Will you buy the old, outdated used books?

Hi there, just want to ask your opinion about buying cheap old books which sometimes scattered around bazaar or book fair. Do you usually buy the cheap books offered by them? Usually I buy around 2-3 out of date books and novels which makes me thinking... are these really necessary to be bought actually?

I have bought some outdatedpolitical science books only because I could get them for less than $3. but the problem comes when old books are not really useful anymore if we read them now.

How about you? Do you usually buy them and read them until the end of the page or just put them in bookshelf (like I do) because their information is not factual anymore?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Oh, fiction is timeless.

As for non-fiction, it all depends on the topic. Obviously a book about personal computers written in the 1980's is completely irrelevant to the topic now, but a book on archery from the 1980's is about as relevant as ever.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The 80s fictions dont seem to suit my style. I bought some novels which are the top 10 according to new york times (at that time) and I found they are mostly boring. Fantasy novels are still good though.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I usually get some of the classic fiction novels through summer library clearance sales. I just got Anna Karenina last summer, and a few others.
I also get a lot of non-fiction books which are not entirely science-dependent, which are mostly history books. Sometimes it is really interesting to read some of those books from so long ago which are reflections on current events at the time of their writings ("The Russian Mind," or something to that effect, written in the 40's)

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I can't remember the last time I bought a new book. Why pay $40 for something when you can have it for $5 in a month? At a library clearance sale, I recently picked up Asimov's Foundation series as a box set, as well as a leatherbound tome of Doyle's complete Sherlock Holmes all for about $4. Buying used just makes more sense.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by eriol

The 80s fictions dont seem to suit my style. I bought some novels which are the top 10 according to new york times (at that time) and I found they are mostly boring.

The top ten best sellers of any given era are going to be mostly dull, boring and short-lived tripe.

I have no qualms about buying used books at all.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Generally I'll take a look at technical books, or guides and so on and so forth. A guide to wildbirds probably hasn't changed much from the 80s, nor will a book on camping tips and stuff. Classics are also worth a look, pretty much as long as the book is usable without severe wear and tear I'll give the book some consideration.

FELIPE NO

I always scour thrift stores and book clearance sales for good, used books at cheap prices. But most of the books I get aren't that old, usually from within the last decade or so, and they're usually still from authors I like, like Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton. Of course, I've found some new authors from doing this as well.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I would definetly buy them if they are a rarity or by an author I like for collection. But most of the time, I dont buy books at clearance sales because I like to buy books new and keep them as collective purposes.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I can count on my fingers how many novels I've paid 'full price' for. The Library's 25-cent shelf is my friend. The old ladies who have bi-annual book sales are goddesses. I am in love with used books.

After all, where else would I buy nice hardcovers of my favorite paperbacks? Or first editions? Otherwise I couldn't afford to read half the stuff that I have, if I paid $25+ for them. And most of the things I'm actually looking for are out of print, so there's no way I'd pay full price. No, I'd say a good 96% of my novel/research book collection is either used/old books or discount-bin specials -- and I have a lot of books.

Not to mention if you get a good 'classic' piece of literature, sometimes you can find one with notes and scribbles from the previous owner. Those are always fascinating.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

but do you always read all of them? used books, usually fiction are somewhat boring. True there are some useful books (usually history or language books) but most of political books are not really useful anymore. They end up sitting around my bookshelf.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well, I did buy the histroy of Hitler (vol. 1), and even though it's old (I think it was published in the 70s...) it's still pertinent information. And some books, like non-fiction published during the Cold War, is just plain odd to read, due to the social references to commies and the general worldview that the authors write into their books at the time. And I've bought several dictionaries that are both useful and interesting: a 1927 English dictionary, for instance, that has words that are no longer even in our current dictionaries. Or a Norwegian-English (Norsk-Engelsk) Dictionary that was published in Oslo; a very nice book that is better than the other two current Norwegian-English dictionaries that I own. It's hardcover and only cost me .50.

But no, I don't read all of my books. It's a bad habit of mine...I compulsively buy these things and don't read them for months or years later. But the thing is, when a situation comes up where I need specific info or a certain book, I normally don't have to go out and buy it . Besides, I really don't like libraries. I prefer owning my own stuff.

