We’ve got basement work that needs to be done, and I’ve reached the point in my life where I realize that I’m never going to have a gigantic oak-paneled library where all of my many books can be displayed in public. The combination of those two factors leads to the realization that I need to get rid of lots and lots and lots of books, several thousand of them, I would estimate.

Before I put them up on “Stuff for Free” on Craigslist and let the garage sale gremlins come hoover them all away, I thought I would first offer them here (also for free!) and on Facebook to folks who might actually be interested in what I read, since you read me. There’s lots of music criticism, history and biography, tons of natural science and history, political science, an eclectic blend of fiction, tales of human suffering (Arctic exploration, lost at sea, etc.), and who knows what else mixed in the pile. We’re a big reading household with omnivorous tastes, so there’s probably something for everybody here.

You can have as many of them as you want (for free!), if you’re in the area and can get to my house to get them. I’ve pulled them all up to the garage, and will plan to pick an evening or two later this week when you can stop by and forage. I’m hoping to have lots of them go away, rather than having you spend an hour digging through them for a couple of rare finds (of which there are a good number). Special bonus for the hardcore music geeks who aren’t technology snobs: a HUGE box of cassettes from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, some pre-recorded, some recorded from vinyl, some mixes, etc. I don’t even have anything to play them on anymore.

If you are interested, please shoot me an an e-mail, and I’ll get you the location, and we can figure out the time.

As a second order question: how else do you get rid of books? I have donated to the town library in the past, though I’m not sure that’s still as much of an option as it once was. I also have taken books in to used book dealers, though the cost-benefit return on that is generally low, since they tend to be a bit more selective in what they’re willing to buy, given space constraints and resale considerations, so a lot of what I took in also came back home with me. I need these to go and not come back. Thoughts?