Finding Out-of-Print Books for Genealogy Research
Have you ever been in a research library and it's closing and you're not finished with a great book filled with information you need? Perhaps you've been reading a wonderful regional or social history that helps you understand your ancestors' lives better. You want to own those books. But chances are the title you want is out of print (i.e., no longer being published).
This issue of First Friday with Sassy Jane is about tools for finding new, used, and out-of-print books at the best prices.
One tip: always search first to see if an online copy is available. If the title you seek was published before 1923 and is now in the public domain, perhaps a free online copy is available.
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No luck with an ebook version? Search thousands of bookstores at once with the tools found in this issue of First Friday Genealogy with Sassy Jane. And if your title is elusive, be sure to search more than one of these sites.
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AddALL is a free service that searches for the best deal in books, new or used, from online booksellers. Enter the book you need at their site and AddALL searches 41 online bookstores, 2,000 sellers, comparing prices and shipping in the results.
AddALL is an independent and impartial web site, not owned by any bookstore. The site may look a bit outdated, but the results speak for themselves.
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Biblio.com and Biblio.co.uk specialize in rare and collectible books from independent bookstores around the world. After nine years in business, the site changed focus from search engine to vendor, partnering with Bibliopolis, LLC and Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) to provide a new e-commerce site for ABAA members and their books. Use these links to find bookstores on Biblio that specialize in genealogy.
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The Godfrey Memorial Library – both the online and bricks-and-mortar version in Middletown, Connecticut – are Meccas for genealogists.
Godfrey uses eBay to sell donations and duplicate items from their collections. Classic win/win: Godfrey raises money for their library operations and you get some great titles at a great price. Stock is always changing so bookmark this store.
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Better World Books is an online for-profit bookseller of used and new books founded in 2002 by three Notre Dame graduates. A certified B corporation, Better World Books donates books or a percentage of its profits ($14 million estimated to date) to literacy programs around the world. The company discloses information about funds raised, books re-used or recycled, and books donated in a ticker at the top of its website.
Better World Books’ used book inventory comes primarily from regular book drives at over 1,800 colleges and universities and donations from over 3000 library systems, in addition to donation boxes found on corners and on college campuses. The company has distribution warehouses in Mishawaka, Indiana, Reno, Nevada, and Dunfermline, Scotland.
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Powell's is the place to go to get histories and biographies at reasonable prices.
So if you've never been to Powell's City of Books in Portland, Oregon, we will wait right here until you fly there, spend hours (days?) in their stacks, arrange to ship your books home, and come back and finish reading this newsletter. Seriously.
If you can't get away, happily Powells.com is available. New or used, it's all good at Powells.com. And if you're looking for a great history read, I recommend Killers of the Flower Moon, a compelling history/true crime page-turner about members of the Osage Nation murdered for their oil and mineral rights in the 1920s and 1930s. And, as they say, soon to be a major motion picture.
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OK, it's not me. It's Elinor Glyn, the wildly successful 1920s novelist who declared Clara Bow the It Girl for her obvious sex appeal.
It's such a great photo I had to include it. And I'm sure I look just like her when I'm writing a blog post.
Look for the next issue on October 5, 2018. In the meantime, happy researching.
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