Bookstores again

Elliott Bay Books in Seattle.

http://www.elliottbaybook.com/

The Tattered Cover in Denver (Which has the political advantage–that that’s what you’re looking for–of being the bookstore that challenged the Patriot Act.)

http://www.tatteredcover.com

I’m partial to the American Book Exchange – a consortium of independents. http://www.abebooks.com

…what’s wrong with Powells?

If you feel as Henry does (and I sympathize though I do buy stuff there) about Amazon, there are plenty of other sites to shop for used books. Try abebooks.com and alibris.com for starters. (Of course I don’t know anything about the attitude of these- presumably rather small- operations toward unions…)

I’ve checked out other websites that sell used books. But I like Amazon the best – it is simply an incredible value-added service. I love the reviewer comments, the listmanias and the So You’d Like To … guides. I will often start out reading the reviews for one book, then end out shifting to dozens of others before making my final decision (usually buying all the well-regarded books on a subject). The other sites don’t have as large of a community.

Since Amazon provides that service, it is only fair that they get my business.

Back when I first went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, back in 1975, there was this great little indy bookstore in town there, sharing space with a drug store–what was its name? Oh, I remember–Borders!

Borders was huge by the time I went to Michigan. I bet that Borders has the highest ratio of “money spent on education per employee, per dollar” of any bookstore in the world. There were always ex-students looking to avoid the real world, so they were very selective. It seemed like you had to know about 4 languages to work at Borders when I went to Michigan.

The value added of independent bookstores was obvious when the competition was B. Dalton and Walden, since the latter focussed more on genre fiction to the expense of “good” books.

It became less clear when the competition was Borders and Barnes & Noble, which was big enough to cater to everyone.

I am having problems even verbalizing the advantages of an independent book store in Iowa City to Amazon. It is not “local”, it will likely be slower, they are less knowledgeable than the combined Amazon usership, and they will be more expensive (less discount, not free shipping).

I will ocassionally see if a local independent has it in stock before ordering online, but really — do we even know if Prairie Lights pays its employees more than Amazon does?

I like Amazon for its used books but am of lae annoyed since I discovered that often I am told that I can pre-order a book–it is not yet avalable–and a month later discover that it has been at my local bookstores for 3 weeks. This morning I bought a book at Barnes and Noble that was still on my pre-order list at Amazon. I cancelled that order. This is not the first time this has happened to me.I have been told that they often simply do not ship properly and it is not a policy but simply a messup.

Seminary Co-Op bookstore in Chicago’s Hyde Park.

http://www.semcoop.com

I spent way too much money there as an undergrad and still do as a grad student who lives 800 miles away. I use their Front Table (http://tinyurl.com/yp24co) as my way of staying in touch with interesting new books outside of my field and as a wonderful source for gifts for all the bibliophiles in my life.

I recently, through their website, ordered a fairly obscure book from a small academic press. They had a copy shelved but someone (dissertation stalker no doubt) bought it a few days before I did. While ordering it from the publisher, an employee noticed that they had could get a new paperbound edition and save me a fairly significant amount of money so he e-mailed me personally to ask which I wanted.

Finally, members get a 10% discount on all purchases and access to the annual members only sale.

Re: 23, the readings are “archived”:http://wsui.uiowa.edu/prairie_lights.htm online, too. On the radio I don’t hear it as often since they stopped broadcasting live…

Micawber’s here in the Twin Cities is a little gem—but it’s about the last of the indies here (outside of specialized stores like Dreamhaven or Big Brain Comics). I haven’t checked out Garrison Keillor’s new store…

There is (soon will be “was”) an independent Micawbers around here in Princeton, NJ, too, but they are in the process of selling out to Princeton University. I don’t know if they are related. I also don’t know if it remains “independent” if it is owned by a private university.

http://www.micawber.com/

Some independent bookstores are just lazy and smug, like Lemuria and Square Books in Mississippi.

I’m really worried about Borders cutting on its backlist items in this corporate reinvention. The backlist is what makes me drive across town to Borders instead of hitting the Barnes & Noble much closer to me. I can’t grasp why Borders thinks it would do better by doing what others are already doing.

