Half Price Books

Half Price Books is a United States bookselling and media-retail chain built around the purchase and resale of used books and other printed or recorded materials. The business was founded in Dallas, Texas, in 1972 by Ken Gjemre and Pat Anderson, who opened their first shop in a former laundromat and stocked it with approximately 2,000 books from their personal libraries. From that local beginning, the company developed into a multistate retailer with more than 120 stores, including outlets, across 19 states according to the referenced company and encyclopedia material. The chain's basic model combines conventional retailing with local acquisition. Many of the used books, music recordings, and films offered in individual stores are purchased from residents in the surrounding community. This gives stores a constantly changing inventory and differentiates the brand from retailers whose ranges are supplied almost entirely through standardized new-book distribution. Its original motto—expressed as a promise to buy and sell almost anything printed or recorded, with an exception for the previous day's newspaper—captures the breadth and informality of the assortment. Half Price Books has operated across several connected parts of the book trade. Its retail stores sell used and new books alongside music, movies, magazines, and related media. The company also operates Texas Bookman, a Dallas-based wholesale division founded in 1983 that sells remaindered trade and scholarly books to wholesale buyers internationally. In 2020, Texas Bookman began accepting direct orders from approved customers with tax-exempt or resale documentation through a dedicated retail-facing website, while continuing to exclude ordinary consumers from its wholesale channel. In 2022, it held the first Texas Remainder Expo, a trade event intended to connect exhibitors and wholesale purchasers from the United States and United Kingdom. The company has also participated in publishing through Hackberry Press. That arm reprints selected public-domain works or publishes titles for which United States or English-language rights have been acquired. One notable Hackberry Press project is the children's series Say Good Night to Illiteracy, whose proceeds support family-literacy organizations. This activity extends Half Price Books beyond retail into low-cost book production and literacy advocacy. Community literacy and environmental stewardship are central to the brand's stated identity. Its original mission includes commitments to promote literacy and treat the environment responsibly. The company offers teachers and librarians a year-round discount and organizes annual book drives at its stores. These drives collect new or gently used children's books for Half Pint Libraries in nonprofit organizations and schools. Half Price Books has also donated books and surplus inventory to organizations including Feed the Children and the American Red Cross, and has supplied some books to Better World Books. Environmental messaging became more formal in 2008 with the launch of the B(eco)me Green educational initiative, which addressed reuse, recycling, and responsible management of paper, energy, and water. The brand therefore occupies a position combining value retail, community-based book buying, used-goods circulation, and literacy-oriented philanthropy. The corporate office remains associated with the flagship Northwest Highway location in Dallas. Leadership has remained connected to the founding family: founder Pat Anderson's daughter Sharon Anderson Wright became chief executive, while Kathy Doyle Thomas served as president, and Sharon's sister Ellen O'Neal became board chair in 2009.

Half Price Books began in 1972 when Ken Gjemre and Pat Anderson opened a bookstore in a former laundromat in Dallas, Texas. The founders initially filled the shop with about 2,000 books from their own libraries. The concept was based on selling books at accessible prices while buying inventory from local residents, creating a retail business whose selection changed continually according to community supply. The company's assortment expanded beyond books to include recorded music, movies, magazines, and other printed or recorded materials. Its early motto described a willingness to buy and sell almost anything printed or recorded, apart from the previous day's newspaper. This formulation reflected the breadth of the stores and the importance of used inventory to the business model. Over time, Half Price Books expanded beyond its original Dallas market and became a multistate chain. The referenced material reports more than 120 stores, including outlets, in 19 states. The corporate office is located at the company's flagship Northwest Highway store in Dallas. Leadership has retained a strong connection to the founding family. Sharon Anderson Wright, Pat Anderson's daughter, became chief executive officer. Kathy Doyle Thomas served as president. In 2009, Sharon Anderson Wright's sister Ellen O'Neal became chairperson of the board, taking a more active role in the family business. The available reference material does not establish precise appointment dates for the chief executive or president roles. Half Price Books developed activities beyond ordinary retail. In 1983, it established Texas Bookman as a wholesale division headquartered in Dallas. Texas Bookman sells remaindered trade and scholarly books to wholesale purchasers around the world. In April 2020, the division began accepting direct orders from customers with an account application and evidence of tax-exempt or resale status through a new retail website. This channel was designed for qualified wholesale customers rather than the general public. In May 2022, Texas Bookman held its first Texas Remainder Expo, a trade show at which exhibitors from the United States and United Kingdom displayed discounted inventory for wholesale purchasing. The company also entered publishing through Hackberry Press. Its publishing activity includes inexpensive reprints of non-copyrighted works and books for which United States or English-language rights have been obtained from another publisher. Hackberry Press produced the Say Good Night to Illiteracy children's storybook series, reported as having 13 editions in print. Proceeds from the series support family-literacy organizations, including Reach Out and Read and a project associated with the National Center for Family Literacy. Philanthropy and environmental responsibility became recurring elements of the company's public identity. The original mission statement includes commitments to promote literacy and to be kind to the environment. Teachers and librarians receive a year-round 10 percent purchasing discount. Each store holds an annual book drive collecting new or gently used children's books. The books are used to establish Half Pint Libraries at nonprofit organizations and schools in the communities served by the chain. Half Price Books has also donated millions of books and surplus inventory to nonprofit groups around the world, including Feed the Children and the American Red Cross, and has provided some books to Better World Books. In 2008, the company launched B(eco)me Green, a formal environmental education initiative. The program promoted awareness of environmental health and encouraged recycling, reuse, and more responsible use of paper, energy, and water. Taken together, these activities position Half Price Books as a value retailer whose identity rests not only on discounted books and media, but also on local resale, literacy access, charitable distribution, and resource reuse.

