Sonatine, not knowing where you live, have you tried what is known as The County Library, normally in the county town, and they should have hidden away probably down in a basement somewhere - books and this is called County Reserve. These consist of books that have rarely been out and not used and or requested, and you should be able to find a book you want and take it out on loan. My county is Buckinghamshire and I was amazed when I went down into the depths, was allowed to look at the section I wanted - of course sewing related - and came home with about 10-12 books on loan. Some of the books were the last copy in the county, and of course there is the inter library loans - so sometimes these books are lent to other libraries.
You never know you might find something along the lines of what you are looking for.