Dear Librarian – I read about how using the link here to order from Amazon will help the club.  I already have an Amazon account – do I need to open a different account at Amazon in order to give you credit for my Amazon purchases? – Shopping in Charlotte

Dear Charly,

Thanks so much for wanting to support the club in this way!  All you have to do is click the Amazon link (any one you see) on our site to go to Amazon, and then from there just make your purchases using your Amazon account as you normally would. This works for whatever you buy at Amazon (it doesn’t just work for books) – whenever you start your Amazon shopping from the link on our site, it helps the club!   The part that gives us credit is your clicking the link on our site as a way to get to Amazon, before purchasing. It’s a great and free way to support PBS.

You can find the link at the top of any page on the site, or click the “Buy from Amazon” button on any book listing.

Dear Librarian – I see that the rules here for postable books say “no damage from water or any other liquid.”  How can I tell if a book I have is water-damaged? Are there some pictures of examples I could look at?  –Unsure in Uncasville

Dear Unc,

Generally, water or other liquid will make paper swell or ripple, and dried water/liquid damage will make pages stiff.  It’s hard to describe in words, though!  Water damage is one of those things that “you know it when you see it”.  We have been meaning for a while to get photos of water and other damage to books, to provide a helpful gallery to members in the Help Center.

If any members have images they would like to share to illustrate different book conditions, we would be happy to receive them.  We would be interested in photos clearly showing water damage, foxing, mold, mildew, etc. on books.  You can submit the photos to us one of two ways:

(1) upload them to a photo-hosting site and send the URL(s) to us in a feedback message – your feedback message should include a description of the condition (ie, “foxing on end pages” or “water damage”) so we know what the image is supposed to be illustrating.

(2) attach them in jpg format to an email sent to librarian@paperbackswap.com – your email text should include a description of the condition (ie, “foxing on end pages” or “water damage”) so we know what the image is supposed to be illustrating.

We may not be able to acknowledge each submission with a reply, but we will credit the photograph’s submitter if we use the image in the Help Center gallery.  Thanks in advance to those who submit images!

The Last Word:

• Holiday shopping? Don’t forget to start your Amazon shopping from the link at the top of the PBS site – when you do this, a small percentage of your purchase amount comes to us.  Please note that if you are an e-book reader, it used to be that e-book purchases at Amazon did not count to support the PBS site, but now they do! So whenever you plan to purchase on Amazon, start from the Amazon link at the top of the PBS site. It’s an easy, free way to support the club!