Georgetown, Texas: Second-Hand Prose
The Georgetown Public Library’s books-for-sale area is very well organized and, for a public library bookstore, comprehensive.
In the Georgetown Public Library is a Friends of the Library book sale that could almost double as an actual bookstore. The first time I went, I picked up several hard-to-find items from my list, including Michael Moorcock’s• The Stealer of Souls•. It’s also where I discovered Natan Sharansky’s The Case for Democracy.
The second time I went, I picked up two of the Best American Short Story collections. I’ve been reading a bunch of these this year, after picking up the Salman Rushdie one at a big warehouse sale in 2015.
This may be the best library book nook I’ve been to. If you’re on a book tour of central Texas, the second best is about ten minutes further south at the Round Rock Public Library. Besides both having great used book sale areas, both are very nice libraries.
Second-Hand Prose is on the second floor of the library; if you feel like relaxing with your purchases, there is a nice coffeeshop on the first floor, with indoor and outdoor tables.
Second-Hand Prose
402 W 8th St.
Georgetown, Texas
Feb. 19, 2019
| From the Dust Returned• | Ray Bradbury | $2.00 | hardcover |
|---|
Feb. 28, 2018
| Tehanu• | Ursula K. Le Guin | $1.25 | mass market paperback |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Joy of Hate• | Greg Gutfeld | $3.75 | hardcover |
Oct. 24, 2016
| The Best American Short Stories 2005• | Katrina Kenison, Michael Chabon | $1.00 | trade paperback |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Best American Short Stories 2009• | Alice Sebold, Heidi Pitlor | $1.00 | trade paperback |
May 7, 2015
| Man and the Computer• | John G. Kemeny | $0.50 | mass market paperback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyndon B. Johnson: The Exercise of Power | Robert D. Novak, Rowland Evans | $0.50 | mass market paperback |
| The Stealer of Souls• | Michael Moorcock | $0.50 | trade paperback |
| Reagan: In His Own Hand• | Annelise Anderson, Kiron K. Skinner, Martin Anderson | $0.50 | trade paperback |
| The Case for Democracy• | Natan Sharansky | $1.50 | hardcover |
| Known and Unknown• | Donald Rumsfeld | $1.50 | hardcover |
| The First Casualty• | Phillip Knightley | $1.50 | hardcover |
In response to The bookstores less traveled: These aren’t the bookstores people travel across the country to visit. But if you’re already traveling across the country, you’ll want to take advantage of the opportunity to visit them.
- The Case for Democracy
- When did America forget that it’s America?
- Elric: The Stealer of Souls•: Michael Moorcock (paperback)
- “Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, Vol. 1.”
- Visit Second-Hand Prose at Friends of the Georgetown Public Library
- “Volunteers work at the store from one hour after the Library opens until one hour prior to the Library closing, each day. For those two hours each day when we are not staffed, purchases may be paid for at the Reference Desk right outside the entrance to Second-Hand Prose.”
More bookstores
- The Thrifty Peanut in Shreveport
- A great little bookstore in Shreveport off of I-20, and a great place to relax in the middle of a long road trip.
- New Orleans: Beckham’s Bookshop
- Beckham’s Bookshop is a musty must-stop if you’re in the French Quarter.
- Las Cruces, New Mexico: Coas Books
- Coas Books is a chain of two bookstores in Las Cruces, and well worth the visit.
- Palestine, Texas: The Palestine Public Library
- The Palestine Public Library opens their booksale room about once a month. If you’re in the area, it’s well worth a look.
- Buffalo, Texas: The Horse’s Mouth on Highway 79
- This tiny little bookshop and coffeehouse is worth stopping at if you’re on Highway 79 and need a browse, a coffee, or a shake.
- 18 more pages with the topic bookstores, and other related pages
More libraries
- Temple Public Library Book Sale
- The Temple Public Library has a great book sale twice a year. I’ve picked up some wonderful novels, nonfiction, and cookbooks there.
- Friends of the New Braunfels Public Library Annual Book Sale
- The annual New Braunfels Library sale is well worth a visit if you live nearby.
- Palestine, Texas: The Palestine Public Library
- The Palestine Public Library opens their booksale room about once a month. If you’re in the area, it’s well worth a look.
- Round Rock, Texas: The Round Rock Public Library
- The Round Rock Public Library’s Book Nook doesn’t have many books, but what it has is quality.
- Newaygo, Michigan: Bay Leaf Books
- If you’re passing near Newaygo Michigan, don’t miss this bookstore hidden among the antique stores and art stores of little Newaygo.
Update (February 28, 2018): As of last month, they’ve switched to a donation-only model; that is, you pick out your books, donate what you feel like donating, and that’s it. I’m going to maintain the 3:2:1 ratio from now on, preserving the ratio inherent in the old prices of $1.50 for hardcovers, $1.00 for trade paperbacks, and $0.50 for mass market paperbacks. Then, apply some algebra (remember algebra? this is a song about algebra) to determine the “actual” price paid for each book. If you notice that the prices jumped today, that’s why.