used bookstore

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Harvard Book Store – Cambridge, MA

July 20, 2011 in bookstore, used books by Kim | 4 comments

It is an odd looking machine

I’d been looking forward to visiting this venerable bookstore for years.  While not as flashy as the Coop down the street, Harvard Book Store is what an independent bookstore is all about.  The atmosphere is cozy and dripping with a love for literature.  While the only thing I heard the staff (really, just cashiers) say at the Coop was “NEXT,” at Harvard Book Store everyone was chatting about books.  I had a long conversation about Sarah Vowell’s visit.  I had just missed it, but the staff was willing to fill me in on it and direct me to a podcast on the website.  (The store hosts numerous author events, it’s one of the standard stops on an author tour.)

After reading about the Gutenborg machine several times, I was excited to see it in action.  Harvard Book Store has one of the few in the nation, thus far, and it looks like a laptop with a very, very big printer attached.  It’s a a little endearing in an R2D2 kind of way.  The machine runs about 10 hours a day, sometimes printing from the Google backlist but frequently printing self-published books.  Sometimes local histories, sometimes papers and topics from Harvard students and professors, but also books that have been picked up by publishers.  I overheard a conversation from the staff that some of the self-published books are quite good, that the knee jerk reaction that all of them are not the same quality as traditionally published books will be changing.  This especially could be true as established writers may be able to make more from self-publishing than from their big houses.  It made me stop and think about taking a better look at self-published books.

Harvard Book Store offers all the latest new books worthy of your time, plus a nice array of used books.  Any fiction you may want is available.  As with many university book stores, there is a strong selection of non-fiction genres in both new and used books.  Even better, the store supports the publications authored by the Harvard professors, and with that brain power, the reader is guaranteed to find interesting reads.  Pick up some Harvard garb at the store and look the part while reading the latest school masterpiece.

While I didn’t notice a display of Author Recommendations in the store (it may be there), check out this link online, several authors name the books he or she recommends.  I immediately looked to see what David Sedaris and David Mitchell liked, odds are good I’ll enjoy their favorites.

And if all that book shopping builds an appetite, head next door to Mr. Bartley’s for the best burgers in town.

Harvard Book Store

1256 Massachusetts Ave.

Cambridge, MA 02138

Tel:  617.661.1515

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The Book Den in Santa Barbara, CA – California’s Oldest Used Bookstore

June 2, 2011 in bookstore, used books by Kim | No comments

Kelsey, Keith and I took a little excursion on Memorial Day, a train ride to Santa Barbara and then a stroll down State Street.  After eating a lovely lunch at Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro and passing blocks of chain stores, we wandered into The Book Den, a used bookstore with it’s own unique atmosphere.  Combining the best of new books and used, The Book Den provides ample opportunity to stumble upon a new literary treasure.  Five steps into the door, I turned to Keith and said “this looks and feels like a used bookstore in Hay-on-Wye.”  It is certainly the first store I’ve seen in the United States with an extensive collection of Folio Books.  As for new books, I saw every book I’d recently read about in the New York Time Book Review section, including the ones I read about on the train two hours earlier.

I was intrigued by a floor to ceiling bookshelf filled with beautifully bound books, all seemingly from the same source.  The bookseller filled me in on Black Sparrow Press, a now defunct Santa Barbara publisher.  Most famous for publishing Charles Bukowski novels, every Black Sparrow Press volume I pulled from the shelves was gorgeous.  The Book Den has the publisher’s un-numbered copies, some of which are highly sought after and prized.

In addition to collectible books, the store offers a selection in many non-fiction genres, most notably to me essays, gardening, and cooking but history, politics, and biography are well represented.   The literature section shelves new and used together and lines the entire back section of the store.  An entire table is dedicated to local history and topics.  I complimented the bookseller on an “intellectual” selection of used books.  He said it wasn’t so much that the books were overly intellectual, but that they were the finest available.  Anyone can buy a mass market book online for a cent, there is no competing with that, the niche for The Book Den was supplying the best books.  I couldn’t agree more.

The store opened in Santa Barbara in 1933 (in Northern California earlier in the century) and plans to be in open for another 100 years.  The bookseller noted that The Book Den is the only downtown store that survived two Borders stores, both of which are closed.  He said that The Book Den experienced added foot traffic, but only a slight uptick in sales.  In his opinion, the Borders stores with libraries where coffee was served, people went there to hang out but didn’t buy any books.  Alas, many stores are experiencing a similar phenomenon.  I was happy to hear the cash register rang several times while I visited on a sunny holiday afternoon.

