Hello Mark,
Mark wrote:
>I am trying to put together a small library of bee books for myself and
> would greatly appreciate if people on the list could recommend books

There are many excellent books on bees. I would start with books which
correspond to your level of beekeeping and then work up to the higher level
books.

The books of the last 20 years are the best for getting you up to speed on
today's beekeeping.

ABC and XYZ( A.I. Root) and Hive and the Honey Bee(Dadant)
are without a doubt the most popular beekeeping books ever sold in the U.S..
Almost all public libraries carry these books.

The new  edition of ABC and XYZ of beekeeping is about to hit the market.
Kim Flottum says many changes has been made in the new  edition. (beginner
to advanced)

The Beekeepers Handbook / Diana Sammataro is one of the best beginner and
intermediate beekeeping books on the market

The Hive and the Honey Bee (1992) / Dadant  would be my pick for the
intermediate to advanced beekeeper.(until I see the new ABC/XYZ)

As I have said before on BEE-L my family has instructions to donate my
beekeeping books to the library of the Midwestern beekeepers assn. upon my
death. I add beekeeping books to the inventory every  year.

Several ways to get older bee books without paying top dollar.

1. attend bee equipment auctions

2. look in old book stores and give owners your phone number

3. Give your name to auctioneers to buy old bee books for you. (Currently I
have got three auctioneers looking for books)

4. Give your name  to dealers in used books ( I see these folks once a year
and usually buy the books they have found  for me). Some of the books  the
dealers buy for a cheap price (maybe less than a dollar) but charge me  a
price  quite a bit higher (still less than internet prices). In my opinion
you need to let the used book dealers make a reasonable profit or they will
stop looking for books for you.  The dealers really do not know the value of
old beekeeping books. I tell the dealers if the book is about bees and
reasonable chances are I will buy the book. Over the year the dealer will
pick up from a couple books to a dozen. Many times the book they think I
most likely are not interested in is the book I am interested in the  most.
Prices are negotiable but keep in mind the dealer will lose interest in the
arrangement is he can not make a profit. Last year I traded hive products
for the books they found for me.
Most old beekeeping books are NOT in pristine condition. Remember you are
most interested most in the information the book contains. The used book
dealers price many times on the condition rather than the  rarity of the
book.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison