Books I don't know what to do with

Hospices for the dying or chronically ill are usually glad to receive light reading material. The prision service may be interested too.

For anything that comes under the heading of good English literature or scientific works, ring you nearest university and ask if they send surplus equipment and books to universities or schools in less Africa, the old Eastern European block etc.

Anglo doorstep collections are great and will collect books from your house. They do have a limit of 10 boxes of books though.
If you google them you can book a collection on line and it gives clear instructions. I have used them in the past when moving home. They give a collection time and if you are not at home you can leave the boxes on your doorstep to be collected. There is no charge and they will also make a Donation to a charity which you can choose from the list of the ones they support.

Do you have any relatives that could take the books to charity shops?

Sell them on World of books they especially take novels and fiction and send a courier to pick them up That’s where most of mine have gone It’s easy peasy and you don’t have to cart them anywhere and you make a few pounds, not a lot but we usually get about £10 - £15 for a boxful probably 20 plus books, and you can do it bit by bit
It’s really easy peasy, put the app on your phone or iPad and then you just scan the barcode and it’s says yes or no
Well worth it and take you no longer than carting them on buses and long walks.

For CarrotTop (OP) and others, ANGLO are very good for Charity collections, books, small electricals, clothes, shoes, toys, allsorts.

SEE their website :- anglodoorstepcollections.co.uk they come to the door ande are very good with updates about the 'slot' for your appointment.

Anglo wouldn't deal with me. They were apologetic. I don't know if it's because I m in Scotland.

I have a full set of encyclopaedia Brittanica I need to get rid of but no one seems to want it. I've tried my local library and the school library in the school I used to work in.The trouble is no one looks things up that way now - we just google everything!

It's like trying to get rid of old tech, so last century!

That's ridiculous carrying them on a bus! Are there no charities who will pick them up? BHF do pickups

CarrotTop

I read a lot of novels. The best end up on my permanent shelves but I don't need to keep all the also-rans. I had a little cull during Covid resulting in about 50 bags of discarded books (not all novels) waiting to be donated to charity shops. As that requires a long trip on the bus and then a walk to the other side of town, I can only take one bag at a time and I'm now down to 31 bags. I think most of them will still be there when I die. If you're a book freak, what do you do with books you'll never read again but aren't in the "keep at all costs" category?

I sell them on Vinted, books sell well. You can sell anything on Vinted (almost) but there are a lot of scammers so be careful.

You get 5-7 days to post so once a week is good enough, I do pos daily if necessary as most buyers like that.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

I wouldn’t have kept so many in the first place! My bookcase has maybe 20 of my all time favourites that I return to occasionally. Otherwise Kindle is fantastic - portable for holidays and no clutter being just 2 of the bonuses (there are others).

I can only imagine with horror the amount of space you’d have had to allocate to keep 50 bags of books.

I have c. 30,000 books at home !! But I’ve been a Book Dealer for over 46 years!. And you think you have a problem? 🤔😅

I sent all my encyclopedia off to pulp. No-one wanted them.

There are several stations near me that take books. They’ve setup shelves and anyone can donate books and take them . Also my local leisure centre has done the same . A friend in the next village to me has set up a community book library next to the village shop.
If you’re on social media Facebook and next door are good for these sort of things .

I used to be like this until I was bought a kindle last Christmas. No more books taking up lots of room, can buy and keep favourites but otherwise I just borrow and return them, it’s brilliant.
Never thought I’d prefer the kindle to an actual book but I am a convert.

Grammaretto

I sent all my encyclopedia off to pulp. No-one wanted them.

No surprise there Grammaretto as we can Google anything now.

My DH had a cull of his books and we had bags full. I contacted the Oxfam bookshop who were happy to come and collect them.

Grammaretto

Shelter bookshop picked up a van load today! They are the only charity in Edinburgh which still collects.

Oxfam will accept 20 books per person per day.

I think our whole house would count as a library, as there are bookcases in every room - oh, I tell a lie, there isn't one in the shower room - only enough room in there for a small line along the window ledge...! Your vanload outdoes my crowded floorspace!

I understand World of books will collect them and pay you if they deem the books suitable/desirable.

I think the only charities here who pick up donated goods just deal with furniture - and they're so picky it's insulting. Looking at my pristine, almost-new sofabed, the van driver said, "Nah, I'm not taking that, nobody will want to buy it, it's been slept in." That was true enough - I had slept in it a grand total of twice! I can't deal with people like that...
Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll definitely check out the supermarket idea (I haven't been inside a supermarket since the first Covid lockdown, so I'm a bit out of touch on that front).

Webuybooks.co.uk. You scan the ISBN number and it tells you how much it will pay….hopefully! Definitely worth a whirl.

Is there a care home or club nearby? The hospitals usually have a charity book shelf too.

No charities here take books these days. But, in my local shopping centre someone set up a book exchange which is clearly well used. You can swap books or buy one for a pound via an honesty box. That worked well until someone wrenched the box off the shelf and made off with it.

Not many will take book here,either. Not even really nice hardback ones. I swap books at our Probus club and usually borrow one and give them 2 in return! The library mysteriously grows, funny that …

Our village hall put a book case in for unwanted books for others to read.
I took two. A Lesley Pears book and a Richard Osman book. His new series: We solve murders. Both good reads.

If you are near a station, there always seem to be people donating and others collection on our local station