# AbeBooks

8 Hacker News commenters recommended AbeBooks and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People use AbeBooks to find old, out-of-print and first editions from used booksellers, often cheaper than other storefronts. One caveat raised: searching for old books can be hard.

## Why people recommend it

- Useful for buying used books (4 comments): "I often specifically look up old or first print editions of books (paperback or hardcover) and then buy them used from Abebooks etc." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47388660)) "buying physical books off of Abe Books—not a bad thing at all" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46326761)) "I now just buy second hand (Abe, WOB) and hope for the best." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47385949))
- Good for out-of-print vintage titles (2 comments): "I often specifically look up old or first print editions of books (paperback or hardcover) and then buy them used from Abebooks etc." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47388660)) "Abebooks and eBay. lots of out of print vintage niche books that way" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47395466))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [O'Reilly subscription](https://hackerapproved.com/p/o-reilly-subscription.md): 24 recommend
- [Bookshop.org](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bookshop-org.md): 15 recommend
- [Kobo Store](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kobo-store.md): 11 recommend
- [ebooks.com](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ebooks-com.md): 6 recommend
- [Humble Bundle Linux the Good Stuff Bundle](https://hackerapproved.com/p/humble-bundle-linux-the-good-stuff-bundle.md): 3 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.abebooks.com/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "AbeBooks", https://hackerapproved.com/p/abebooks/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).