Donate Books & Magazines
A place to send printed material that deserves better than a dumpster — and better than a thrift store that will pulp it in a fortnight.
Most printed material has nowhere to go. Libraries are shedding collections rather than adding to them, thrift stores pulp what does not sell within weeks, and the local historical society has no shelf space and one volunteer. So a lifetime's reading ends up in a recycling bin, which is not the same thing as being preserved.
Provenance Revue accepts contributions of printed material into a working archive: catalogued, stabilized, stored properly, and digitized where it warrants it. We are a private archive rather than a charity, and we are direct about what that does and does not mean.
What we accept
- Books — hardcover, paperback, reference, and whole home libraries
- Magazines of every kind, in any quantity, including incomplete runs
- Newspapers, commemorative editions, and clipping files
- Catalogs, brochures, printed advertising, and mail-order literature
- Manuals — military, technical, shop, service, and owner's
- Trade journals, house organs, and industry publications
- Photographs, negatives, slides, and albums
- Maps, timetables, programs, letters, and paper ephemera
Our flagship specialty is men's magazines published before 1970, and it is where our expertise runs deepest — but it is a specialty, not a restriction. See what we collect for the full range, and what we accept for the boundaries.
Being honest about what we are
We are not a charity. Contributions are not tax-deductible, we do not issue charitable receipts, and we will not imply otherwise to make a collection easier to acquire. What we offer instead is a written record of what was contributed and where it went, a genuine preservation programme rather than a resale pipeline, and the option of permanent anonymity or permanent credit — your choice, recorded either way.
We are also not currently selling anything. There is no catalog and no price list; the archive is in an accumulation phase. If that changes, it will be said plainly on this site rather than discovered by a contributor after the fact.
Contribute, or be paid — your call
Many people who write to us about donating turn out to own something worth money, and are surprised to hear it. We tell you either way. An evaluation is an informed opinion offered free of charge, not an appraisal, and it does not commit you to anything: you can take the offer, contribute the material anyway, or take the information and do something else entirely.
See what old magazines are actually worth for our honest answer to the question everyone asks first.
How it works
- Send a few photographs and a rough sense of the volume. Phone photos are exactly right.
- A person reads it and replies within five business days with a plain assessment.
- If it is a fit, we arrange collection or shipping — at our cost — and document the terms.
- The material is accessioned, condition-reported, and recorded with whatever provenance and anonymity you chose.
Full detail in how it works and shipping guidance.
Questions
- Is a contribution tax-deductible?
- No. Provenance Revue is a privately operated archive, not a registered charity, and we do not represent contributions as tax-deductible charitable donations. We would rather tell you that plainly than let you find out at tax time.
- Do you pay for collections instead?
- Often, yes. Where material has genuine value we say so and we offer for it, with terms in writing. Whether you take payment or contribute is entirely your decision, and it does not change how the material is treated.
- Does it have to be valuable?
- No. Ordinary print is exactly what disappears, because nobody thinks it is worth saving. Worn, incomplete, and common material is accessioned alongside everything else.
- Do you collect, or do I ship?
- Both, depending on volume and distance. We collect in person in Arizona and travel for larger collections; elsewhere we arrange and cover shipping. Tell us the volume and where you are.
- Can I stay anonymous?
- Yes, permanently, and you do not need to give a reason. Anonymity in our public records is available to any source.
- Can I be credited instead?
- Also yes. Contributed collections can be recorded under a donor name, a family name, or the name of the person who assembled them — which is frequently the point.
- What happens to material you cannot use?
- We tell you before we take it. If something is outside our scope we say so and, where we can, suggest a better home. What we do not do is accept a collection and quietly dispose of half of it.