Sweet Charity (Shops)

I seem to spend my life scuffling about in charity shops looking for books, don't I? Well, that's because they're so cheap there. But I have noticed a price heirarchy even amongst these. Here is my report on book prices in the charity shops of York, starting with the most expensive first.

1) Oxfam: it has two dedicated bookshops in York, plus one general clothes/brick-a-brack shop with a sizeable book section. Good range of books, shelved in categories, fiction subdivided as classics/popular/sci-fi/crime etc, then sorted alphabetically by author. Textbooks/non-fiction tends to be somewhat outdated. Small section first editions/collector's items. Good children's section. The price for a paperback is generally £2.99 -£3.49 depending on perceived poularity.

2) The Heart Foundation: Good selection of popular literature, sorted alphabetically by author; smaller selection of non-fiction, mostly outdated. Some 'collector's items. I bought a fairly tatty Penguin Classics edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls for £1.50 here. Most paperback fiction c. the same price as Oxfam.

3) Scope: I don't tend to go in here much, the books are very run of the mill stuff (Dan Brown, Aga-sagas) plus much outdated non-fiction. And they're always pestering you to buy raffle tickets.

4) Mind: A reasonable number of books at the back, subdivided into basic categories. Paperback fiction about £1.50-£2.99. Never seem to get much new stuff in. Small children's section.

5) Sue Ryder: started off with quite a lot of stock, both fiction and non-fiction, at reasonable prices -about the same as Mind, some of them obviously quite new.. Book shelves are getting smaller though. Pity.

6) The Autism Society: lots of pot-boilers, but redeemed themselves in my eyes by having a sale where all books were 50p. I bought Oliver Sack's 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat' and Peter Hoeg's 'Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow'. Still to be read.

6) PDSA: Books generally divided just into paperback or hardback. All books £1 at the moment, except for a few 'collector's items' which are £3. I bought Farrar's 'Life of Christ' here last week.

7) Save The Children: very small shop, but proportionally large book shelf. Good turnover. Prices fluctuate, but fairly decent paperback fiction is generally around the £1.50-£2.00 mark.

8) Age Concern: fusty little section at the back of the shop. Not much stock, but reasonable turnover. Top price seems to be £1.50 for a paperback. Bought an Oxford Classics text of Wilkie Collins 'The Woman in White' for 50p.

9) Help the Aged: seems to have stopped caring about its bookshelves. Lots of dross - romance and war, but the odd gem. Just bought Penguin Classics version of 'The Book of Margery Kempe' for 59 pence. More of this anon.

Also to be mentioned are the Red Cross Shop, The Cat's Protection League, the Woodlands shop and the St Leonard's Hospice shop: they tend to have a small and generally poor selection books. I almost never go in, and when I do there's seldom anything I want.