Alien Abductees Handbook and Elephants in Pink Tutus

What do those two phrases have in common? They’re both names of strangely-titled books that were donated to The Book Thing, a non-profit located in Baltimore, Maryland.

What does this post have to do with the money? Well, donations are tax-deductible, so if you’re in the Baltimore area (or feel like shipping them some books) you’ve still got time to donate for the tax year. But I just wanted to post about a very cool place.

You see, the whole idea behind The Book Thing is that they give away books. For free. As many as you feel like stopping by and getting. They “believe that no one should be deprived of books for any reason”, and how cool is that?

I love the first four questions & answers on their FAQ page:

Are the books free? Yup.

Really? Yes.

Absolutely free? Yes.

What’s the catch? All the books you take have to be stamped, “Not for Resale.” That’s it, though.

I haven’t been there myself, but I intend to go if I’m ever in the area. For those of you who might be nearby, this is a great opportunity to declutter (aren’t books always the things last to go?) and browse or volunteer. Or, of course, to pick up a few free books.