I love used bookstore!
But locally, they seem to be going the way of the dinosaurs. Strange, in a University town…
I buy used books almost exclusively. Certain reference books (e.g., Almanacs), however are always bought new and as soon as they are available.
$20 will buy me either one new book, or between 2 and 20 used books; it’s just that simple.
Of course I buy used books. If you don’t, you’re missing out on thousands of books that aren’t available in any other form.
And don’t get me started on the library; I’d live there if I could. I usually have about 5 books checked out for myself and 20 or so picture books checked out for my 3 year old son at any given time.
Used book stores kept me from going broke in college. I love them. They’re also the only place I can find Evangeline Walton novels and other fantasy that’s been tapped by the out of print fairy.
I love used books – it costs about eight bucks to buy a Perry Mason book these days, and there’s not a one of them worth that kind of dough. But I know a used bookstore that has a ton of them for $1 or $2 a pop. I love jamming one of those in my back pocket and pulling it out when I find myself on the subway or in a dentist’s office.
Also, I agree that the smell of an old book is sublime, and I love the sense of history you get with a used bookstore.
When I first moved to the D.C. area seven years ago used bookstores were everywhere – since then, many have gone out of business but there are still one or two that I know which are worth visiting.
–Cliffy
i went back and read a few more posts and decided to ask this question. what is it with a few of you and dirty books? where do you go to buy these and how do they smell? I’ve never bought a used book that smelled like shit or any other putrid smell. come on people, i just cannot believe its that bad…
Many years ago, as a brand new sailor in the Navy, I went to a store and purchased some …ahem… picture magazines :D. They came in shrink-wrapped packs of three, for a quite reasonable price. It wasn’t till I noticed that the middle magazine in the pack had cooking oil stains on some of the pages that the truth sank in: these were USED :eek:.
The mere thought of some nasty old fellow holding onto the magazine with one hand was too ghastly to imagine.
I’ve had exactly one book that smelled like poo. That is because there were kittens in my room that needed a covered cat box. That book went in the trash.
Most of the time, if I find a smelly book, it smells like soap. I wrap them up in newspaper and put them in a paper bag with a charcoal briquette for a couple of weeks and the smell diminishes.
I have bought TONS (well, OK, not tons, but HUNDREDS) of used books from powells.com - mainly first editions or hardcover editions (I have an aversion to the mass market paperback) that they rate as being in nearly new condition. When they arrive, I’m always pleasantly surprised to see that they actually are in nearly new condition. I’ve bought some used books from e-bay, as well, and I’d say 90% that are advertised as nearly new are, well, nearly new (some of the e-bay folks actually use an archival plastic wrap around dust jackets so that the dust jackets wont fray or discolor).
-bbb-
Mmmmmm… books…
I buy used – mostly paperbacks-- a lot because
A) I’m cheap and
B) I don’t feel so badly about abusing them (reading while eating/brushing teeth/in the tub etc.)
I go thru spurts of writing in books – tho it still feels naughty. 
We have 2 used bookstores in town - one is about 80% Romance/Western (tho a decent sized SF/F section) and the other is the archetype of a used bookstore - an old store front with rickety bookshelves and a melange of topics arranged any old way - tho books on the same subject are USUALLY alphabetical.
Half-Price Books in Castleton is one of my “must-stop” places when going to Indianapolis.
I loved used books! I recently picked up a copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. Both hardcover, and mint condition.
I couldn’t live without a used book store. My favorite used book store closed two years ago and I have not fully recovered nor forgiven the woman who mismanaged her money. The closing of that store was like losing a friend.
I also haunt garage sales, making outrageous offers for their $1 per outdated romance novel book. ( Like $5 for all the books.)
The sheer joy of buying, say, ten books, for the cost of one is indescribable feeling. Even if I don’t read 3/4 of the books I buy, their mine…all mine…at a very low cost.
My new-book habit is costly: I spend more on books per month than I do on rent. I don’t buy clothes, or CDs, movies or any other entertainment besides books. I justify my addiction to my husband by saying, “Well, at least I don’t want jewelery!”
