Help! I have inherited thousands of books.

[wildcat45]

That is not quite the exaggeration you may think.

My late father's lifetime collection of books has been left to me and sadly most have to go. I inherited the house and the entire top floor is crammed with them.

My Dad was a journalist, writer and TV producer and the collection, which is in no order reflects this, from antique books though midern Folio editions. Fiction, classics, encyclopaedias, Bibles to a lot of sixties seventies and 80s politics books, many of which are very out of date.

There are tiny damaged ancient books which I can find no trace of online right next to midern silly books like, "the worlds biggest mistakes" or a 1981 Grange Hill paperback. Sets of Boys own annuals, 1920s good housekeeping books......I could go on.

Naturally there are many I want to keep, but mine and my wife's book collection is not exactly small.

It is a bewildering problem. I have tried to value a few online and being books there is no logic to them. Some books are valued at 50p, others at hundreds of pounds.

I really need some advice. It is a massive task just sorting the piles of Penguins from back numbers of "The Countryman"

I need the space, need to sell but knowing nothing about values I really do not want to get shafted.

Based in North East England and hoping someone can advise please.

[The Beaver King]

What a fantastic problem to have

I guess you have already sussed your biggest problem; not throwing any anything that could potentially be valuable...

I'm afraid I can't really help, other than to suggest that if you have kids/nephews/etc, maybe pay them a few quid to list the book name, author and edition into an excel spreadsheet to catalogue your new collection.

You could speak to a local school or other organisation about doing this with them and spliting the profits or donating to charity?

Book prices are a funny thing. For example; I bought a book from Waterstones about 6 years ago. A common book (sci-fi/warhammer novel), I paid £14 or something. I've read the thing 20 times and it's looking a bit worn, so I check last week about buying a new copy. It is only available to buy new on Amazon, starting at £90!!!! Even used copies are £30 and no book shop sells it now. It's a 6-7 year old book!

Crazy stuff.

Anyway good luck mate, let us know if you discover anything exciting

[wildcat45]

Thanks for that. The spreadsheet idea sounds good. One for my wife who likes Excel stuff to sort.

Sadly no family to help us, only a distant relative who promised to come up and help after telling me there was a little book in the collection worth 7k. We've not found it.

[Pit Pony]

Keep them. Read them. If you like one, keep it. If you hate it, flog it.

It might take you all your life, but hey.

[davepoth]

I'd divide the task into two. Most of the vaguely modern books will have an ISBN on them, and that makes it easy to value them.

http://www.abebooks.com/books/search-number-code-1...

Is a good used book website - if you type the ISBNs in then it should get you a long way towards working out the value without putting too much effort in. That should cover the bulk of the books, and all of the modern ones, leaving you with a much smaller list of the ones that will be a bit tricky to price up.

For those you'll probably want a proper antiquarian book shop (or even better, a few) to talk to. They may be able to give you an idea based on a list of the books but they might want to see them to check the condition.

[DUMBO100]

Not a bad problem to have at all. I know a chap who was unsure where to put his money during the worst of the recession,he rented a lock up and started buying books. He got a few rare ones and even the bread and butter stuff gives him a worthwhile return and he seems to enjoy his new found career/hobby.

[Wacky Racer]

Not too far away from you......

http://www.barterbooks.co.uk/

[wildcat45]

I would dearly live to keep all if them, but the sheer bult is huge. We have our own books which we have squeezed onto metres of shelves we have put up downstairs.

Some of the books I will keep because I want them. My wife is a Jane Austen fan and I can't see use getting rid of that collection. I love Betjeman (He knew my Dad and in the collection is a handwritten note from him) and I am keeping that.

I guess some of the more lavish books have little sale value. The old man writer for National Geographic and we have a lot of their leather bound "Discovering China" type off coffe table books.

I am going to have to cut down the Dickens stuff. My Dad even has French translations.

A lot of fairly recent Folio copies.

Lots and lots of paperbacks, on economics politics, Germaine Greer type of stuff.

Thanks for the link to the website. It's the one I have been using.

I'm going to fill a couple of bags for life with a cross section and head over to Barter Books, see what they think.

Thanks for your advice. Dan

[M3333]

Maybe give this guy a call, it is a pretty fascinating place...

http://www.jonathanoakes.com/tag/the-old-pier-book...

[Shaw Tarse]

Barters books is brill, you may be there some time!