DALLAS (April 27, 2009)— Half Price Books, the nation's largest new and used bookstore chain, has donated the proceeds from sales of "Music by the Book" to the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. This $3,000 donation will help the non-profit foundation continue to promote music by donating instruments to young musicians nationwide.

Just like you can't tell a book by its cover, you can't tell a bookstore employee's musical styling by where they work—and "Music by the Book" proves this. The compilation freatured every genre from rock to folk to original classical compositions. And speaking of covers, "Music by the Book" featured original artwork created by an employee.

"Half Price Books has always been a haven for talented artists and musicians, many of them performers first, booksellers second," said John Wilson, project manager for Music by the Book and an employee since 1992. "This CD was designed to showcase that talent and to let our employees know that as a company, we value and support their creative energy."

Since the company's founding in 1972, Half Price Books has drawn musicians from every musical genre into the family, and a large percentage of the original employees that are still with the company continue to perform on a regular basis. Steve Leach, whose group "The Bob Monk Singers" is featured in the project, has been with the company for more than 20 years, and currently serves as Half Price Books' collectible merchandise specialist.

"Half Price Books has always been sort of a brotherhood of musicians and artists, and we're excited that our company is supporting us in such a public way," Leach said. "It really shows what kind of place this is to work."

"Music by the Book" is available at any Half Price Books location or online at www.halfpricebooks.com. Also online are 30-second samples of each song, along with the names and hometowns of the featured artists.

Media Note: For information, or a copy of the CD to review, contact Kirk Thompson: kthompson@halfpricebooks.com or 214-360-0833.

Half Price Books is the largest family-owned new and used bookstore chain with more than 100 retail locations in 15 states. Stores are open seven days a week and buy and sell new and used books, magazines, comics, records, CDs, DVDs and collectible items. Half Price Books has been dedicated to environmental and literacy efforts for 36 years and supports hundreds of local, national and international programs. Each year the company sponsors the Half Pint Library Book Drive at each of its stores, donating thousands of books to hospitals and clinics throughout the United States. Half Price Books is a founding contributor to Laura Bush's National Book Festival, a continuing supporter of the National Center for Family Literacy, and the founder of the environmental website BecomeGreen.org. For more information about Half Price Books, its store locations and corporate initiatives, please visit www.halfpricebooks.com.