to move cross country I culled 12 boxes of books and took them to the library. They don't want them for their collection, rather they sell them off at a dollar apiece. EDIT: They take anything, as long as it isn't water damaged or musty.

What library was this? I and friends and family members have discussed what to do with old textbooks and technical books. The public libraries we've contacted (both small town and large city, several different states) won't take them (either for their own collection or for sales drives). The charity thrift shops we've contacted (such as Goodwill) won't take them. Some university libraries will take some: but on the condition that we first send them a detailed list and they will decide which ones they want and which ones they don't want. I'm willing to box the books and even drop them off to local universities. But I'm too lazy to take a detailed inventory. I figure they should have students on work-study to sort through the books.

ETA: A realtor told me she'd take a bunch to stage houses for sale. But I was hoping to find someone who would appreciate them and use them (other than for background ambience).

 

[gmax137]

What library was this?

Granby Connecticut Public Library (this might be part of the Hartford County Library system). Where I live now, the local Washoe County Library has book sales 2 or 3 times a year. Based on a sample of two, I thought this was pretty common.

I and friends and family members have discussed what to do with old textbooks and technical books. The public libraries we've contacted (both small town and large city, several different states) won't take them (either for their own collection or for sales drives). The charity thrift shops we've contacted (such as Goodwill) won't take them. Some university libraries will take some: but on the condition that we first send them a detailed list and they will decide which ones they want and which ones they don't want. I'm willing to box the books and even drop them off to local universities. But I'm too lazy to take a detailed inventory. I figure they should have students on work-study to sort through the books.

I have found the same here in Reno. The local university (Univ. Nevada, Reno) library page says to not even try and give them books. Kind of shocking.

I do get the digital push. After all, real books are heavy, take up a lot of space, have to be kept in a clean dry environment. Someone has to maintain the shelving and monitor the users for pilfering. But scrolling through pdfs just doesn't do it for me. Plus, the pleasure of roaming thru the stacks to find books you weren't looking for is a treat.

Where I worked we had a fantastic technical library. Tons of specialized books along with a nice selection of periodicals relevant to our work. Unfortunately, they also had local newspapers and general interest magazines. People would spend their lunchtime sitting in stuffed chairs reading these, until one day a bean counter from the home office noticed, and decreed an end. "Everything is available online!" Ha, this was in 2000. We were given a week to "pick out what you want" and the remainder went into the dumpster. Sorry... it still triggers me.

ETA: A realtor told me she'd take a bunch to stage houses for sale.

Ugh. My granpa was a printer, he'd roll over in his grave if I gave a bunch of books to be used as a throw away prop.

 

[difalcojr]

I am a bit of a book junkie and get STEM books whenever I can, I have accumualted a small library including books I definitely don't need. If we count the electronic books that I have pinched whenever I had the opertunity I have more than 10 000 books.

Wow, that's a whole lot of books. I went and got a rough estimate of how many I've accumulated, which takes up a lot of wall space in a very large garage, and the total is only about 1/5 of your horde! Impressive.

You know, you really can post and sell even old textbooks online. Too much work to do, most likely, but feasible, and some booksellers do this. Probably most every textbook you have is for sale on some online sites such as Thriftbooks, Abe Books, Alibris, even Amazon. Not for very much, maybe, a couple/few bucks only, but they are mostly all there for sale, I think. Except for some old ones I can't find online which you probably have in your collection!! Books will always be around for those who don't enjoy reading from a radiating screen.

 

[Hornbein]

I have a friend who has so many books that he had to get his house reinforced to bear the weight.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

In 1993 my immediate predecessor John Hubisz "retired" to teach in a different state, he had a building constructed to serve as his private library. Lots of books. This guy had an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of science in general and physics in particular.

 

[WWGD]

Many years ago, as the internet was coming of age, I burned over 500 pounds of technical manuals. I realized I can look things up on the internet faster than I can find something in a technical manual. And just about anything I might need could be found online.

But letting go of my several shelves worth of college text and other science books is another matter. I can't bring myself to get rid of them but there is very little if anything I can't find online now. Books are heavy and a pain to move. I see no reason so keep them.

As one page said to the other, I am torn.

You can find individual things, but can you find an organized, whole account , of the material?

 

[WWGD]

Wow, that's a whole lot of books. I went and got a rough estimate of how many I've accumulated, which takes up a lot of wall space in a very large garage, and the total is only about 1/5 of your horde! Impressive.

You know, you really can post and sell even old textbooks online. Too much work to do, most likely, but feasible, and some booksellers do this. Probably most every textbook you have is for sale on some online sites such as Thriftbooks, Abe Books, Alibris, even Amazon. Not for very much, maybe, a couple/few bucks only, but they are mostly all there for sale, I think. Except for some old ones I can't find online which you probably have in your collection!! Books will always be around for those who don't enjoy reading from a radiating screen.

Rip Borders Books. I so miss the days of browsing through their shelves and bring books to their coffee shop or sitting on comfortable couches. Some Barnes&Noble stores had a similar setup.

 

[ohwilleke]

Three plus decades later, I still have almost all of them (and even consult them now and then), over the objections of other members of my family. Indeed, I have a fair number of textbooks that I inherited from my father's college days and I use a couple of them (mostly statistics) on a regular basis because they're more readable that the comparable texts that I used when I was in college. I also inherited his slide rules, but honestly, don't use them except as decoration.

At various points in time I've gotten promotional copies of textbooks that I didn't actually use myself, and I've given a lot of those away and sometimes even sent them to the recycling bin when I couldn't find anyone to take them. :(

 

[gmax137]

I just got a brochure in my mail from Zubal Books. I had forgotten about them. They say they will buy Physics, Math, Engineering...the list goes on and on. Monographs and periodicals...

I haven't used them myself, but might be worth looking into at some point.

Zubal dot com

 

[difalcojr]

...also possible..........

 

[Herman Trivilino]

There are lots of opportunities to sell your textbooks to places like this. In my experience they won't give you much if anything for one that's not the latest edition or is no longer in print.

Publishers send free "desk copies" to instructors. These places exist to acquire these books.

 

[Meir Achuz]

I am saving the best of the advanced books for my granddaughter. I want her to read Dirac's Quantum Mechanics before she gets confused by what super strings will be by then.

 

[Herman Trivilino]

I am saving the best of the advanced books for my granddaughter. I want her to read Dirac's Quantum Mechanics before she gets confused by what super strings will be by then.

Ha ha. Good one. By then Dirac's formalism may be front and center. Or it could be an old dead end. Or anything in between.