E-Mail 'Including Old Books in Your Preps, Part 3, by Marica Bernstein' To A Friend

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14 Comments

  1. In searching for old books, I agree that antique stores and thrift stores are great resources but I do know that Goodwill (no longer a true thrift store chain) will research a title before putting it on the shelf. If it has any value, it’ll go directly to their mail order / online site for a higher cost.

    TIP: To get rid of musty odors in books (or other items), place the book in a plastic shopping or trash bag with the end slightly open for air to circulate, and place it flat in your freezer for a few days (or longer). It does NOT damage the book and the freezer’s lack of humidity will draw the odor out of the paper. IT WORK’S GREAT! I’ve done it dozen’s of times with no damage ever. Sometimes, it’ll only take a few days, one book I had took about 3 weeks or more.
    I also did this on a high end nylon cordura fanny pack that got wet and somehow left in the car trunk for a long time… phewww. Stinky! It took one month in the freezer. I checked it weekly with a sniff test and would put it back in until the smell was gone. Finally worked

  2. I always meant to buy a physical set of the Harvard Classics but it is available for download on archive.org. Its also available on Kindle.

    I see single volumes on Abe Books for about $3 a piece. There are entire sets on Amazon that range from about $200 to $750.

    “The Harvard Classics, originally known as Dr. Eliot’s Five Foot Shelf, is a 51-volume anthology of classic works from world literature, compiled and edited by Harvard University president Charles W. Eliot and first published in 1909. The most comprehensive and well-researched anthology of all time comprises both the 50-volume “5-foot shelf of books” and the the 20-volume Shelf of Fiction. Together they cover every major literary figure, philosopher, religion, folklore and historical subject through the twentieth century.n 1910, Dr. Charles W. Eliot, then President of Harvard University, put together an extraordinary library of “all the books needed for a real education.”

    “Dr.Charles W.Eliot, the former Harvard president who edited the series, maintained that if one read just 15 minutes a day from the 51 volumes he assembled, it would constitute “a good substitute for a liberal education to anyone who would read them with devotion.”

    Not an essential for survival, but if you have the money and the space for them you might consider looking into the Loeb Classical Library, which features english / latin or greek translations of ancient texts. I always think my book collection may become the nucleus of a future library. You might be doing your part to pass western civilization to future generations. New they run about 28.00, used as low as about $5.00.

    For introducing kids to the classics, you might consider getting the “Classics Illustrated” comic books. Many of them are very well illustrated. Not sure how many titles there are, I’m guessing 50? You’ll find books like Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, The Odyssey, Ben Hur, etc. etc. Used, they may run about $2 to $5.

    1. I picked up a set of these back in my teens. I was always a bit of a bookworm.30 years later I still read them. They is an impressive amount of information that you just don’t see in todays system.

  3. Regarding Why – Simply for reference and information contained therein! Old books are an indication of “human progress”, such as it is. Read an old book and then read a more modern book. Notice the wording and phrases used to portray or tell the story and how it changes and evolves over time. Same as the present obsession with the destruction of historical objects.
    I have in my collection books, a complete set of Robert Louis Stevenson books, copyright around 1916 I believe, Rudyard Kipling, with the Nazi swastika on them. I understand he was at one time a Nazi sympathizer. All found at a yard sale. As well as a book on Indian legends written about 1898 and a Hardy Boys novel copyright 1923. Reading old books and then new it’s easy to see how far down the path to social destruction we have come and how society at large has devolved into the hatefest it has present day.

  4. For two years before retiring to my current location, I would stop in once a week at the Dollar Book Store on my way home. I was able to bring hundreds of books with me to the Redoubt for future use. I have multiple books on emergency medicine, canning, building and home repair skills, machinery maintenance, jokes and word puzzles, gardening, Constitutional law, American history, world atlases, history of western civilization, children’s school books for various ages, gun-smithing, home remedies, so much more. I recently scored a nice set of Our Wonderful World encyclopedias for $5 at a neighbor’s estate sale. My elderly dad gave me his set of Great Books of the Western World, a genuine literary and philosophical treasure.

