Burning books

I have a pile of unwanted paperbacks that were included in an eBay job lot. They're in the sort of ratty condition that charity shops don't want and decent copies at 1p fail to sell on eBay and Amazon marketplace.

We'll soon be staying in a holiday cottage with a log burner but logs are not provided. Is it OK to burn the books?

They are by Eric Van Lustbader.

Reply to
mike
Loading thread data ...

dont burn the glossy covers as they make cyanide or something like that - rip them off.

Mix with wood and coal, you'll get loads of ash.

[g]
Reply to
george [dicegeorge]

Your name is Guy Montag AICMFP.

Reply to
ARWadsworth

Even with a log burner I think you'll find the ash a bl**dy nuisance. = Just stick 'em in your local paper recycling facility.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

They don't usually burn well, and make a shed load of ash...

If you find a charity shop that has a "rag man" collection, then they can normally flog them to him at a certain price per kilo.

Reply to
John Rumm

paper is pretty low on heat and pretty high on ash.

I wouldn't bother frankly.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Surely collectors items these days?

Rather tempted..list titles..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

I couldn't comment about the heat energy, but popular culture suggests a temperature of 451deg F may be attained.

formatting link

Reply to
Graham.

Why does the name of the author affect their burnability?

Reply to
Roger Mills

Oh it does, it does! In the case of Eric van Lustbader it guarantees that each volume will have at least 500 pages and quite possibly more. It also guarantees that you won't ever regret burning them.

Reply to
Bernard Peek

The Kaisho Zero Black Heart Jian The Miko (in reasonable condition)

Angel Eyes Black Blade (a bit knackered)

There's 2.5 kg there which means postage would be about =A36 with myHermes. I think that's where trying to trade small items falls down these days. And if you start adding on ebay and Amazon fees.....

Reply to
mike

Oxfam told me that they can even get money for scrap books: they're sold for pulp. Hence, I have no qualms about passing on everything to them these days.

J.

Reply to
Another John

Fiction or non-fiction? '50s "pulp" sf & detective paperbacks burn passably well, as the paper is low-density and low ash. However non- fiction generally burns really badly, as the ash builds up so much it's just too much trouble. Lustbader will be recent fiction, so the paper is somewhere in the middle, closer to the pulps. You can do it, but it's a real pain. I'd feed them into the paper recycling stream instead, even though I do burn all my own corrugated cardboard.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Geographical location?

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Have you tried

formatting link
of a lot better than ebay etc IME

David

Reply to
Lobster

There are three sorts of book: ones everyone wants, ones no-one wants, and ones no-one effectively wants because (even if they do want to read them) they already have access to a truckload of them. Lustbader is the 3rd sort - if you want one, your local charity shop has a dozen.

I may even add him to my Charity Shop Bookshop Bingo card, along with Ulrika's autobiog (needs two or more copies to score) and Archole.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

West Yorks, I'm afraid, so a bit of a drag from Cambridge/Suffolk.

Reply to
mike

I wonder how much of the potential income from a donated book goes where the donor would have wanted and how much ends up in the hands of a business who bulk-bought overstock (like the recent Sally Army scandal)?

Reply to
mike

Compost?

HN

Reply to
H. Neary

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember mike saying something like:

If they keep you warm, fine. No better end for them.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.