Why Used Bookstores are Superior

About a year ago, I took a trip to Boston, which was amazing. While I was there I visited Brattle Bookshop, which is one of America's oldest and biggest used bookstores. Brattle Bookshop features two floors for general used books and a third floor for rare early and first editions of books.

I made sure to stop at Brattle Bookshop because not only do I love browsing rare books, I also love used bookstores in general. I'd sooner buy books used than I would buy books new. The rare books were cool, but the accessibility of general used books is where my passion really lies in this area.

Don't get me wrong, I love Barnes and Noble. I could, and have, browsed those giant stores for hours on end to see the books, journals, and art supplies I could find. However, used bookstores are better and that's a hill I will die on.

Before I get on with why used bookstores are superior, I want to mention that if you don't have or don't know of any used bookstores in your area, I highly recommend Thriftbooks where you can order used books online. With that said, here are 3 reasons you should stop at a used bookstore to see if they have what you need before you go to a big seller.

#1: Sustainability

Making books uses resources. Instead of contributing to more paper use by buying a new book, you can buy a used book. I like buying used books because I know that used books can still provide many, many years to readers, even if one reader is finished with it and ready to move on.

I have a book from the 1800s that's still in great condition. Granted, they don't make leather bound books quite like that anymore, but even paperbacks can last for decades. It makes more sense to get all the use out of a book as it can give before buying new, as it prevents the waste of a perfectly usable book.

#2: Price

Used books are cheap. Do you think you could find a copy of Dracula for $4 at a big corporate store? Or a beautiful hardback copy (complete with a book ribbon) of Shakespeare's full works for $12? Absolutely not. At used bookstores, you can.

On my most recent trip to the closest used bookstore to me, I spent less than $20 for four books. A couple of them were even in like-new condition. I also bought the entire Twilight Saga for $11 at local thrift stores.

At my favorite used bookstore, I've bought books for as low as $2. I took a lot of Shakespeare classes during my undergrad and I always bought the text used because they were so cheap here. This store does have a few pricey books if they're rare or in good condition, but overall the cost is much lower than you would find at a corporate store.

#3: Economy

Most used bookstores are local, which helps the economy! I started buying used books because I was a broke college kid and they were cheap, not because I was trying to make a difference. Turns out, it's a really symbiotic relationship.

I remember when it clicked for me that buying used books benefits people other than myself and it just made me even more of an advocate for used bookstores. My favorite used bookstore is neighboring a B&N, so I stopped there first in my search for class reading materials. After they looked up the titles for me, I mentioned that I wanted to look there before I went to B&N.

Wouldn't you believe it, the employee said "Thank you, we really appreciate that," and I thought Oh, these people are local business owners who are trying to make a living and in my pursuit of cheap reading I'm also helping them. Cool!

Bonus: History

Some people might not see this as a bonus, but I definitely do. Some of my favorite used books to buy are classics because they have a history of reading in them. I love seeing which parts of the text the people before me found important enough to highlight. Margin notes and annotations are helpful insights during my own read.

In my 1800s edition of Shakespeare’s work, the book was originally gifted from a father to a son, which I know because the father left a note for his son in the inside front cover. The character that things like this add to books makes me treasure them because it puts the universal love of stories into perspective. Each book tells more than one story– the story written within the pages and the stories of the people who once read the copy. And I think that’s beautiful.

This post is not sponsored; any links included have been found through my own research and I am not being paid by any companies mentioned.