For the Love of (Half Price) Books

Do you love the smell of old books and good deals? Then Half Price Books is the place for you! I swear, I had the idea of writing about Half Price Books before Shannon’s email was read on the show. That email, however, made this a must post for me to write. Thank you to my fellow bibliophile.

I’m going to be really honest here. I have been known to roll up my sleeves and plop myself down on the floor at one of these stores on the hunt for some hidden gems to add to my ever expanding library (no, *you* have the problem).

Here’s another confession for you. I’m a librarian…a children’s librarian. I know, awesome, right? Why am I telling you this? Well, that’s because many of the books I search out at Half Price Books are, in fact, children’s books. There are plenty of Disney history books that can be found as well, but I swoon over the artwork of a Little Golden Book. My knees go weak from a whiff of the pages of a vintage book from the 50’s. I really love books for children.

What follows are a few examples of said half priced treasures.

Walt Disney’s Three Little Pigs – Unfortunately, the title page for this book has been ripped out, but I believe this particular edition was published in 1972. This book is one of my beloved Little Golden Books and it is gorgeous. The artwork alternates between red and pink pencil drawings to full color lively pictures. This book has been reprinted over the years, but I love the pink stain added to the sides of the pages and cover. I could hear the classic Disney song of “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” playing in my head while enjoying this book.

Walt Disney’s Uncle Remus Stories – This title was originally published in 1946 in conjunction with the release of Song of the South. This book however, was republished in 1986 and is the version that I found. Again, this is a Little Golden Book, but not one with the golden spine. This is an over sized big Golden Book. It is packed to the gills with 23 Walt Disney adaptations of Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris. There is a fascinating foreword about the history of these stories and the Disneyfication of said stories. This book made me want to see the movie. Maybe someday…maybe.

Walt Disney’s The Enchanted Forest – A spiral bound, trippy, mashup of characters, and not particularly plotted board book published in 1978. This book is so weird I had to have it. At one point, Mickey and Donald end up skinny dipping before they land in the seven dwarves’ mine. The pages all have a cut out in the middle to give you a preview of where Mickey, Donald, and Pluto will go next. It’s amazing and really kind of indescribable. If you come across this book give it a look!

Walt Disney’s Living Desert – Now, for my favorite recent addition. This book is gorgeous and I found a pristine copy from 1954. (Yes, I got a good whiff of this baby.) It is part of the book series that resulted from the True Life Adventures nature films.  The foreword, credited to Walt Disney himself, establishes a sense of adventure. The pictures are beautiful and the text reads like a True Life Adventure film. The other books in this series are definitely on my radar. Maybe I will get lucky on my next trip to Half Price Books.

There are 120 Half Price Books  around the country. Find your local store here. Please share your favorite finds with us. Happy hunting and, as always, carpe kingdom!