Get Genealogy Books (Almost) Free

Recently I've been exploring PaperbackSwap. The site has been around for a while and I've actually looked at it in the past. However, it wasn't until this past week that I realized that it offers genealogy books.

If you're not familiar with the site, I'll give you a quick run down. When you sign up, you list the books you want to get rid of. PaperbackSwap gives you a few site credits in return to get you started. Credits are the site's currency.

If a member wants one of your listed books, they purchase it with a credit (audiobooks are 2 credits) and you ship the book to them at your expense. Once they receive the book, you get the credit, which you can use to request books of your own.

While not completely free, it is an inexpensive way to expand your personal library. In most cases, books can be sent via USPS media mail for just a couple dollars. To give you an idea of what kind of genealogy  books you can find, a few I saw on the list of available books include:

• Unpuzzling Your Past by Emily Croom 
• The Genealogist's Companion & Sourcebook by Emily Croom
• Climbing Your Family Tree:Online and Off-line Genealogy for Kids by Ira Wolfman
• Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor by Bertram Hawthorne Groene
• Writing Family History and Memoirs by Kirk Polking

Keep in mind that the books are used, but are generally in good shape, sometimes even in like-new condition. Books vary in age. Some are fairly recent while others are older. Don't be misled by the name PaperbackSwap; the site allows swapping of more than just paperbacks. You can also swap hardbacks, audio books and textbooks.

Disclosure: The links to the PaperbackSwap site are referral links. If you sign up through my link and post your first ten books, I get a credit for referring you, which I can use to order books for myself. If you prefer a non-referral link, click here.