Half Price Books
Encyclopedia
Half Price Books, Records, Magazines, Incorporated is the largest family-owned chain of new and used bookstores in the United States
. The company’s original motto is "We buy and sell anything printed or recorded except yesterday's newspaper", and many of the used books, music, and movies for sale in each location were purchased from local residents. The corporate office is located in the flagship Northwest Highway location in Dallas, Texas
. Half Price Books now operates more than 100 stores in 15 states.
. The founders believed in offering great products at great prices, selling new and gently-used books, magazines, music, movies, collectibles and game software at half the original price or less.
Pat Anderson’s daughter, Sharon Anderson Wright, is the company’s current President and CEO. In 2009, Sharon's sister Ellen O'Neal stepped up to the position of Chairperson of the Board in order to become more involved with the family business and carry out the mission of her mother.
As committed to employees as it is to profitability, Half Price Books has been generous with employee benefits from its earliest days, including abundant paid vacation, holiday and sick leave, affordable health, dental, vision and life insurance, quarterly bonuses, and a company-matched 401(k) plan.
and be kind to the environment." Teachers and librarians, for example, are offered a year-round 10% discount on purchases. Each year, every Half Price Books store holds a book drive to collect new or gently used children's books, building “Half Pint Libraries” at pediatric hospitals and special-needs clinics in the communities it serves.
The company has promoted recycling
and reusing, and the sound management of paper, energy and water resources. In 2008, Half Price Books launched a formal environmental education initiative called “B(eco)me Green” to help spread knowledge about the health of the environment.
In addition, the chain donates millions of books and its overstock inventory to non-profit organizations around the world such as Feed the Children
and American Red Cross
. It also gives some of its books to Better World Books
, a for-profit on-line bookseller.
Among Hackberry Press titles is the Half Price Books children's storybook series Say Good Night to Illiteracy
, with 13 editions in print. All proceeds from the series benefit family literacy
organizations such as Reach Out and Read and the National Center for Family Literacy.
The company is a strong proponent of the First Amendment
freedom of speech and Americans’ right to knowledge and the expression of ideas. Its website “deletecensorship.org” supports imaginative and courageous books, including those that address controversial topics and have been censored or banned.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company’s original motto is "We buy and sell anything printed or recorded except yesterday's newspaper", and many of the used books, music, and movies for sale in each location were purchased from local residents. The corporate office is located in the flagship Northwest Highway location in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. Half Price Books now operates more than 100 stores in 15 states.
History
Founders Ken Gjemre and Pat Anderson opened the first store in 1972 in a former laundromat in Dallas, Texas, filling the shelves with 2,000 books out of their personal librariesLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. The founders believed in offering great products at great prices, selling new and gently-used books, magazines, music, movies, collectibles and game software at half the original price or less.
Pat Anderson’s daughter, Sharon Anderson Wright, is the company’s current President and CEO. In 2009, Sharon's sister Ellen O'Neal stepped up to the position of Chairperson of the Board in order to become more involved with the family business and carry out the mission of her mother.
As committed to employees as it is to profitability, Half Price Books has been generous with employee benefits from its earliest days, including abundant paid vacation, holiday and sick leave, affordable health, dental, vision and life insurance, quarterly bonuses, and a company-matched 401(k) plan.
Philanthropy
The Half Price Books original mission statement includes the promise to “promote literacyLiteracy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
and be kind to the environment." Teachers and librarians, for example, are offered a year-round 10% discount on purchases. Each year, every Half Price Books store holds a book drive to collect new or gently used children's books, building “Half Pint Libraries” at pediatric hospitals and special-needs clinics in the communities it serves.
The company has promoted recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
and reusing, and the sound management of paper, energy and water resources. In 2008, Half Price Books launched a formal environmental education initiative called “B(eco)me Green” to help spread knowledge about the health of the environment.
In addition, the chain donates millions of books and its overstock inventory to non-profit organizations around the world such as Feed the Children
Feed The Children
Feed The Children founded in 1979 is an international, non-profit relief organization guided by Christian values, whose stated mission is "providing hope and resources for those without life's essentials". In FY 2010, Feed The Children distributed more than 133 million pounds of food and other...
and American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
. It also gives some of its books to Better World Books
Better World Books
Better World Books is a U.S.-based online bookseller. Described as a for-profit social enterprise or social business venture, Better World Books claim they measure success through a triple bottom line, considering economic, environmental and social factors...
, a for-profit on-line bookseller.
Publishing
Half Price Books publishes some of the books it sells, inexpensively reprinting non-copyrighted titles or acquiring the U.S. or English language rights from another publisher. Half Price Books reprints these titles under its publishing arm, Hackberry Press.Among Hackberry Press titles is the Half Price Books children's storybook series Say Good Night to Illiteracy
Say Good Night to Illiteracy
Say Goodnight to Illiteracy is a children's bedtime storybook series, published annually by Half Price Books, Records, Magazines, Incorporated through their publishing entity Hackberry Press...
, with 13 editions in print. All proceeds from the series benefit family literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
organizations such as Reach Out and Read and the National Center for Family Literacy.
The company is a strong proponent of the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
freedom of speech and Americans’ right to knowledge and the expression of ideas. Its website “deletecensorship.org” supports imaginative and courageous books, including those that address controversial topics and have been censored or banned.
Wholesale
The wholesale division of Half Price Books is Texas Bookman, also headquartered in Dallas. Texas Bookman sells trade and scholarly remainders at discount prices to wholesale buyers around the world.External links
- BecomeGreen.org - an environmental initiative by Half Price Books
- DeleteCensorship.org - a Banned Books Awareness message sponsored by Half Price Books
- Official Facebook Page
- Our Flagship Store on Amazon.com