(See also the about us summary.)
In turn, we link to sites with books that meet our listing criteria (see below), regardless of whether or not they link to us. We do not participate in any sort of link exchange or paid-link program. But we'll be happy to link to your site if you have qualifying material on it that isn't already available elsewhere. (However, requests for links that are clearly out of scope or intended as advertisements or marketing will usually be ignored, and may result in any further requests from the same source being ignored as well.)
If you'd like your book listed here, you'll need to either make it available on on your own Web site or contribute it to an archive of online books (such as one of those mentioned on this page). If the book meets my listing criteria, I can then list it, with a link to whatever site actually has the book archived.
Unsolicited manuscripts and transcriptions are typically deleted unread.)
Except where noted within a particular online book, I do not claim copyright in the books I list. I just index them. However, someone else, such as the author or the publisher of the online book, might claim copyright to the online book. If you wish to make use of a copyrighted work beyond fair use bounds, you'll have to ask the copyright holder first.
If you would like to redistribute a copyrighted online book, it's usually simplest to visit the site where the book is stored, and see if the online book (or its site) says anything about copyrights and permissions for the book. Many online books or sites also include a contact address, which you can write to the contact address to ask for permission, or see if permission is required.
More information on copyright can be found below.)
But you probably also want to know what your copy would be worth to sell or insure. I can't tell you what the book will fetch, not being qualified to appraise books here. (And even an expert would have to examine your copy to give a reliable estimate of its value.) But here are some general guidelines:
The selling price of books can vary greatly depending on the book's desirability, its rarity, and its condition. Some books that are more than 100 years old still won't sell for more than a dollar, if that. Others will be worth thousands of dollars or more. Also, many books that are valuable are still of interest to only a small number of buyers, so getting the full value of a book depends a lot on finding interested buyers. The Net makes finding such buyers easier than it used to be, though.
One way to get a general idea of a book's market value is to look it up on one of the more comprehensive used book search services, like Bookfinder. There, you may be able to find the conditions and asking prices of other copies of your book, and get a general idea of what its price range is. Be sure to find comparable copies when possible; the specific edition of a book, its condition, and other attributes (such as illustrations, or personally added notes from authors or other significant figures) can sometimes play a big role in determining its value.
Note also that Bookfinder and other bookselling sites will show asking prices, not selling prices, and some dealers may be asking far more than what a book they offer is actually worth. There are also published price guides that dealers use to price particularly popular or valuable titles, which you can also use yourself. (Your local library can suggest some useful price guides.) If it appears after an initial investigation that your book is particularly valuable, it may be worth paying a professional to appraise it.
Note that if you're selling to a dealer, dealers generally pay only a fraction of their "retail" price. (The difference goes to their overhead, and to cover the risk that they might not be able to find a buyer for the copy they just bought from you, or that they might have to wait a long time to find one.) Some readers also try to sell books directly to other readers on auction sites like Ebay, though I haven't heard much about their experiences there.
For more information, see Your Old Books, by the Association of College and Research Libraries.
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Edited by John Mark Ockerbloom (onlinebooks@pobox.upenn.edu)
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