Books are my lone indulgence, and at least I can imagine that I’m supporting the authors by buying them new, because the books I read will never hit the bestsellers lists. I figure that I’m helping to keep publishers interested in producing books other than the mainstream.
Even without these small justifications, I’d still rather pay the extra money and get a new copy. I know that it is the content which matters most, but my library is my pride. These books are going to live with me for the rest of my life, and I’d like for them to begin our journey in mint condition.
I can point to any flaws they acquire, knicks, spots or tears, and say, “Oh, yes. This happened when the car hit that pothole in Florida.” Or, “This stain came from laughing so hard that I spit tea onto the page.” Every “scar” will have a memory.
My antique books are another matter. I expect for the leather to have a few chips and scratches. It gives them character. To me, antique books are another matter entirely. They have a mellowed charm missing a book only a few years old. They are the venerable “grandparents” in my collection.
Mmmmm, Used books and used bookstores. I really can’t get enough of 'em. I’m a big songbook collector and most of the stuff I get is way out of print. I make travel plans that revolve around an itinerary of used bookstores. I spent a lot of time scouring ebay and bookfinder.com hoping that my long list of books I’ve been hunting finally get between the crosshairs.
I’ve actually spent the last 3 months trying to find some song books in the UK that have been OOP for about 10-15 years. (here’s a self-serving plea too, they’re all songbooks by an irish band Hothouse Flowers, if you find any or know a good place to find 'em, please help. Hopefully that doesn’t sound too desperate 
)
One of my favorite places to waste my paycheck over the past couple of years has been Half Priced Books here in Austin. I’d just gotten into that whole “Reading for Fun” thing, so there’s a lot out there that I’d like to get, and some I’d just like to pick up here and there. But, unless it’s something I’d really REALLY want, I got no qualms with it being a used book. In most cases, older books have better covers than their latter day reprints, and that’s always an extra bonus for me. Mainly, it’s the price.
If I see a book that I’d really want, and it’s in crappy condition, I’ll generally pass it up and either look for a better copy, or just buy it new. This generally works with Photography books. I like them, but a brand new photography book can cost up to $90. Sorry, but I just can’t spend that much on a book. Shit, I generally have a hard time spending $12 on a CD, so unless I REALLY want the book, a half priced book is a godsend.
Plus, there’s just something nice about an old book.
Like most of you I love buying used books too, and for the same reasons. Out of print, cheaper etc. It’s by far the best way to find those science fiction books from the past. I take my little black notebook with me where I have all my past purchases entered (with about 1700 books in my collection- and with my terrible memory, I need it!).
It gets worse than that though, because I then put all the details onto my computer so I can keep a track on them all.
I know it’s sad, but friends are very kind, they don’t take the mickey out of me too much.
V
My library is of comparable size, but, oddly enough, I’ve never had the same problem. Perhaps it’s a strange quirk of my memory, but I can tell you immediately whether I have the book or not, and most of the details therein.
Can’t remember what day of the week it is most of the time, and I’m terrible with names and faces, but I never forget a book.
Used books are the best books. Don’t get me wrong, I love new books, but used books have such a history. I live in the country near a small rural town that only just recently got a used book store. I love going there. I got my Complete Works of Shakespeare there. It was a hardback with slight water damage, originally priced at $51.00 and I got it for $2.50. Used books are great ! 
I really hope I’m being whooshed here, since I can’t imagine why anyone would admit to, no, brag about, committing multiple theft on a public message board. 
Me too. I wish I didn’t, because new books ARE expensive. But used books just seem to me to have someone else’s psychic effluvium on them. I don’t know how to explain it, but Lissa’s used shoes analogy is pretty close.
The only time I voluntarily seek out used books is if I’m looking for something OOP.
Libraries also aren’t that useful to me. My favorite reading materials are new science fiction and fantasy novels. The ones that really appeal to me are often NOT the ones that show up on library shelves.
So yes, I spend a lot of $$ on books. Luckily for me, my S.O. is the manager of a Borders store. 