# Why do I want to read out of print books?



## CatherineM (Jan 9, 2013)

Examples are "A Girl Named Sooner" and "Watership Down"


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I don't know but I bet you could find used copies of these on Amazon. What's annoying is when you want an e-edition and those aren't to be found.


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## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

For the same reason that some of us remember books from our childhood that somehow didn't make the "classic" list but struck some chord deep within us that we never forgot. It happens that on occasion we discover great writing that the world never found. Fortunately, Amazon does occasionally get some in stock through their sellers and I recently bought a couple of my own faves to share with young relatives who would otherwise never have the pleasure of reading these treasures.

Good luck to you in your search!


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## kansaskyle (Sep 14, 2010)

CatherineM said:


> Examples are "A Girl Named Sooner" and "Watership Down"


Watership Down: A Novel is still in print, and you can even get it on your Kindle.

I'm guessing people read out-of-print books for a variety of reasons including fond memories, research, and discovering books that others recommend to you.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

Not all books worth the reading happen to be in print.

The past holds many treasures to be excavated.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

The first book my son downloaded to his kindle was the collected works of Jack London. I can't imagine a generation of readers who hasn't read at least 1 Jack London book.


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## Huldra (Nov 7, 2013)

This is what library sales are for.
I think nearly a quarter of my physical book collection stems from these, thanks to my blessed sister and her unrelenting hunt for out-of-print books.

They are a bit like treasures, aren't they?


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Whenever I happen to post on my blog about an out-of-print book that has been brought alive again by kindle, it sells well. Avid readers are often on the hunt for treasures--whether old or new!!!  I have even bought one or two that I've already read so that I can have the book on Kindle.  I've long since gotten rid of the paperback versions, but there are some authors who just stick with me and I like having their books around.  Now then:  Sandra West Prowell, will you PLEASE get on kindle  And write a few more in the series


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I used to hunt down out of print books so I have some boxes full. Problem is that I can't read them anymore. The older paperbacks are musty, yellowish and the print is difficult. Sometimes the binding is also fragile. So I wait until they come out as back list titles on kindle. Reading back list titles on my kindle has been one my favorite things about it. I find often the back list stuff to be better than many new books, especially in historical romance. 
Last year I bought a bunch of back list titles as they were on sale. 

I also have added 100's and 100's of books to my watchlist on ereaderiq. Over the years its exiting to get the emails that an out of print title is finally available on kindle. We have come a long way since 2008 when I got my first kindle. 

I still have many back list titles on my watch lists though and I a sure many will never make it to ebook. I think often the author is not with us anymore or they just don't have interest in putting their stuff out. Or the publisher hasn't gotten around it yet.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

Atunah said:


> I used to hunt down out of print books so I have some boxes full. Problem is that I can't read them anymore. The older paperbacks are musty, yellowish and the print is difficult. Sometimes the binding is also fragile.


I did the same with some DTBs that were on a list somewhere of Must Read Fantasy Stories or something. One of them had print that was so tiny, it gave me a headache. And I remember receiving a non-fiction DTB where not only was the binding fragile, but I was afraid the pages within would disintegrate if I turned them too much; the seller listed this particular book as being "acceptable" and it just barely was that.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Nancy Beck said:


> I did the same with some DTBs that were on a list somewhere of Must Read Fantasy Stories or something. One of them had print that was so tiny, it gave me a headache. And I remember receiving a non-fiction DTB where not only was the binding fragile, but I was afraid the pages within would disintegrate if I turned them too much; the seller listed this particular book as being "acceptable" and it just barely was that.


Yeah, I try to get nothing below a as new anymore from used sellers. If I can't touch the book for fear of it falling apart, its not acceptable, but that is how they sell it. But then I got plenty of as new that were messed up. One thing I hate is when the spine has a break where then the pages always fall open too. Its hard to read a book like that and to me that is not "like new". I about gave up buying used books a while back. 
But there are still a lot of books that are not in e-format.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I have a lot of favorite "midlist" authors whose books frequently go out of print. Prior to ebooks it was very common for good books that sold just "ok" to go out of print. The big pubs would not make a new print run for something that wasn't to be a besteller.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Heh: my brain interpreted the topic as meaning "Why do I want to read print books instead of e-books", e.g. "Why do I want to read out of print books instead of out of e-books". So for a couple minutes there I couldn't figure out why you were all going on about out-of-print books.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

NogDog said:


> Heh: my brain interpreted the topic as meaning "Why do I want to read print books instead of e-books", e.g. "Why do I want to read out of print books instead of out of e-books". So for a couple minutes there I couldn't figure out why you were all going on about out-of-print books.


Ah, "eats, shoots, and leaves" syndrome, or why punctuation matters.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Alessandra Kelley said:


> Ah, "eats, shoots, and leaves" syndrome, or why punctuation matters.


