Thrift Books Reviews 

I was trying to buy a dvd from this company and asked them a simple question- does the 'import' version that they are selling work in Canada? Region 1

The reply that I received was a 'post it' type advising they are too busy to check and that they have warehouses of books (sic) so just take a chance.

Dreadful service. Avoid at all costs.

The binding was completely seperated from the book and will require gluing.This was quite unexpected and was not advertised.

I ordered several books, one arrived with writing and highlighting throughout the book, which was not described in condition. The rest of the order trickled in. I never received one book that was “delayed”. I sent an email within their required time, but never heard anything back. Then I later realized I never received it (it was paid for) they tell me its too late to do anything about it. After reading the other reviews, Im surprised this place is still in business! People need to submit complaints to Better Business Bureau. 😡

Robin Lane Fox 'The Search for Alexander' (1980)

What can we know that is certain about the life of Alexander the Great? Of the vast mass of claims and counter-claims regarding his prowess as a military commander, his extraordinary success in opening up
lands and cultures to to his armies, and his conquests leading to his elevation as (variously) king of the Greeks, Pharoah of Egypt, supreme ruler of the Persians and conqueror of numerous lands ,including mountains, arid steppes, floodplains and many more. Furthermore, what can we know with at least some certainty of his personality, his sense of connection to his Homeric traditions and belief in his descent from the gods ?

Robin Lane Fox in his work of the early seventies titled 'Alexander the Great' was an impressive project to make known to readers at that time, the man, his milieu and the remarkable exploits as a military genius of extraordinary renown. That work was of course one of the many which over centuries had attempted the huge task of explaining Alexander's charisma, and his development into a conqueror of worlds. But in its depth of knowledge and empathetic rendering of its central character, that book revealed to a new generation of readers a richness of detail about Alexander's development and character. However as a historian, mindful of the enormous efforts of previous authors - ancient and modern - Lane Fox warned of the need for all writers (such as himself ) engaged in Alexander 'studies' to approach their task with a 'forensic' mindset (my term) regarding sources. See further comments on sources below.

The earlier publication was followed a few short years later, in the wake of highly significant archaeological discoveries and a conceptual re-development of the actual nature of a search, by a magnificent
volume, replete with a beautifully laid out collection of photographs in full colour. These included impressive pictures of the Royal tombs discovered at Vergina in Greece in 1977, claimed by Lane Fox and others the burial place of Alexander's father Phillip 11. At the time of its publication the book contained some of this pictorial material that had never been seen outside of Greece. But fortunately there were also (previously unseen) many exquisite gold objects and large - scale monuments remaining intact.

The release of the book dovetailed with an international television series (directed by Oliver Stone ) and a series of art exhibitions in the US. The book was recognised as a comprehensive biography covering what was widely recognised as the vast mass of factual knowledge available at that time. Moreover it differed from other accounts of Alexander in both recent and much older narratives in that it emphasised the role and functioning of personality, the psychological dimension of his defining characteristic such as extraordinary tenacity, motivation and breadth of vision in pursuing challenging and complex military goals. The Table of Contents reveals an impressive listing of themes and topics, which in its own right constitutes an informative guide to Alexander's life as a warrior and a king, his beliefs and motivations.

As to be expected, this book makes reference to a wide range of sources, including the best known as the main narratives on which, according to Lane Fox, histories of Alexander now build. These are Diodorus, Curtius, Plutarch, Ptolemy and Arrian ( See Alexander the Great. Selections from Arrian CUP 1981). But there are of course many other sources drawn upon throughout the book, but which are specifically focused upon in the early chapter 'History and Romance', an essential section of the work in which our attention is drawn to evidence.

This is what I had referred to above as the historian's forensic instinct, that is, the insistence of a close examination of evidence, and the weighing - up of evidence as an ongoing process in the continuing search for 'facts' as they may (or, may not be available to the reader ) when specific narratives are being interrogated/investigated. For example Lane Fox in pursuit of 'the search', reminds readers that there were/are are no contemporary versions of Alexander's life still in existence. Certainly it is the case that historians of one ilk or another were writing long after Alexander's death and there are reasons to prefer one to another, the writer ( as in his initial study of Alexander ) is scrupulous in his attention to correctly marshalling the relevant evidence for preferring one informant's response over another's and providing support for firstly its selection, and then a decision on its uses.

This is an excellent book in its application of 'the most modern scholarship' and the author's 'extraordinary expertise' as historian...... The search goes on.

