How do a really delete books from iBook store (not just hide them)?

There is no way to completely delete purchases. Hiding is your only option.

Cheers,

GB

So... how do you hide a book, now that books are no longer shown in the Purchased items in iTunes?

What do you mean? They do show in the Purchased items in iTunes. Click on the three little dots ... to the right of the last icon showing in the top left to get the list of other iTunes categories (like books). Click on Books, and then on Purchased:

Cheers,

GB

Thank you VERY much for the prompt and detailed response, but...

No, Books are not in that list for me, and neither are they for a number of others, apparently, since sometime in November when people started asking this question.

What version of iTunes are you running?

From 12.0.1.26:

I'm running the same version of iTunes that you are running. I am running Mountain Lion, however. With Mavericks or Yosemite, don't you actually have a separate iBooks Store (like the App Store)?

If so, have you tried going to your Collections, and then right-clicking on a book you want to hide to see if the "Hide Purchase" option will display?

Cheers,

GB

THANK YOU!

I had poked around in iBooks, trying things like right-clicking, as you suggested, but what I hadn't tried was opening the iBooks Store there. Once in the store within iBooks, the interface is very much like the iTunes store, and there is a Purchased link on the right, which takes you to a page where you can click Xs on various books to hide them.

I'm still a bit irritated with Apple for not having updated the instructions for this in its iCloud Family Sharing documentation (it still says that all the purchased item types are in iTunes, with no indication that Yosemite changes all this).

But you have solved my problem. Much appreciated!

Well, glad you are all sorted now! YAY! 🙂

Cheers,

GB

Thanks ottonomy. That was rather painful, would never have found this on my own