Donate Books
We are taking drop off donations again!
Please make sure your books fit our guidelines below and visit us during volunteer hours. Books can be donated during any session listed on our volunteer session schedule.
Thank you for supporting readers in prison!
Many requests go unfulfilled because we don’t have the right books.
Purchase a book requested by a person in prison and have it automatically shipped to us!
LOCAL BOOKSTORES
Support local businesses through our online wishlists at local bookstores: Wellesley Books and Porter Square Books.
Purchase a book online or check our in-store display for most needed books!
If you live outside of the Boston area, you can mail your books to us at 1306 Hancock Street, Suite 100, Quincy, MA 02169. Use Media Mail to save money.
You can also donate books to another “books to prisoners” group near you.
Please be sure all donated books meet the below guidelines prior to donating.
Books We Need
Books must be paperback and in good condition with no water/liquid damage, limited or no highlighting/underlining, an intact spine and covers, and free of stains, mildew, etc. Content should be up to date.
PBP will accept:
- Self-published books written for people in prison
- Advance reading and review copies
These types of books are always flying off our shelves faster than we can find them.
- Trade skills
- Auto mechanics, electrical, CDL licensing, carpentry, etc.
- Hobbies
- Coloring books
- Art, including drawing or painting
- Crafts, including crocheting and knitting
- Games and sports
- Crossword puzzles, word search, sudoku
- Language dictionaries and grammar books
- especially Spanish, ASL
- Exercise (yoga, weight lifting, etc.)
- Business
- Small business start-up, real estate investment, personal finance, nonprofit management
- Self-help
- Sexual abuse, trauma, addiction
- Religion
- Non-mainstream, including Wicca, paganism, spirits, dreams, tarot cards
- Islam and Judaism
- Bible dictionaries and concordances
- LGBTQ fiction, nonfiction and memoirs
- Manga and comics
- Westerns
- Native American or African American culture
- Reference books (paperback almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, atlases)
The following fiction sub-genres are in highest demand:
- Recent best-sellers
- Action/Adventure
- James Patterson, Dean Koontz, etc.
- Ethnic/identity fiction
- African American, Native American, Latinx, LGBTQ+
- Manga/graphic novels
- Mysteries
- Myths, legends, fairy tales
- Poetry
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Westerns
We can use most paperback non-fiction, especially those about:
- Animals
- Art
- Especially drawing
- Computers and technology
- Basic applications and programming
- Mobile technology
- History and culture, especially African American, Latinx, Native American, etc.
- Environment, nature, plants & animals
- Exercise and fitness, especially weight lifting and yoga
- Foreign language study and books in Spanish
- Games
- Sudoku, puzzles, chess, etc.
- LGBTQ+
- Health and disease management
- History, especially ancient and world history
- Legal dictionaries, legal writing, and basic criminal law
- Math
- Music appreciation and music how-to, especially guitar
- Mental health & self help
- Science (accessible to non-scientists)
- Secret Societies and the occult
- Masons, Rosicrucian Order, extra terrestrials, etc.
- Small business startup
- Social Sciences
- Archaeology
- Activism and social change
- Spirituality & Religion
- Bible concordances & dictionaries
- Buddhism
- Islam
- Judaism
- Non-mainstream religions such as Wicca, Paganism etc.
- New Age spirituality
- Sports
- Trade skills
- Woodworking, automotive, home building, CDL, etc.
- Travel essays and travelogues
- Writing
The following reference sub-genres are in highest demand:
- Dictionaries (English)
- Thesauruses
- Almanacs less than 5 years old
- Foreign language dictionaries (especially Spanish and books in Spanish)
- GED study guides
- Writing references: grammar guides, how to write a book, etc.
Books We Cannot Accept
- Hardcovers, except in our highest-demand categories (see Top Requests)
- Spiral or comb bound books
- Sets of encyclopedias
- Poor condition paperbacks, including any water/liquid damage, missing pages or covers, musty smell, broken spines, extensive highlighting/underlining
- Too old to have a UPC on back cover
- Magazines
- 10+ copies of any one book except in our highest-demand categories
- Any book promoting conspiracy theories or disseminating disinformation
- Fiction targeted exclusively to women
- 90% of our requests come from men
- College literature compilations and anthologies
- Esoteric novels prisoners are unlikely to ask for
We cannot accept the following non-fiction sub-genres:
- Academic journals
- Computer science more than 4 years old
- Legal journals and attorney-level legal reference
- Magazines
- Non-criminal law
- Divorce, bankruptcy, etc. (Small business OK)
- Textbooks more than 4 years old
- True crime
- Books written specifically for women
We cannot accept the following reference sub-genres:
- Encyclopedias and similar hard-cover book sets
- Legal Journals
- GRE and grad-school level test prep books
We cannot accept the following textbook sub-genres:
- Outdated text books (>4 years old)
- Obscure subjects
- Teacher guides
- Textbook supplements
Frequently Asked Questions: Donate Books
Yes! Please read this page carefully for complete information on books we can and cannot use. We have limited storage space and strongly encourage donors to donate books that are not a good fit to other groups such as your local public library’s Friends group, your local thrift store (Goodwill, etc.), or More Than Words.
No. Most prisons require the incarcerated person to be the named subscriber on the magazine, and others will only accept the current edition of a magazine.
Storage space and level of popularity among our readers dictate what we keep and what we pass on to other organizations.
Books we cannot use are passed onto other used book dealers, thrift stores, or charities, where can often be traded for books we can use.
No. We do not supply prison libraries, only individual readers. We do, however, welcome donations from authors if your book is in a frequently requested category (see Top Requests above)
Yes! Because many prisons require new books and because most donated books tend to be at least a few years old, non-fiction review copies and ARC’s are very useful to us.
No. We have a very small staff and currently do not have the capacity to pick up donations. You can send books through the mail, but we strongly encourage you to review the donation guidelines above before doing so.
Yes, you are welcome to ship books to us at your expense. Use Media Mail to save money, and please do not send a shipment that requires a signature.
Prison Book Program
1306 Hancock Street, Suite 100
Quincy, MA 02169
Please also browse our list of other books to prisons programs nationwide. There may be another group close to you!
