Finding Used Curriculum and Other Books

Finding used curriculum and books for your homeschool is a challenge, especially now that Common Core has sent us all looking for un-aligned books. Moms ask me where I find all the great classic books that we have collected, and continue to collect, so I thought it was time to write up something to give you a few ideas.

One of my favorite places to find good, solid curricula and supplements from a wide range of sources is eBay. I have found some of the most amazing deals there:

Books I and II of Athenaze Greek; by many accounts the best books for Attic Greek – $20 for two sets because I can’t do anything in singles. We LOVE this Ancient Greek curriculum.

Selections from the Poems of Ovid… IN LATIN!!! – This is my newest acquisition, at about $12 with shipping and a quick repair to the spine, I can’t be more excited about it. half the book is a dictionary, so it will dramatically increase our vocabulary in a completely new way.

d’Aulaires Greek Myths – I found two books in good condition for about $20 with shipping, and the Memoria Press Study books to go with it very cheaply.

I’m constantly finding deals like this on eBay, on some pretty neat things, it’s really amazing what you can find when you’re patient.

Used book stores – from history to science, math, art and literature, and beyond, these really should be on your list of go to locations to find unusual things, and especially if you’re on a budget.

 

[tweetthis]Finding cheap books & other #homeschool supplements is easy with these tips.[/tweetthis]

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn – found these in hardback form, printed in the 1960s for about $1 each.

Books on geology, rock hounding and gemology, all under $3 each.

Antique stores – sometimes the books here are more expensive, but this is where you find the really interesting stuff.

Caesar in Gaul – hardback, printed in the early 1900s. This contains Casesar’s battle plans in Latin, so if you have a Latin scholar on your hands it’s great to have. About $9.

The Life of the Romans and Greeks – printed in the late 1800s, great condition $38. This was pricier, but it’s about the right price for this book.

Nicholson’s Algebra – printed in 1888, $4. I had to do some pretty extensive repairs to this one, but I am starting to understand algebra thanks to this straightforward book.

My Friend Flicka, hardback in good condition for $5, one of the early printings of this classic.

Webster’s Dictionary, leather bound, 1924. This thing is a monster! It weighs about 15 pounds, cost $100, and we had to make payments on it; but it has the etymology, a short history of many of the nouns listed, and more. It’s really amazing.

Yard/Garage sales – My husband haunts these and finds some of the greatest stuff! Biology and algebra books from the 1960s, herbalism books, oddball stuff that is hard to come by, but dirt cheap and well done!

Thrift stores – never underestimate a thrift store for great books. Often they just stack them in there and you have to go through it to find anything, but the price is definitely worth the work.

There are other online vendors like www.alibris.com, but I haven’t used them because the shipping cost always kills me and I cancel the order… sad, and probably unfair to the independent vendors there, but true. Sometimes Amazon has solid deals on things like this too.

Start looking! You’ll never know what you’ll find until you look!