Hi, I am trying to find my curriculum for next year, but am having a hard time finding all the books. Does anyone have any suggestions where I could go to look for the following books? It seems the books are out of print. Are there any alternatives?
When I did that study I found most of the books at my local library. Have you checked there? We have a new feature on the CM Bookfinder that will help you see if the book is at a library near you. Just search for the book and click the Find At Your Library link.
If your own library doesn’t have it, you should be able to put in a request for an Inter-Library loan. That’s a service in which your library borrows the book from another library anywhere in the country.
Remember, Rebecca, that you do not HAVE to have every single book listed. Often, if I am unable to find a copy of one, I simply choose another title, or substitute something similar. This is OK! Also, as Sonya suggested, check your library. If your library does not have it, you might be able to get it loaned to your library from another nearby library. Also, you can look in used and out-of-print services; some books will be expensive, but others not so much. I found a number of copies of “Uncommon Traveler” for less than $3. I was not sure which author of some of the other books was recommended. Try this website: http://www.fetchbook.info/
Hope this helps! Don’t let one unavailable title ruin your planning. We can help you find something similar if necessary.
I was recently in your position. I was wanting to purchase the book Natural Science Through the Seasons, also out-of-print. It’s one I would use almost daily for several years, so I really wanted to own it.
I looked e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!!! The only two copies I could find online were between $150 and $350. I called publishers, I searched out of print booksellers, ebay, homeschool classifieds, you name it!
I searched for it on Worldcat.org (interlibrary loan) and found the libraries within 100 miles that carried. One was a Christian University. I spoke with their Reference Librarian and she offered to ask the head of the Science Department if he wouldn’t mind weeding it out of their library if I made a small donation. It hadn’t been checked out in years (decades).
They asked for a $5 donation. We were so thrilled we ended up donating more than that. And now my little treasure is sitting on our shelf!
So, the moral of my story? Where there’s a will there’s a way! Don’t give up!
@Kara, You may not have our Inter-Library loan system in Australia, but I just checked and our new CM Bookfinder link to find books at your local library works there and all over the world. So you can at least look for libraries with a a certain book that might be near you (depending if your libraries participate in the system.)