15th Annual BookFinder.com Report
Out-of-print and in demand

A collection of stories from poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni about Indian-born women living in America. Last published in 1997 and more topical than ever. Divakaruni is an Indian-American author, poet, and a professor of writing at the University of Houston creative writing program.

How can this novel be out-of-print? First published in 1999, this book won the Locus Award for best science fiction novel in 2000. Neal Stephenson remains a massively influential writer. The plot is set in two different time periods - World War II amid the codebreakers of Bletchley Park and the new technology of the 1990s. The last edition was published by Subterranean Press in 2012.

Last published in 2010, this is Eggers' debut novel from 2002 after his bestselling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius from 2000. The plot follows two childhood friends trying to give money away.

A collection of humorous essays. Rakoff died in 2012. A Canadian-born American writer, he was a regular contributor to the This American Life NPR radio show.

Written in 1991, when Listen Without Prejudice won the award for best album at the Brit Awards, with co-author Tony Parsons. George Michael died on 25 December 2016, sparking a big rush for this out-of-print book.

A novel about immigration set in Kolkata, Boston and New York. It was originally published in The New Yorker and later expanded to a full-length novel. The story explores many of the same themes as Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize-winning short story collection Interpreter of Maladies.

It's also hard to believe this one is out-of-print. Lethem's debut novel from 1994 mixes science fiction and detective fiction. Animals are part of society, police monitor karma, and there are mind-numbing drugs galore - this is Oakland in the near future. The book was a finalist for the 1994 Nebula Award.

More than 650 full-color photo and illustrations of North American critters from snakes to lizards. Last published in 2003 but this book has been around for decades. Incredibly useful for anyone interested in natural science.

A novel about memory loss published in 2000. Tells the story of Bill Chalmers who loses his memory while rushing to work one morning. When his memory returns, a numbness afflicts him and over the following months he is forced to endure tests without conclusive results and a wife who believes he is imagining the illness. Lightman is an American physicist, who is currently professor of humanities at MIT.

A well-loved book about books. Ex Libris recounts a lifelong obsession with books and reading with lots of humor. Anecdotes about Coleridge and Orwell, and the author's literary family.

Horowitz is an American conservative writer. He is a founder of a think tank called the David Horowitz Freedom Center, but from 1956 to 1975 Horowitz was an outspoken leader of the New Left. He later rejected liberal ideas completely. This is a memoir from 1996 recounting his journey from left to right. He's been at the center of numerous controversies.

Published in 2001, Lessig explains how the Internet has produced a counterrevolution. He argues creativity once flourished because the Net protected a commons on which innovators could experiment. But now, manipulating the law for their own purposes, corporations have established themselves as gatekeepers of the Internet.

Published in 1992, Sex is never going to be republished. It's rude but harmless. Madonna flaunts herself across a multitude of erotic scenarios. Sex has sturdy aluminum covers which makes it rather durable, and also means that this book won't rust.

A hardcover from 1991. The contrast between the surge of democracy in Eastern Europe and the brutal repression in China forms the backdrop for a journey on the Trans-Siberian Express.

A very obscure book from 2013. Who knew there was electronic music in Stalin-ruled Russia? Leon Theremin invented the world's first electronic instrument, the Theremin. Drawing on materials from Moscow archives, this book reconstructs Avraamov's "Symphony of Sirens," an open-air performance for factory whistles, foghorns and artillery fire first staged in 1922.

This novel is a perennial on the BookFinder.com out-of-print list. It describes a school shooting and King will never bring it back into print for obvious reasons.

The White Stag is a classic children's book that won the Newbery Medal. Published in 1937 and last published in 2008, the novel is a mythical retelling that follows the warrior hordes of Huns and Magyars across Asia and into Europe, including the life of Attila the Hun.

An early example of romance from Roberts, who swears this one won't be coming back into print.

Ian Stewart, a Scottish baron, died in March 2018. He was a Conservative Party politician and a numismatist. He was the Member of Parliament for Hitchin from 1974 to 1983, and for North Hertfordshire from 1983 to 1992. He sat in the House of Lords from 1992 to 2015. His interest in coins began in childhood and in 2007 his prized collection of antique Scottish coins was stolen.

Non-fiction. Noah Adams decided to learn to play the piano at 52. The 12 monthly chapters span from January - when after decades of affection for keyboard artists he finally buys a piano - through December, when as a surprise Christmas present for his wife he dresses in a tuxedo and attempts to play their favorite piece of music.

Published by Sam Hooker Press in 1965, a really scarce book. Micheline was a painter and poet from San Francisco. His name is synonymous with street art, underground literature, and rebellious poets. One of San Francisco's original Beat poets.

A British children's novel from 1965. In the style of Swallows and Amazons, this book is set on the canals of the English Midlands. Winifred Finlay wrote 20 novels and numerous collections of folktales. She is largely forgotten today.

First published in 1944 and last published in 2007, this book details everything from the clove hitch to the sheepshank. Ideal for sailors, this is an encyclopedic reference manual with directions for tying thousands of knots. The Ashley's stopper knot and Ashley's bend are named after the author, who was also an accomplished artist.

"Trick or treat or die." This is the 1979 novelization of the 1978 horror film that turned Michael Myers into a big name in slasher movies.

Crowe's 1981 coming-of-age book became a film in 1982 starring Sean Penn and Jennifer Jason Leigh. This book is a collector's item and often carries three-figure price-tags. Wonderful cheerleader cover.

A perennial on this list and very expensive now. Zbukvic argues that artists need to use watercolor clocks. A "clock" accompanies every visual example, helping artists anticipate how the condition of the paper will react to various watercolor mixes.

Published in New Zealand in 1963, this book details how Halberg won the gold medal for the 5000 metres at the 1960 Olympics. A pioneering Kiwi runner, he was never beaten over two miles. Halberg went on to become a high profile advocate for children with disabilities.

In demand year after year. Crafting books often don't stay in print for long. This one from 1993 was published by the American Quilters Society. Brackman is a quilting historian.

The complete history of the TV series, from conception, design and scripting to how the finished product was produced and sold. Designed to be read by would-be writers but loved by Trekkies.

Featuring over 50 examples from more than 35 artists during the last two decades, Contemporary Clay offers an overview of modern-day Japanese ceramics. Contains commentaries on the artists and details the avant-garde work produced.