Hidden treasures on your bookshelf

BookFinder.com recently released its yearly report of the 100 most sought after out-of-print books in America.

You might expect that a 51-volume set of The Harvard Classics, edited by Charles W. Eliot (1869-1909) may be worth more than $478 to an eager collector.

Other gems, you don't have to build a separate bookshelf to store.

Are you a crafter? New copies of A History of Hand Knitting by Richard Rutt, published in 1989, sell for $147 on Amazon.com. You're even luckier if you once collected books by author Mary Konior: her books on tatting patterns range from $99 - $250, and sellers of Crochet Lace: An Illustrated Guide to Making Crochet Lace Fabrics ask upwards of $400 for an unread copy.

If these books are collecting dust on your shelf, consider donating them to The BookEnd to benefit the Iowa City Public Library! The BookEnd, a used bookstore on the 2nd floor of the Iowa City Public Library, sells donated books, CDs, and DVDs as well as well-loved copies retired from the Library's collection. All proceeds from The BookEnd benefit programs like the Children and Teen Summer Reading Programs and Art-to-Go, and add new items to the Library's collection. Think of how many new books your 1984 copy of Nora Roberts' Promise me Tomorrow could buy!

If you have any of these hidden treasures on your bookshelf, we'd be happy to take them off your hands. Didn't keep your 1986 novelization of Labyrinth? Support the Library by shopping for next year's list-topper at The BookEnd!