How to get free books, newspapers, magazines, comics...

[tyger_claw]

Hey all,

Here's a tutorial I think some people may find useful in saving some money.
Note: I am not condoning the actions of theft, that is not one method of getting something for free


=*How To Get Free Books, Magazines, etc....*=

-Disclaimer
-Books from stores
-Books from library
-Books from learning institutions (colleges, universities)
-Books from internet
-Contact Info

=*Disclaimer*=

First off, the methods of obtaining these free books, magazines and so are far from the reknowned "Five Finger Discount" way. The methods a legit. Read on and you'll see why.

Also, when I mention books, I also mean magazines, newspapers and so. The only difference is that for a newspaper, when they are discarted, they cut off the price area to get reimbursed for the unsold issues (by the news publisher). Magazines expire within a month, so retailers discard them without the cover (why, not sure).

=*Books from stores*=

First stop, mall stores. While obviously you can't walk up to a clerk and say "Hey, I want this book for free!", there are ways. When bookstores recieve LARGE shipments of books (like a new Harry Potter release) some of these books get damaged. Either by water, box cutters, crushed by heavier objects...(you get the idea).

Now this is a sensitive issue for clerks. They obviously don't want to give you something for free when they have a "perfect" product for sale. You do , however get lucky. There are some clerks (usually clerks between 19 to 25) who won't mind giving you a free damaged book (It depends on their agreement. Some want you to purchase at least something, others will just give you one).

Another way around is to go to the back of the store and look for an open box with damaged goods inside. The covers will be removed from the books, to indicate a lost product. *Make sure they are discarted books and not an overstocked stockroom* (Don't want you to be accused of theft!). They'll indicate that the books are not wanted if they are in a box near the trashbin (which, hopefully is too full for the box to be in). Some people might want to go inside the bin and search. Nock yourself out if you don't mind soy sauce stains on the books, or the smell of rotting chinese food at home.

=*Books from Library*=

Once again, no theft here! Don't go borrow a book under someones name and never return it.
Libraries must maintain a *book count*, that is, they must have a certain number of books, no more, no less (approx). Because of this, libraries must rid of older and uninteresting books. Those books that don't get checked out after a while, get rid. (Some libraries have a book sell, but if the book is never checked out, why would someone buy it?)

Now that most libraries have these autosensors at the door, the librarians will place unwanted books before the sensors. (Some will write something like "free books" or so.) You can also ask a librarian if they have any books they are meaning to rid. Most will offer then to you. (It's the only way they can get new books, thus more interest in the library!)

=*Books from a Learning Institute*=

When newer edition of books come out, teachers usually rid of the older ones. Because the edition is old, the school bookstore won't purchase them and sell em' as used. So most teachers will give these books away for free. They'll leave them either in a common area of the school or by their office. The time for this is usually at the end of a school year, when they do an office cleanout. Some students will do the same with old books. They can't sell them to the store so they leave them for anyone to take.

I personally got quite a few books this way. I got a Borland learning package for C++, with source codes for samples, a book and 2 videos (VHS). I also got a book on network security and cryptography. You just have to be there at the right time.

=*Books from the Internet*=

There are a lot of sites on the net, with different formats, for free ebooks. Books ranging from computers (mostly that) to romance and fiction. It's just to find the right site. Like most people say, search google.com for "free ebooks" and you'll get sites. The only problem with this is that the books are not hardcopy and can only be read on a screen (unless you print em' - all 600 pages )

Here's a great link: http://freebooks.by.ru/index.html (Don't try to read the site lingo...)

=*Contact Info*=

Tyger Claw
tyger_claw@hotmail.com
www.tygerclaw.8m.com

Also available on:
www.AntiOnline.com


-EOF-





Side Note: If anyone has another method to suggest, let me know, I'll add it (if I can) and give complete credit to ya. Any problems with the tutorial, let me know.

[InsaneData]

Great post! I love it!

[phaza7]

Great tut, tiger_claw
I wonder how this was possible anyway thanks.
It'll help alot.

[tyger_claw]

Well, like I said above, I don't want anyone committing any crimes. Theft is an issue I deal with often at work (security at a college) which is why I go into detail about the methods of obtaining these free products.

*Add: Also for magazines, you can get free samples by visiting that magazines site and finding a section that allows you to fill a form for a free sample.

[the_JinX]

In the Netherlands most librarys sell their old books for a euro or two..

Sometimes they have nice books like old Programming for C64 owners books and other cool old stuff..
I got a nice QuickBasic 4.5 book for fl 2,= (about 1 euro) a couple of years back..

I also get a lot of old Linux magazines from a friend who runs a kiosk..

[mrleachy]

anyone else know of any other free ebooks sites at all apart from the one mentioned by tyger_claw?

[Negative]

MrLeachy > not sure if you're talking about just computer books, but the University of Pennsylvania has an extended searchable database of 18,000+ books, all for free.
If you care about copyrights, make sure to read this: you'll find that for example Hitler's Mein Kampf is still copyrighted in the States, but not anymore in Canada...

Another great resource is The English Server (31,784 books online), categorized. They have a Cyber section, including some interesting works about anonimity, privacy,... on the net. Also check out their brand-new EServer Technical Communication Library.

More links to excellent book-pages at The Sisters of Mercy homepage... (Techie Tools and Toys for the Boys, as they like to call it)...

[tyger_claw]

To further this tread, I happen to get my hands on an old Windows NT 4 Server book this week at the college. All free

So try it out. Links to pdf files and ebooks are nice, but hardcopies are great!

Nothing beats holding a book...

[Neo-Icarus]

Its a good site its free and has an ok slelection nice thanks for the link tyger_claw