• 2022

  First Texas Remainder Expo held

  [1]Half Price Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Texas Bookman hosted its first annual trade show for remainder-book exhibitors and wholesale buyers.

• 2020

  Texas Bookman adds qualified-customer direct ordering

  [1]Half Price Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Texas Bookman began selling through a new website to approved customers who could document tax-exempt or resale status.

• 2009

  Ellen O'Neal joins the board leadership

  [1]Half Price Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Ellen O'Neal became chairperson of the board to participate more actively in the family business.

• 2008

  B(eco)me Green launched

  [1]Half Price Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Half Price Books introduced a formal environmental education initiative emphasizing recycling, reuse, and responsible resource management.

• 1983

  Texas Bookman wholesale division founded

  [1]Half Price Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The company established a Dallas-based wholesale division selling remaindered trade and scholarly books to wholesale buyers.

• 1972

  First Half Price Books store opens in Dallas

  [1]Half Price Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Ken Gjemre and Pat Anderson opened the first store in a former laundromat and stocked it with approximately 2,000 books from their personal libraries.

Value-oriented, community-based bookselling centered on affordable used and new books, broad printed and recorded media, local buyback, literacy promotion, reuse, and environmental responsibility.

• Books · 1972

  Used books

  Used books are the core of Half Price Books' retail proposition. Stores acquire much of this inventory from residents in the local communities they serve and resell it at discounted prices. Because the supply is drawn from customer and community transactions, individual stores can carry distinctive and frequently changing selections across fiction, nonfiction, children's titles, reference works, and other categories.

• Books

  New books

  Alongside used inventory, Half Price Books sells new books through its stores. New titles complement the more variable secondhand assortment and allow the chain to operate as a general bookseller rather than solely as a used-book shop. The available references do not specify a complete new-book category list or current sales mix.

• Recorded and printed media

  Music, movies, and magazines

  The chain's assortment extends beyond books to recorded music, movies, and magazines. These products fit the company's broader used-media model and its historic promise to buy and sell a wide range of printed or recorded materials. The reference material does not identify specific formats or current titles.

• Publishing

  Hackberry Press publications

  Hackberry Press is Half Price Books' publishing arm. It produces inexpensive reprints of non-copyrighted works and titles for which United States or English-language rights have been obtained. Its Say Good Night to Illiteracy children's storybook series directs proceeds toward family-literacy organizations.

• Wholesale books · 1983

  Texas Bookman remainder books

  Texas Bookman sells remaindered trade and scholarly books to wholesale purchasers. The division operates separately from the consumer-store experience while remaining part of the broader Half Price Books organization. It serves qualified wholesale customers and has promoted its inventory through the Texas Remainder Expo.

• 2008B(eco)me Green

  United States

  Half Price Books launched an environmental education initiative promoting awareness of environmental health and encouraging recycling, reuse, and more responsible management of paper, energy, and water.

  Outcome. The initiative reinforced environmental stewardship as part of the company's stated mission and brand identity.

  Source
• Half Pint Libraries book drives

  United States communities served by Half Price Books stores

  Each store holds a book drive for new or gently used children's books, which are used to create Half Pint Libraries at nonprofit organizations and schools.

  Outcome. The program supports local children's access to books and literacy resources; the reference material does not provide a launch year or quantified annual outcome.

  Source
• Say Good Night to Illiteracy

  United States

  Hackberry Press published a children's storybook series designed to support family literacy.

  Outcome. Reported proceeds benefit organizations and projects including Reach Out and Read and the National Center for Family Literacy project.

  Source

• 2022

  Texas Bookman introduces the Texas Remainder ExpoOther

  Background

  Texas Bookman sought to create a recurring trade forum for the remainder-book market.

  Action taken

  It hosted the first annual Texas Remainder Expo, bringing exhibitors from the United States and United Kingdom together to show discounted inventory to wholesale buyers.

  Aftermath

  The event established a trade-show format for presenting Texas Bookman's wholesale inventory and related industry offerings.

  Source

• 2020

  Texas Bookman opens qualified-customer online orderingStrategy

  Background

  The wholesale division created a new retail website during a period when customers increasingly used online ordering channels.

  Action taken

  Texas Bookman began accepting direct orders from customers with an application on file and proof of tax-exempt or resale status, while excluding ordinary consumers from the wholesale channel.

  Aftermath

  The change expanded digital access to wholesale inventory without converting the division into a general consumer retailer.

  Source

1. 1Half Price Booksen.wikipedia.org