APBP relies on book donations—we wouldn’t exist without them. Donate books you no longer need to us, or purchase a much-needed item from our wish list.
***APBP is suspending volunteer operations during the coronavirus pandemic. We are accepting book donations via our PO Box. If you want to arrange an in-person drop off, please contact us.***
We are very thankful for the many donations we receive, but we are limited both by space and by the restrictions of the prisons to which we send books. Before you send us a donation, please read these guidelines.
Book Donation Guidelines
APBP accepts donations of new and used paperback books.
Books We Need
We always need these four books:
- The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
- Philip Morehead, New American Roget’s College Thesaurus in Dictionary Form
- Sarah Janssen, World Almanac and Book of Facts 2020
- Steven Gifis, Dictionary of Legal Terms: Definitions and Explanations for Non-Lawyers (5th ed.)
These types of books are also frequently requested:
- Paperback dictionaries and thesauri
- World almanacs
- Foreign language learning materials (Spanish, French, Russian, German, American Sign Language, Chinese, Japanese, Latin, etc.)
- Law or medical dictionaries
- Westerns
- GED preparation guides
- How-to books (art, music, crafts, yoga, exercise, construction, plumbing, etc.)
- Wiccan books
- Popular fiction (spy, mystery, fantasy, urban, etc.)
- Classical literature
- Educational books (business, finance, writing, etc.)
Books We Do Not Need
At this time, we do not need the following books:
- Hardcover books
- General fiction
- Romance books
- Magazines or pamphlets
- Old textbooks
- Books in very poor condition (badly stained books, books with markings in the text, etc.)
Not sure if the books you would like to donate are a good match? Please contact us.
Sending Books By Mail
You may mail books to our post office box using regular postal service (UPS will not deliver to our PO box). Please limit the donation to no more than two medium-sized boxes.
Our mailing address:
Appalachian Prison Book Project
PO Box 601
Morgantown, WV 26507
Making Donations in Person
You may drop books off in our work space in the Aull Center, on the second floor, when the Aull Center is open. Do not leave books on the porch. The Morgantown Public Library has graciously donated a space to us, and that was one of their few requests. Please respect those wishes.
The Aull Center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
Special Requests and Wish Lists
APBP gets a steady stream of requests for particular books that are rarely donated. Check out our wish list to purchase and donate one of these books. There are three ways you can order: Pinocchio’s Books in Morgantown, WV, Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C., or Amazon.
Pinocchio’s Books and Toys
Jeanne at Pinocchio’s Books and Toys at 322 High Street can help you order from the wish list. Visit the store or call Jeanne at 304.296.2332 to review the list and order.
Loyalty Bookstores Wish List
We have created a list of our most requested books through Loyalty Bookstores, a black-owned small business in Washington, D.C.
It’s free and easy to make an account. When ordering, make sure to send books to our P.O. Box and choose media mail for a shipping discount.
Amazon Wish List
You can also order directly Amazon via our Amazon Wish List. The books marked highest and high priority are the ones we get the most requests for, but we could use more than one copy of any book on the list.
Send books from Amazon to the gift registry address. Because Amazon will not deliver to APBP’s post office box, your order will be mailed to our special request coordinator, Dennis Allen, who personally guarantees that each special request is sent out to the person who requested it as soon as the book is received.