Resources: Books, Magazines, and Publishers

The Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) is on the frontline in supporting those imprisoned for struggling for freedom and liberty with a focus on the overall support and defense of political prisoners and prisoners of war. Write for information on political prisoners and for addresses of other chapters in Bakersfield CA, Inland Empire CA, Orange County, Lancaster PA, Philadelphia PA, and New York City.

Sends free reading material to folks incarcerated in North Carolina and South Carolina, including county jails, detention centers, state prisons, and federal facilities.  They do not have a catalogue, but try to match requests to books as best they can. Serves people in North Carolina and South Carolina only.

A volunteer-run nonprofit sending books to inmates in Mississippi correctional facilities since 2015. Big House Books doesn’t judge a book by its cover. We believe in literacy for all – including those in our correctional facilities. Mississippi only.

Serves people incarcerated in Virginia only.  Write with requests for up to three books per month.  They will do their best to fulfill all requests, but cannot guarantee specific title availability. 

Volunteer run, donation-based organization providing free reading materials to incarcerated individuals.  Request by subject or genre. Does not ship to prisons that require all books sent be new.  Write directly to request (does not accept requests by email or phone). Supported by partners Portland Books to Prisoners, Boots to Prisoners Olympia, and Books to Prisoners Spokane.  Serves people nationwide. Long turn-around times mean BTP has difficulties serving people in short-term facilities.

Request reading material by mail. lease request by prioritized subject and not specific book title (we rely on donations), and list prison restrictions if known. DC Books to Prisons responds to state and federal prisoners in AK, AL, AR, CA, CO, DE, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, NV, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WV, and WY as well as federal prisoners (only) in AZ and requests from DC residents in federal prisons in all states. Please wait 5 months between requests.

Vendor of overstock and bargain books, some hardbound and others paperbound (type of binding listed in catalogs). Sends out FREE book catalogs, organized by the following subject areas: Arts & Education; Fiction; Healthy Living; History; Home & Garden; Biography; Cookbooks; Military History; Craft/Needlecrafts; Science & Nature; New Arrivals; and Bargain Books. Serves people nationally.

Offers prisoner titles such as Cell Chef Cookbook, Life With A Record, Start Thinking Outside Prison, Post-Conviction Relief series, Habeas Corpus Manual, and many books, guides, photos, and a wide variety of gifts, all made in the USA. Send a pre-addressed stamped envelope for their packet of color brochures. To see more best to order their 88-page color catalog send $5 and add $5 more for shipping with tracking. Produces Inmate Shopper (current issues always available), which is America's largest book of resources for inmate services plus many other sections of reading and entertainment. PARC recommends the Inmate Shopper because it reviews and rates many businesses that service inmates. Order online, by phone, by text, email or mail by sending a payment for $26.99 (including shipping & tracking) to the address listed. Accepts all facility checks, money orders, credit/debit cards, Venmo at @freebirdpublishers, Cash App at $freebirdpublishers, PayPal.me/freebirdpublishers

All volunteer group that distributes books to contribute to the education, entertainment and support of incarcerated people. Will read requests and find the closest matches they can among their book collection.

Sends free books and literature to prisoners in Texas only. Also sends a very informative prisoner resource guide free to prisoners in all states. Send two stamps, or pre-addressed stamped envelope containing two stamps for a copy of their resource guide. Serves people in Texas prisons only.

Volunteer-run organization that sends books and other educational materials, free of charge, to LGBT-identified people in prison across the US (except those in TX). Will send books in Spanish (enviar libros en Español). Sends one package of books per year.  Prefers requests by topic/genre, but can occasionally fulfill specific requests. Serves all states except Texas.

Abolitionist group of volunteers sending books to individuals incarcerated in Missouri and Kansas only.  Also runs a small pen pal program.

Sends books to people who are locked up in jails, prisons, and ICE facilities in Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas. Write in your book requests by topic or genre, or have a friend print the optional order form from our website and mail to you. Spanish resources available. No law books.

All-volunteer collective that sends books, zines, and other reading materials to incarcerated people free of charge. Also available are printed legal resources and customized internet newsletter subscriptions: tell us what you're looking for. We focus on midwestern states but we answer all requests. We also send materials in Spanish / también enviamos materiales en español.