# Authors whose books are always available at thrift stores, used book sales, etc. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880 "2011-09-28T14:17:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/61 "2011-10-09T04:16:36Z")
Well, I went to a sale at my local library today. A lot of W.E.B. Griffin. A lot of Clive Cussler. A lot of Margaret Truman. A couple of copies of William L. Shire’s “Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.” And for a some reason, they had several copies of Jack Welch’s book “Straight from the Gut.” And of course they also had Lee Iacocca’s biography. ---
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/62 "2011-10-09T16:59:52Z")
I was going to mention Clive Cussler, but you beat me to it. Does anyone actually read that tripe? I tried reading The Plague Ship because it looked like an interesting premise, but it was completely ridiculous, like some kind of parody of James Bond (which is itself a parody, of course.) The only possible audience for that kind of book that I could imagine would be 80 year old men. ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/63 "2011-10-09T17:06:04Z")
Not a particular author, but I always see at least one book with that “Oprah’s Book Club” sticker on it. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/64 "2011-10-09T17:16:18Z")
> [@QuarkChild](#): > > I was going to mention Clive Cussler, but you beat me to it. Does anyone actually read that tripe? I tried reading The Plague Ship because it looked like an interesting premise, but it was completely ridiculous, like some kind of parody of James Bond (which is itself a parody, of course.) The only possible audience for that kind of book that I could imagine would be 80 year old men. Yeah, but when you’ve cornered the market on every 80-year old man, you’re doing pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Ana\_Byrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ana\_Byrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ana_Byrd)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/65 "2011-10-12T03:36:00Z")
“What To Expect When You’re Expecting”, and anything else baby-related. Self-help books, especially Christian-themed ones for some reason. Lots of Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts, etc. of course. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/66 "2011-10-13T16:39:17Z")
Nobody’s mentioned _Zagats_? ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/67 "2011-10-13T18:21:31Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Nobody’s mentioned _Zagats_? I also usually see a ton of Frommer’s, Fodor’s and Lonely Planet when I go to used book sales. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/68 "2011-10-13T19:38:19Z")
> [@QuarkChild](#): > > I was going to mention Clive Cussler, but you beat me to it. Does anyone actually read that tripe? I tried reading The Plague Ship because it looked like an interesting premise, but it was completely ridiculous, like some kind of parody of James Bond (which is itself a parody, of course.) The only possible audience for that kind of book that I could imagine would be 80 year old men. In the '70s and '80s, Cussler wrote a dozen good-to-excellent adventure novels. Joe ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/69 "2011-10-13T19:50:08Z")
You might turn your nose up at Clive Cussler, but he’s certainly done all right for himself. He owns over 85 classic cars, and I used to say to Mr. Sali, whenever he bought the newest Dirk Pitt “well, you just bought CC another jar of Turtle Wax for his his latest 50’s convertible”. It’s notable that I’ve very seldom seen any Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstein books. There is a plethora of dumb kids books out there, but none of the classics. I have seen a lot of Berenstain Bears, but that’s probably due to sheer number published. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/70 "2011-10-13T20:26:27Z")
The local library now has an attached coffee shop, where they always have a few shelves of used books for sale to support the Friends of the Library. The other day, I noticed that they had three copies of _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_, in two different editions. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/71 "2011-10-15T18:06:54Z")
Around here you can’t walk into a used book store without risking being trapped under a pile of “Last Dangerous Visions”. ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/72 "2011-10-15T18:35:11Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I dared. It sounds like [some venture capitalist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Animus) wrote a bad hippie-ish novel, published it via a print-on-demand method, and [distributed copies everywhere, sometimes for free](http://www.universitypressclub.com/archive/2010/02/wild-animus-hits-princeton/). Reviews seem to indicate it’s a bomb - [nearly literally](http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/may/04/suspicious-package-outside-beinecke-a-false-alarm/) in one case. I was handed one of these abominations (with a CD of music to go with it) in Washington Square Park. I promptly donated it to the local church rummage sale, which already had one. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880/73 "2011-10-15T21:56:38Z")
> [@3trew](#): > > Around here you can’t walk into a used book store without risking being trapped under a pile of “Last Dangerous Visions”. That’s right near the stack of “Buckaroo Banzai and the World Crime League” VCR tapes, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/authors-whose-books-are-always-available-at-thrift-stores-used-book-sales-etc/597880.md?page=3)