    One other place you can find books is Craigslist. I checked my local CL just now and there is an entire set of 27 Bob Jones home school textbooks and workbooks for three different grades offered for $75.

    The other night there was a big wind storm here, and our cable TV and internet went down for many hours. It was a reminder to me of how addicted we are to technology and instant communication. In case of a long term grid down scenario, you are going to want some novels in addition to all the technical manuals, so remember to include relaxation reading as part of your plan.

    1. I like the Craig’s list idea. Never would have thought of it. Great Books of the Western World *is* a treasure. It was republished in the ’90s (?) with some works removed. Go figure. What NS said in the last sentence.

      1. I remember my parents buying that original set in the late 1950’s / early 60’s. It was hugely expensive for them, probably the equivalent of a month’s rent, but they considered it an investment. It came with its own demi-bookcase and was proudly displayed in our living room. I now have it in my bookcase and it makes me think of my childhood and early family life.

        Forgot to mention earlier, I bought some dictionaries for English as well as several foreign languages at the dollar store.

        I bought a book on card game rules there, too! I also have half a dozen packs of playing cards squirreled away. Back in the day before TV, adults used to go over to their friends house to play cards all the time. One of my earliest memories is my parents and my aunt and uncle playing canasta and pinochle at the card table, laughing and having a great time. No electricity needed (although we did have it.) I guess I should look for a cribbage board and some poker chips, too….. hmmm….

      2. Regarding Marica & Didi’s comment on Great Book of The Western World, I have read, and collected, the entire set printed by the Franklin Mint. Upon moving, for about the 45th time, I donated the majority to the local High School & Public Library, choosing to keep what I consider the most important, or those that contained info about the making & implementing of the great American experiment in rule by law. The collecting and passing on of knowledge is one of societies greatest attributes, whether that knowledge is agreeable or not. It is the tool that allows anyone to make the best choice for any given situation they may find themselves in……

  5. Once, when visiting family in rural PA we were helping aging parents downsize. We went to the recycling center to drop off cardboard and found a 10 yard covered dumpster there dedicated to recycling used, but unwanted books. These books were destined to go to the shredder. I was like a kid in a candy store. I climbed inside and found all kinds of treasure. I was not the only one, much to the distress of the volunteer worker who was trying to “protect” the valuable soon to be shredded assets for the township. I would have taken the entire dumpster if I could have. Then I had to figure out how to get the books back home on the plane. I love books. Books are among my best friends.

  6. Back in the 1950’s and ‘60’s, fundraising for kids groups (Scouts, Campfire, Church Youth Fellowship) used to include “paper drives.” This entailed carloads of kids, driven around town by parents, going to homes to collect bundles of newspapers and stacks of old books for recycling. I scored an old hardbound copy of “Don Quixote” as well as several other books that were old enough to be antiques back then. Still have them in storage somewhere, along with a few others I picked up over the years. I have hundreds (thousands?) of books stored away. As does my husband. And, of course, we are always on the lookout for more, both new and used. In fact, last year, we found an old book on shoe repair and a few months ago, DH found a hand powered shoe repair sewing machine for sale on Amazon. It is made in China, but if it gets to TEOTWAWKI, something is better than nothing, even if only to be used as a prototype to build another one.

    The new house will have a dedicated library with floor to ceiling bookshelves, at least 1 recliner, a large table with several chairs and a few freestanding bookcases. The architect asked me if we had a lot of books. Duh!

    I have never been able to donate or sell books, although I seem to recall gifting and loaning a very few over the years.

  7. As a lifelong bibliophile, I loved this article. 2 other items I would recommend are Pilgrim’s Progress, a standard work in early America; and Collier’s Junior Classics. That collection at my grandmother’s was a close childhood friend, and I still enjoy reading some of the stories from the volumes I was able to save (sadly, several were lost when my parents moved after retirement).

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