Cheap Books: Why Spend $10 If You Can Spend $1?
Dec 20 '01
The Bottom Line Cheap books. You just can't beat that.
As part of summer reading for my AP English class, I was required to read The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. So, a few weeks before school started, I eventually made my way over to my friendly bookseller--Amazon.com--to search for a copy. I scrolled down the list of results trying to find the cheapest copy: $7.19, $8.99, $6.50, $1.00, $5.49--hold up! Which one does not belong here? A book for $1.00? It claimed to be unabridged, so I purchased it (and I sheepishly admit here that I paid more for shipping than the book itself).
When my package arrived a few days later, I found myself face-to-face with Frederick Douglass. A lot of Frederick Douglass', actually. While the cover might not have been the classiest thing ever (FD's face tiled), the book was indeed complete, as well as mighty small.
A few months later, I was shopping in my local independent bookshop when I noticed a stand of books, all bearing hideous, repetitive covers. It was filled with classics: Shakespeare, Hawthorne, Dostoevsky, Twain, Kafka. As I began looking them over I noticed their price--averaging about $1.50. I bought about eight. I had discovered the Dover Thrift Edition.
What are they?
The Dover Thrift Editions are a series of books, plays, and collection of poetry that are published -- well -- thriftly. The books have relatively small print and are made with cheap paper stock. However, you can't beat the prices--the books range from $1.00 to (rare) $3.00.
What titles are available?
First off, Shakespeare's entire library, give or take a few. Besides that, the DVE is composed of some of the most influential literature of the past few centuries, including authors from all over the world. There are also many collections of short stories, poetry, and essays. There are just too many to list here.
Where can I get these books?
Well, you might stumble across one of them while searching for a book, or you could get lucky and have a stand available in a local bookshop. If you're not favored by lady luck, however, or if you want to buy a lot at once, going online is probably your best bet. While the books can be found at most online retailers, they don't carry all the thrift editions, so going to the Dover site is probably the best bet. This can be found at:
http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-literature-dover-thrift-editions.html
Shipping is slightly high, but with the books discounted that much, you'll hardly notice.
Happy reading!
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meanbeast
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Member: Lauren Janowitz
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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The name's Lauren. I love music.
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