I think the most worthless books are those that are guides to campgrounds or travelling with your pet. Things that get out of date within a year or two -- on that topic, I think computer books would fall into the same category as well. And they usually cost $45+, only to be obsolete within years.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

It's going to be funny reading about the "terrorists" ten years from now.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Terrorism is a timeless comedy~

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I adore old books - especially old children's books, and I have quite a collection. My dream is to have a huge library someday and when I'm old all the children will know me for my children's books, and will come to my house and read anytime they want. I probably got that idea from my great-grandmother, who had a smaller version of this. All of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as many of the other kids in the community, would go to her house and just hang out and read in her library.

I don't always read the books I buy, but I love books so much that I want to own even the ones I'll probably never read.

Also, there's a charm about old books that new books just don't have.

How ya doing, buddy?

Old, yes. Outdated, depends on the subject.

Computers - I read old books only if they're still relevant. For instance, my copy of the K&R C book (one of the first printings of the second edition) dates back to 1986 or 1987, while they were finalizing the ANSI C standard. Every line in the book is still relevant, however, so I use it. And I don't own a FORTRAN book newer than 25 years old. But on other topics, like hardware and software guides, I avoid the obsolete stuff.

Fiction - I read anything and everything. A lot of the best Science Fiction came out of the 60s and 70s. A lot of it relies on scientific concepts that were later proved inaccurate, but it's still fun reading. (Just like I still enjoy watching Star Trek TOS, even though their understanding of things like Warp Speeds and Antimatter is critically flawed in some episodes).

Non-Fiction, Political Science - Sometimes I read these just to get an understanding of how people used to think and to reflect on how we got to where we are today.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I actually picked up some old bartending books as well as cook books about three weeks ago. I can't stand the idea of spending a big chunk of cash on recipe books when I have access to the internet, but when the price is right, eh, why not.

Other non fiction I picked up are some philosophy books. One of my favorites is "How To Stop Killing Yourself" which was written in the late 30s, early 40s. I love how they say smoking has not been proven to be either bad or good for your health, but beyond the small, outdated facts, the general subject matter is really interesting. The book explains simple stuff that we all generally take for granted, and end up hurting or killing ourselves because of it. I picked up a book on nicomechiean ethics, but I couldn't really grasp what the writer was going for. Ethics does interest me, but I need to be able to apply the principles to something mundane in order to completely grasp them.

As far as fiction goes, I picked up some of my favorite books from garage sales and rummage sales. I picked up titles such as Animal Farm, Paradise Lost, 1984, Alice In Wonderland / Through The Looking Glass, The Godfather, and some others I can't remember.

I also pick up art/photography books when I can, but they are pretty rare, and usually cost more than others. Sometimes I get lucky.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Old books are awesome! I once found an old copy of 1984 (not the new version), but sadly, I lost it when I moved. I have an old business book as well as a few old programming books. I haven't really had the time to read them yet, but I will.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I love reading old books. I have one of the first version of lord of the rings, In outdated english and stuff. And more books like that of course.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Yeah, why not. As long as there's some interest or relevance in what the book is about then nothing wrong with buying a used book.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I really love the way people write in the 1930's, and I love the scent of American used books. I usually go to bookfares to hunt for those old books with topics on citizenship studies or introductions to early pioneer life (influenced by reading Laura Ingalls' books.).

I wish I can find some English booksales in Taiwan...

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As stated, fiction is an exception. But not those scholarly and academic ones since they update their texts very fast. Anatomy for example, or a Fundamentals books.

Hell, our Nursing text was just updated 2 years ago and soon they'll update it as well.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Sometimes I go into the used bookstore and I walk amongst the old paperbacks with the worn spines, each line telling of a time someone held them and eagerly devoured the words within. I stand there and I feel as if they are all lost children, separated from their parents. There was a time someone held them with hope and excitement. There was a time when they were shiny and new. And it makes me sad.

As an aspiring writer, one of the moments I look forward to the most is getting something published and seeing it on the shelf in the bookstore for the very first time. I often ask myself, how would I feel if I stood there amongst the used paperbacks and there, staring up from the shelf was the work of my own hand?

FELIPE NO

I buy used books almost exclusively. The only time I get new books is when there's an author or book that I can't find cheaper used. Or around my birthday or something, when I've got gift certificates to use. Why not?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by ArrowHead

Obviously a book about personal computers written in the 1980's is completely irrelevant to the topic now

I agree. Unless of course you want to learn about personal computers back then. That would make a great resource.

Jam it back in, in the dark.