Avoid buying from ThriftBooks. I bought a book listed as in good condition, but it arrived with a torn cover. Unfortunately, since the book cost less than $15, I couldn't get a refund as per ThriftBooks' policy. I suggest spending a bit more and purchasing books from Amazon.

Never ordered a book in the keep on sending me emails saying that I ordered a book but it’s with someone else’s name and address. After reading the reviews now I know why they have such a poor rating. Clearly they can’t get anyone’s information, right . Buyer beware

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Your package is being delivered to:
Cheryl Enke
2638 Highway Kk, Cuba, MO 65453
Order #: 49441623 | Order date: Nov 15, 2023

I'm sorry I have to write again about the poor service. Just so you know they have a very poor rating with the B.B.B. They refused to send me a new copy of the book that was highlighted through out. They had so many new reasons I can't even comprehend. So I am done. I have spend thousands of dollars with this company but no more.

Instead of helping me, I was sent to a page to sign up for expert help.

THRIFT BOOKS HAS THE MONEY. SOMEBODY IN SEATTLE HAS THE BOOKS, I HAVE NOTHING.

The books were in decent shape and arrived fairly timely. My reason for two stars is that someone at the Thrift Books company stole my credit card number (which was my company’s account) and used it to purchase something at Home Depot. Luckily we caught it quickly and canceled the card.

The first two books I ordered arrived in great condition (better condition than expected). Both of these were paperback. The last two orders were the exact opposite. One book was "Very Good" condition and the other was "Like New." The "Very Good" condition book had tears in the hardcover, extensive wear on the dust jacket and creases and scratches everywhere. The "Like New" book came in today and had extensive wear on the dust jacket, stains on the dust jacket, and the hardback corners were creased. The "Like New" book was $20. Extremely displeased in the last two orders and I have one more hardcover. I am assuming the quality issues will continue.

I talked with chat each time and was treated well. They gave me refunds when I did not ask for them, which is better than some companies and places would do.

I believe that at least some of the damages are due to their plastic shipping bags. I was told this is because the are recyclable, but at least in my area, they just go in the trash because there is no place to drop off these bags. We have a place to recycle cardboard and be do that regularly. I really hope that Thriftbooks will move to cardboard mailers so that the books will not be damaged and we can still recycle the packaging.

I will probably order one more book (a paper back) to see if the issue is only with hardcovers, but if I have another bad experience, I will find another site to use.

Loved the idea of all these books for second hand a cheap, I added about 15 books to my cart only to find that shipping was OVER $200 for less then $100 worth of books. This is absolutely ridiculous.

The address for my order was wrong so I never received my books. I was issued a full refund in less than a week. Kudos.

Worse Company with the worse customer service! They send me the wrong book twice and after that, they refunded it when the correct book is showing available online. The representatives can not locate the manager if they have one at all. The company is a big joke!

I have purchased many book items from this business. My one major complaint is their lack of a return/exchange policy. They will only do it as a one time courtesy or if it’s their fault. I placed an order for 2 books I had previously purchased not realizing it. Reached out to customer service to ask if I could exchange them for other books. They responded they are not able to help, and see their return/exchange policy on their website. I was so disappointed by this and have wasted money. Now I will try and find a more customer friendly on-line thrift book store. Buyer beware and make sure you have the correct items because you can not return or exchange the item(s).

I have already bought 5 books and now placed order for another 3 books. I know the title and author of the books I am looking for. I search and checked availability before I ordered. “Focus on Nursing Pharmacology, & Nursing Care Plans” were ordered and received as described. They have so far kept to their promise, and the prices are pocket friendly.

I ordered a book so I could study and learn to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs and I still haven’t received it. At this point I don’t know if I’ve ever received it. But what I do know is I’ll never order another one

Very frustrated! Don't waste your money purchasing anything from ThriftBooks!! I purchased several books and each time my order was lost. It took several weeks longer than the expected delivery date! Also customer service ignored my emails!

On 7/4/22, I purchased a collectible hardcover book on line, from ThriftBooks, Ordinary Men, for $68.00 On 7/12, I received a near worthless, yellowed and stained paperback copy. I then checked the TB web site and confirmed that they continued to advertise a hardcover copy of Ordinary Men, in good condition now at $98.00, an almost 50% increase in price.

I contacted TB Customer Service and asked them to honor the original price of $68.00 price and was told no. I was offered a refund of $68.00. TF Customer Service since have not answered by subsequent requests.

A manager got involved after I left a negative review on TrustPilot and I ultimately purchased the hardcover version they had advertised for $98.00 minus a gift certificate from the manager. On 07/21/22, I received another worthless, heavily used paperback version of the book.