Linking to Amazon when you mention a book (or CD, or Glutino Bar-B-Q Sauce — Amazon sells groceries too) is a dumb thing to do. This is simply because Amazon isn’t usually the best place to find out more about that book. That’s why you’re making a link, isn’t it — to let your readers know more?
The publisher of that book knows more about it than Amazon ever will — a good publisher’s website will offer extracts from the book, maybe even an interview with the author, and will probably be without “reviews” written by friends of the author or mortal enemies. You will also avoid the many incitements to buy other stuff from Amazon — and those many bits of visual noise that clutter the Amazon websites.

Paul @ 31: (or, like others have mentioned, abebooks—a great site: and we should talk about the thriving, at least here in TC, antiquarian/used bookstore market).

Yeah, I know Denny. I remember when he was just getting started–when he bought Anthony’s next to the Oak Street Cinema to open M & Q. But Kristin’s store in Dinkytwon is great & so is Jim Cummings Jrs & there’s a new one that’s promising up in my area (NE/St. Anthony) on 29th & Johnson, called Opposable Thumbs (he just bought stock of Rag & Bone books).

But as I was saying, I think the thriving used/antiquarian book (did you all see NYT piece yesterday on personal paper collecitons?) business is another discussion entirely. Or is it? The long tail is great–but as an author, I know that most of my sales are used books. I like ’em as a reader–nay, they’re necessary to me–but as a writer… not so sure. On balance they’re probably copies that no one would buy anyway and do build up audience for next books, etcetera. But what about for retailers? I wonder, for instance, what the %sale of used books is at the huge B&N in Roseville (as a percentage of store sales)? Small I imagine. But who knows?

Let me plug for a neighborhood bookstore in Berkeley, Mrs. Dalloway’s. When Avenue Books closed, two of its former neighbors started this new bookstore. Mrs. Dalloway’s is on College Avenue in Elmwood, and could use your support.

I’ll second 22. – Seminary Co-op in Chicago is the bee’s knees.

i agree wholeheartedly with #27.

for those of us who grew up in rural/semi-rural areas, large chain bookstores were a godsend. i was around fourteen when a barnes/noble opened in carbondale, IL – before then, the only bookstores were a waldenbooks in the mall (useless), university textbook stores (no real selection of actual books), and a few very hit-or-miss used book stores.

b&n changed nothing in the landscape, really: the used bookstores are still there, the textbook stores never will die (though i think follett’s now operates the bookstore in the student center), and even waldenbooks gamely clings to existence.

As long as we’re mourning bookstores past, let’s raise a glass for the great bookstore of my youth, Cody’s on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. It closed last year and somehow the universe (and even Berkeley) didn’t come to an end. Berkeley still has other great bookstores, most notably Black Oak. And there’s still a Cody’s branch store in the flats. But even from 1,600 miles away, the world seems a poorer place without the original Cody’s.

Cody’s on Telegraph is closed?!? Cody’s, where I spent so much I couldn’t really afford? Cody’s, where my father spent more then he could afford when he was a student? Pardon me while I rend my clothes, anoint myself with ashes, and otherwise mourn how the world has moved on.

To actually be slightly on-topic, while I would prefer a good independent bookstore (yay Shaman Drum!), living in Pittsburgh has given me a new appreciation for the big chains; our new neighborhood Borders didn’t squeeze out existing stores, because there was nothing for it to squeeze…

I third the Seminary Co-Op, where I worked briefly when I was a graduate student. The Co-Op also operates 57th Street Books (on, um, 57th Street…), which has a big children’s books section and more popular titles.

(Confession time: I once went to a conference specifically because they advertised “a trip to Powell’s!” as one of the extras. My money and my wallet were extensively parted.)

The new Chapters Bookstore in Parnell Street (near the Rotunda Hospital). The largest bookstore in Ireland and the finest. A great range of books at excellent prices.

London Review Bookshop in London is wonderful. Erudite, civilised, friendly, efficient… Not only do you feel the collection there has been intelligently curated (to suit the reader of The London Review of Books) but they will order stuff for you cheerfully.

And I hear Borders UK is under fire, which would be tragic as it’s one of the few places you can get US magazines.