When I tell people I collect young adult series books, the response I usually get is a quizzical look and "so...what's a 'young adult series book'?" Well, the most commonly known and most plentiful are the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series. Most collectors I know include both series in their collections, many having read at least some of them in their youth. Another personal favorite of mine is the Cherry Ames series. As far back as I can remember I'd wanted to be a nurse. Cherry Ames helped to romanticize the profession, and like Nancy Drew, mystery and adventure seemed to follow her everywhere

In 1994, I started seriously collecting. Memory escapes me as to how I first found out about the Yellowback Library, but it was instrumental in getting me going. With informative articles by experts in the field and access to experienced collectors more than willing to help a new collector get started, this subscription is worth its weight in gold. Through it I learned about countless series I'd never heard of before, obtained complete title lists for every series I was interested in, found out which volumes are hardest to find (and what I can sell them for when I find them). And I have found some of those rare volumes, and paid far less than the going rate. But without the knowledge I'd gathered from the Yellowback Library, I'd likely have passed many of them by, not being particularly interested in the series they are a part of. But now I have books I can trade for those I am interested in.

Every collector has stories of the best deals they've found. Some of mine you can read about in the Bookstores section. If I had my way I'd spend every vacation book hunting. Most used bookstores are open from about 10am to 5pm, so if I get up early I can drive for two hours and still have a full day of hunting. Armed with a map of the area and the yellow page listings for used bookstores I'm all set. But I don't always have all day to look, so I really wish I knew which bookstores I might have better luck at. So, as I travel around the country I'm keeping a list of "the best". This is where I can really use the help of other series book collectors. I would like to create a useful reference for all of us. It never seems to fail that wherever you live, you can find better deals the farther you get from home. But having lived in three separate metropolitan areas since I began collecting, I know that there are exceptional bookstores in each area. So if you can, please help contribute to the Favorite Used Bookstores of Series Book Collectors. And if you'd like to share your stories of exceptionally good finds I will include them as well.

For much of the last five years my collection has been in storage, but I've recently been able to get enough bookcases set up to house those I wish to keep. I will be selling my duplicates as soon as I can compile a list. If you can help me out with any books on my want list I'd love to hear from you.

One of my most memorable experiences since I began collecting, is when I attended the 'Series Book Collectors in Earthquake Land' convention in Sep 1994. Now that I'm settled in again I am hoping to be able to attend another convention soon. If you are a collector and haven't attended a convention yet, I strongly urge you to do so.

And lastly, I've compiled a rather extensive list of links and offline references. If you have a related webpage and are not listed here, feel free to send me a note so I can find you. Those links that are specific to one of the series or authors I collect are listed on their respective pages.