Donating Books
“It is tortuous being locked up. Books have the power to transport us into different selves and different universes so I imagine in prison having books is a mighty good friend to have, and a powerful tool towards finding some peace of mind, some of the time at least, in a situation where that might otherwise be a rare thing. Books for prisoners should be a human right.”
- Danbert Nobacon, member of the band Chumbawamba and supporter of Books to Prisoners
On this page:
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Paperbacks Preferred
A growing number of prisons and jails around the US don't allow the people in their custody to own hardback books. Please keep that in mind when selecting books to donate. We're always looking for paperback textbooks, reference books, and college-level dictionaries.
Before sending multiple copies of any book, please email bookstoprisoners@live.com to double-check that it’s material we can use.
Books Our Readers Request Most Often
These are flying out the door right now:
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*unmarked coloring books for adults (no nudity!)*
FICTION - thrillers, fantasy, horror, urban fiction
NON-FICTION - occult/magic belief systems, manga (no nudity or graphic violence), books on how to draw (no nudity), and re-entry topics such as real estate, starting a small business or learning a trade.
See the list below for our most requested genres over time – we ask that you only donate books in those categories. Things we are OK on right now are crossed out, although we would still accept donations for those subjects.
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Most Commonly Requested Books
Highly requested topics in bold
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Adventure fiction
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Blank journals/composition books (with no spiral bindings)
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Business and personal finance
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CDL guides
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Coloring Books (unmarked)
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Cookbooks
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Paperback collegiate dictionaries ONLY
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Drawing/art instruction (without nudity)
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Erotica (written, not visual)
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Farming
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Fitness
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Foreign language literature and instruction
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Games and crafts (including crossword puzzles, Sudoku, crochet)
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Graphic novels & comic books (that do not contain nudity or violent content)
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History
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Indigenous history/studies
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Legal self-help (especially for criminal law)
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LGBTQ books (particularly about being trans, or QTBIPOC)
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Manga
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Occult/witchcraft/astrology/metaphysics/magic
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Meditation
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Paperback genre fiction (particularly westerns, horror, sci-fi, urban fiction, mysteries, thrillers and fantasy)
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Pets; dogs, cats, all animals
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Philosophy
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Prisoner resources or release guides
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Romances…paranormal, historical, or regular
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Science - general, astronomy, physics; NO oceanography, biology, chemistry
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Self-help
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Spanish translations of anything, fiction or nonfiction alike
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Sports
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Tabletop roleplaying guides
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Thesauri (paperback and hardback)
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Travel - specific countries/cities
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True crime
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Urban fiction
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Vocational instruction (e.g., welding, plumbing, carpentry)
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Yoga
Books We're Not Accepting for Now
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Thanks to the generosity of our fantastic book donors, we have more than enough books on the following topics. We are not accepting any more books on these subjects until we reduce our inventory.
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FICTION - literary fiction/classics, drama/plays/Shakespeare, short stories, literary anthologies, young adult fiction
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NON-FICTION - philosophy, chemistry, math, Christianity, women's studies, history/politics​​
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How to Donate Books by the Box
Consider donating $45 with each box of books that you donate. Our postage cost for mailing a box full of wrapped book packages is approximately $90/box, so your matching donation goes a long way!
Please follow these guidelines:
Limit your donation to 2 boxes of books at a time. If you wish to donate more than two boxes, please stagger your donation so that we are not overloaded.
Make sure each box weighs no more than 25 pounds, so that our volunteers can safely lift them.
Remove any CD’s, as well as metal or plastic spiral or comb binding. Prison staff treat these as weapons. No pop-up books; prison staff see these as ways to hide contraband.
No nudity, ie, no photos or drawings including women’s nipples or men’s, women’s or children’s genitalia or gluteal cleft. This applies to comics, graphic novels, manga, magazines, books about art, books about how to draw, paint, etc, and medical textbooks.
No graphic violence or gore, eg, decapitation or spurting blood, in comics, graphic novels, or manga. Fight scenes in mainstream (DC, Marvel…) titles are ok.
No instructions about obtaining or creating alcohol or drugs, tying knots or picking locks, self-defense, martial arts (including tai chi), making or repairing weapons, or hypnosis.
No stickers, remainder marks, highlighting or underlining, or anything else that modifies the book – doing so severely limits the number of facilities we can send books to.
DO NOT SEND US BOOKS WITH MOLD OR WATER DAMAGE- Out of respect and care for the health of the incarcerated people we serve as well as our staff and volunteers please don’t send us moldy books. Also, books that are even slightly water damaged (or stained by coffee or other fluids) are likely to get rejected.
Donating 1-2 boxes? You can ship them or drop them off at Left Bank Books, 92 Pike St., Box A, Seattle WA 98101.
If you have a larger donation, or if you'd prefer to drop them off at our volunteer location during open hours, email bookstoprisoners@live.com for more information.
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How to Donate New Books from our Wish Lists
Up-to-date information, current fiction, genres or topics our readers crave that are rarely donated...you can donate new books in the comfort of your own home when you order from our online wish lists.
Although the topics come from our readers, each list refracts their interests through the unique character of the local bookstore that hosts it. So if you don't see a title you want to donate on one list, there's probably one you will on one of the others.
The Queen Anne Book Company Wish List
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The owner chooses titles from the store's ever-changing selection of manga, comics, and graphic novels that conform to the restrictions commonly imposed by prisons.
Left Bank Books doesn't have an online list for us, but they maintain a year-round display in their store at 92 Pike St, in downtown Seattle. Check their site for hours.