Lots of ship building books to dispose of

[LizTSM]

My late father-in-law has left behind shelves full of ship building books and we are wondering about how to get these to people who would find them interesting. He had built a number of ships over the years and obviously collected these as part of that process.

 

Everything is in Croydon, south east London, and we can box everything if needed.  

 

It would be appreciated if people gave a donation to a particular charity in exchange for the books but that's not obligatory.

 

 

[Dlowder]

As a retired librarian I have to suggest the possibility of donating them to your local library. That's one way that many people can enjoy them. 

[Cathead]

I'm sad for your loss, and have a sense of your situation, as my recently deceased father-in-law left a large library of obscure historical, scientific, and literary works that mostly have no direct value or interest in our region. I'm interested in many of them, but don't have time to read them all at this stage of life, so working out how to rehome them is a challenge.

 

If you want to keep it local, consider searching out model-building clubs in the area (I have to think the London region has quite a few of these, much less the UK) and enlisting their interest and/or help in finding homes for the books. British members responding here can likely direct you to various options. 

 

The library idea is interesting, though restrictive in a different way since it limits the books' availability primarily to those who use that particular library. Some libraries also struggle with space issues, and a stack of relatively obscure books may or may not be in their best interest depending on their user profiles. But it can't hurt to ask around at different libraries to see if they're interested.

 

You could also try to work with an independent bookseller. Although it's clear you're not interested in profiting from the books, given your mention of donations, providing a potentially valuable set of works to a small business is a worthwhile gesture in this age of mega-corporations, and it would help the books find global readers who really want them. Many independent bookstores now make a significant amount of their living selling books online, regardless of their physical setting, and that's a prime way for people to find relatively obscure works. And they have the infrastructure to make those books known to interested buyers. 

 

Best wishes for working through this challenge.

[AON]

UPDATE: Bruce (next message below) has contacted SMS already and it is being dealt with!

I believe he got to it before me because he is 5 hours ahead of me!!  😇 

 

****************

I have forwarded your message to the Society of Model Shipwrights in London.

Hopefully they will contact you via this forum as many are here.

Edited April 21, 2022 by AON

[bruce d]

I have been in touch with Liz off-board and hopefully worked out something she is happy with. Our ideas on charities seem quite similar. 

[bruce d]

The books were as described, a very nice collection.

On 4/20/2022 at 1:10 PM, LizTSM said:

shelves full of ship building books and we are wondering about how to get these to people who would find them interesting.

Liz has now passed these books to me to distribute among the interested and raise something for a charity. I will post something when a plan is hatched.

Full marks to the family for taking the trouble to do this. We should all take note 🤐.