Got Me Some Books…

FIRST A DISCLAIMER: I am not a “serious book buyer.” My knowledge of rare and valuable books is almost nil and I choose books by intuition and what has sold for me in the past.

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It’s turned out to be surprising few days filled with an unexpected acquisition of books! It started with my friend and neighbor Sue giving me a few books, including two intriguing books on Yosemite. Later, another friend Kirsten posted an opportunity on Facebook for neighbors to come by and check out her late father’s extensive book collection. It took a few days to finalize an appointment and by then hundreds of books had already been sold. As I drove over I thought perhaps there wouldn’t be much left or anything of interest.

I was so wrong!!

There were hundreds and hundreds of books still available (mostly vintage) in many genres: cooking, travel, poetry, art, physics, mathematics, hiking, religion, autobiography, history, music, folktales, etc. I felt like a kid in a candy store.

I spent 90 happy minutes perusing shelves and digging through boxes and came away with 41 books for the sweet price of $50. I was looking for quirky books more than 40 years old with small print runs. In the end I chose a little bit of everything. Realistically many fall in the $10 to $18 resale price range so we’re not talking huge profits, but I sell books because I love books and reading. It’s a labor of love. (Plus they are easy to store and ship!)

Here are a few…

This 1958 “Captions Courageous” book is a hilarious, and often saucy, take on giving captions to famous artwork. Will likely list for $18.

I thought the dust jacket on this 1966 chunky illustrated French dictionary was fabulous. The book is at least four inches thick and the font size around 6 point! But it’s in lovely condition and they do sell.

One of the sleepers in the group is “The Armenian Cookbook” by Rachel Hogrogian. There was a reprint done in 2014, but this book is the 1971 first edition giving it a bit more cachet! Worthpoint shows sold prices for this edition from $30 to $80.

And how about a 1956 “Historical Atlas”…you bet’cha. This 8th edition features historical color maps from 2100 BC to 1955 AD! Rather fun to peruse. Three copies sold this year on eBay for $48-$50 and currently listed ones are $57 to $100. I’ve listed mine for $50.

And I don’t dismiss small paperbacks. This 1960s “The Teaching of Mystics” looked rather intriguing. In college I took a comparative religions class, but I don’t remember learning much about mysticism. Sold and current listing prices are all over the place. I’ll likely list this for $24.

Time to do a little hiking in California? You might want this 1970s “the Tahoe and Yosemite Trail.”

Amongst the books were quite a few by Christian apologist C.S. Lewis. This one is a 1982 compilation by his literary executor Walter Hooper.

This 1980s “Institute of Fools” book looks like an interesting, but challenging read. May have to add this to my nightstand pile!

The reality…

For selling books, Etsy doesn’t compare with sites like eBay, Amazon and AbeBooks, still they do sell there, albeit more slowly. Books are such a small part of my biz (a side hustle within a side hustle) that I really shouldn’t bother, but the bibliophile in me can’t let it go!

Now I’ve got to get busy listing them, along with more of the private pick haul items!

Wishing you all happy hunting,

Karen