Birdland Books began with a room full of books and a promise.

Ed (Courtney’s father), a professor of English by trade, was a lifelong learner and a lover of books. Ed had an endlessly curious mind and seemed to always have a book or two at hand in case he caught a moment to read. Over the years, Ed amassed a personal library of more than 2,000 volumes—from rare, first-edition texts to well-worn paperbacks. His collection ranged from Medieval studies to Southern lit, old Florida to Australia, poetry to pulp fiction. Ed likely “misplaced” more books than most folks have ever read.

Ed got cancer in 2018 and his time on Earth was cut short. He made a simple request about his books: Do something good with them. He wanted them in the hands of readers who might value and appreciate them in the same way he did. He made it clear that he didn’t want them sold off to someone only wanting to turn a profit.

But it turned out that doing something good with them was trickier than expected.

We found that public libraries often accept donated books, but donated books rarely make it to their shelves. They are typically sold for a buck or two each at public book sales (which absolutely benefit these libraries). The thing is, these library book sales are often frequented by “book buyers” that snag the valuable books from library sales and re-sell them through massive online marketplaces. A significant chunk of the money from the sale (much, much more than the library got) goes straight to large online marketplaces in the forms of fees and service charges. We looked into charity thrift stores, but the books would be donated for a minor tax deduction and this cherished personal library would be sold for a couple dollars each or worse, discarded. Selling them to an independent used bookstore was an option, but they tend to purchase books very selectively. And hauling 2,000 books to the bookstore is no small task (not to mention returning home with the ones they couldn’t use) .

In the end, there was no clear, simple way to do “something good” with them without also contributing to a certain billionaire’s yacht/rocketship fund. Ed would have hated that.

So since we couldn’t find a way to do something good with Ed’s books, we built one.

Birdland Books was designed to give back. We operate as an online bookseller that sells used books exclusively through socially and environmentally responsible online marketplaces. Through our giving program, we donate 5% of all book sales to charitable organizations that foster literacy, community, and independent thought throughout Appalachia. We also offer a charitable donation option for people who wish to donate their quality used books to support a good cause. Our mission is for Birdland Books to be a financially sustainable, environmentally ethical, and socially responsible “perpetual giving machine.” And it all started with Ed’s library and a promise.