I treasure great books. Yet, some great books cost a ton. In many cases, over-priced is an understatement. Consider Brian Davies’ book on The Reality of God and the Problem of Evil that I blogged about in 2018. It’s currently over $40 in paperback.

Or how about the new book by Christian Philosophers Alexander Pruss and Josh Rasmussen thoroughly defending the existence of a necessary being. It’s currently over $50 for the Kindle version.

How does one read these books without breaking their bank account or getting a spouse upset? Here’s a simple solution. Follow three steps to obtain a physical copy of any academic book you desire.

The Three Steps

Step 1 – Search for the book on worldcat.org

Step 2 – Enter your zip code where it says “Find a copy in the library.” (see image below)

Step 3 – Print out the page with the libraries closest to you that have the book. Bring it to your local library and ask if they can obtain the book for you on inter-library loan. This is not 100% foolproof, but it is highly effective. Most local libraries have inter-library loan arrangements with nearby universities.

In my case, the librarian took pride in obtaining a hard-to-reach book for me, even though it was from a university that wasn’t listed in their network. I’m confident most librarians and media specialists would be happy to help you in any research adventure. So, follow these steps, and you can read all the books you want at no cost at all.

The Book That Led Me to Post This

Recently, Catholic philosopher Dr. Edward Feser wrote articles for very expensive academic anthologies (look at the price of that one!). I don’t intend to slog through those books in their entirety. However, I deeply desire to read Dr. Feser’s contributions. Fortunately, Rutgers University in New Jersey has a copy. Needless to say, I will be implementing that three-step procedure myself.

If you’ve used this process successfully, or you have any other tips for over-priced books, please post about it in the comments below!