Great little book.


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## LSBurton (Jan 31, 2014)

No matter how much we grow to rely on ebooks, I hope there's always used bookstores full of dusty old books for me to troll through. I love a lot of the old cover art, finding old things inside the pages, having shelves of them decorating my living room. 

Just the other day I discovered a copy of "A Song of Swords" in the Salvation Army store with a current library code on it. My librarian girlfriend was not impressed, but happy we could rescue it for a dollar and get it off the library's 'lost' list.


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## CRL (Nov 8, 2013)

Older books tell the story in under 200 pages.

Current books take over 600 pages to tell the same story.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

CRL said:


> Older books tell the story in under 200 pages.
> 
> Current books take over 600 pages to tell the same story.




War and Peace, anybody.


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## LSBurton (Jan 31, 2014)

Ann in Arlington said:


> War and Peace, anybody.


Just a pamphlet on the French invasion of Russia.


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## josephdevon (Feb 6, 2014)

LSBurton said:


> Just a pamphlet on the French invasion of Russia.





LSBurton said:


> Just a pamphlet on the French invasion of Russia.


*SPOILER* France loses.


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## josephdevon (Feb 6, 2014)

I should also add that if Watership Down is an out of print book (although someone mentioned that it isn't) but if it is than the answer is, "You should want to read out of print books because Watership Down is one of the best books ever and it would be pretty terrible if no one ever read it again."

But apparently it's still in print so never mind.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

It's also because why, when the wealth of all past writers can be found with a little searching, would we limit ourselves to only reading what is currently offered for sale on the store shelves.

If I may use an art analogy, it would be as if we limited ourselves to looking only at paintings and art which are currently for sale in galleries and ignored all the contents of museums and archives.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

Atunah said:


> But there are still a lot of books that are not in e-format.


That's the whole thing!  I wanted to see if I still enjoyed the gothic romances of the 60s and 70s, so I bought a bunch of used books, 4 or 5 of them, all for next to nothing; the shipping cost more than all the books combined, lol. But I didn't see that any of those were enKindled so I didn't have a choice.

I _did _ find out I still loved those gothic romances.


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## Ergodic Mage (Jan 23, 2012)

I may have one or two out of print books.

_Empire of the East_ by Fred Saberhagen
_Horesclans series_ by Robert Adams
_Lensmen series_ by EE Smith
_Complete Venus Equilateral_ by George O Smith
_Giant's series_ by James P. Hogan
_Rockets in Ursa Major, Into Deppest Space, October the First Is Too Late_ by Fred Hoyle
_Logan's Run_ by William Nolan
_Hawkmoon, Corum, Eternal Champion, Von Bek ..._ by Michael Moorcock (I think these are out of print, though Elric Saga is in print, I think.)
_Lankhmar series_ by Fritz Leiber (again I think they are out of print)


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Ergodic Mage said:


> I may have one or two out of print books.
> 
> _Empire of the East_ by Fred Saberhagen
> _Horesclans series_ by Robert Adams
> ...


I know Lankhmar is available from Baen cuz I bought them. I think they are converting a lot of Moorcock too


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## Ergodic Mage (Jan 23, 2012)

Chad Winters said:


> I know Lankhmar is available from Baen cuz I bought them. I think they are converting a lot of Moorcock too


Thanks, didn't do my research good enough, ooops.
I also didn't know about Moorcock, but he has had a couple of print revivals if I remember correctly.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Ergodic Mage said:


> Thanks, didn't do my research good enough, ooops.
> I also didn't know about Moorcock, but he has had a couple of print revivals if I remember correctly.


  

There were several more Hawkmoon, couldn't find Eternal Champion.
I need to start saving up!!


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## Ergodic Mage (Jan 23, 2012)

Thanks for point that out also. Going over my previous list I see that _Empire of the East_ and some of the _Horseclans_ books are now being sold as eBooks.

Question: Does that still classify as "Out of Print"? *shrugs* not that it's that important since I own the print version of those books anyway.


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

I guess my favorite is John Jacob Astor's A Journey in Other Worlds, published in 1894. I picked up a copy for a dollar in a used book shop in New Hampshire decades ago, and discovered that the rocket leaves Earth from Van Cortland Park in the Bronx, across the street from where I used to live, and about 10 mins from where I currently teach (Fordham University). I recently looked at it again, and discovered that the publisher is none other than William Henry Appleton, a character in two of my novels.

And A journey in other worlds A romance of the future is indeed on Kindle.


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## Basement Cat (Dec 12, 2013)

Many of these out of print books are also out of copyright and can be found at Gutenberg or Feedbooks or www.booksshouldbefree.com


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