The Book Den

15 E. Anapamu St.

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

T:  805.962.3321

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Trident Booksellers and Cafe – Boulder, CO

February 1, 2011 in bookstore, used books by Kim | No comments

Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado is a visual amusement park.  It’s an outdoor street mall that is lively even with snow on the ground.  There are people milling around, some playing music, some handing out leftist newspapers, some asking for money.  Unique storefronts mixed with chain stores that don’t feel quite as cookie cutter as they do in other cities.  Restaurants spill over with aromas and people sitting outside to eat, even when there is snow on the ground.  As an Angeleno, I like my snow best when experienced from a little distance, such as me someplace inside and cozy.  I think that’s what initially attracted me to Trident Booksellers and Cafe. From the outside, where I was cold trying to avoid the snow on the ground, I could see cafe tables scattered throughout the store among the bookshelves.  People were sitting with their coats off, sipping hot drinks, and chatting.  I could see the steam rising from the mugs.  I walked in.

Trident is cozy.  In contrast to the wonderful, but large, Boulder Book Store down the street, one could stand at one end of the store and carry on a conversation with a friend at the other end.  Yet it manages to pack a punch.   There is a nice sized fiction section, but in a used bookstore such as Trident, I like to trip upon gems and I find the hunting better in non-fiction.

Recently, I’ve taken an interest in the Armory Show in New York City in 1913.  It’s a pivotal point in the development of modern art in the United States.  I headed to the several bookshelves dedicated to art history and found two books about the modernism.  One a general survey of the topic, The First Moderns by William R. Everdell, and another focused on New York titled appropriately enough, New York Modern:  The Arts and the City by William B. Scott and Peter M. Rutkoff.  Both were well priced so I decided even if my luggage was so jammed I had to ship them home, they were worth the splurge.

Colorado topics are covered quite well from fiction to nature to history to touring.  Trident represents its community and surroundings.  I could have spent a lot more time examining the options in history, current events and biography.  There was an interesting selection of religious topics.  Several shelves dedicated to Buddhism with a selection of Christian writings also.  When I was paying, the bookseller asked where I was from (I think the fact that it was in the 40s and I was bundled for a blizzard signaled I was tourist) and what I did.  When I said I was from Los Angeles, he listed all the people in his life who used to live there.  I told him I was a spiritual director and he asked “what faith?”  Looking at the floor to ceiling shelf of books on Buddhism, thought ‘here we go’ and answered, “Christian.”  ”You know,” he said “this world would get a lot better if people lived the values of Christ, of sacrifice and caring for others.”  I told him I couldn’t agree more.

Trident Booksellers and Cafe

940 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO 80302

Tel:  303.443.3133

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One Stroll Down Madoc Street, Three Bookstores

November 12, 2010 in bookstore, essay, travel, used books by Kim | 1 comment

Where is Madoc Street?  In Llandudno, of course.  Don’t ask me how to pronounce that name, I really think the Welsh just throw in consonants willy-nilly to confuse English speakers. We used Victorian seaside town of Llandudno for our Northern Wales home base for three days.  It’s a beautiful area of the world, gorgeous coastline, beautiful mountains, and a castle around every corner.  One day the boys went golfing on a genuine ‘links’ course, and the girls, Kelsey and me, shopped and ate our way through the town.   After stuffing ourselves at the Albert Pub and vowing to never eat at another restaurant in Llandudno, we started back to the hotel and tripped over three bookstores.

Siop Lyfrau Lewis Bookshop - Only marginally organized by genre, this store is a delight for those who love to sort through stacks of books to find a gem.  Books are in a variety of conditions, some are pristine, others not so much.  It’s really a treasure hunt type of store, it may be frustrating to dash in for a specific book, but perfect for good search.  The books were cheaper than the going rates at Hay-on-Wye.  I found Essays at Large by Solomon Eagle, the title reminded me of one of my favorite books, At Large and at Small by Anne Fadiman.  For all I know her title is related to Eagle.  If so, then the circle is complete because I bought his book in tribute to her.  Plus, the title of the first essay is “Reading in Bed,” a favorite activity.  Lord of the Flies was Kelsey’s required reading for the summer and we couldn’t find it in any of the Hay-on-Wye bookstores, but here, buried under a three foot stack of books, was a gold embossed edition.  After successfully retrieving it without collapsing the tower of books on top of it, Kelsey wondered about it’s ‘cool factor.’  Is it better to have the paperback everyone will be reading or something different?  I told her what I wish I understood at 13, it’s all about attitude.  Mark it up to look well-read and thought over, then carry it with confidence.

There is a relatively large selection of Welsh books and cards.  We bought a card that says “Happy Birthday” in Welsh, at least we think that’s what it says.  Oh well, the recipient won’t know any better either.  [Address:  21 Madoc St, Llandudno, Conway, UK  Tel:  01492 877 7000]

Madoc Books – This is a stunningly beautiful store, practically an art gallery of books.  It’s an antiquarian shop containing rows of shelves each filled with neatly placed and tagged leather bound books.  I walked through enjoying running my hands over the books.  While there was a smattering of literature, the focus was on history, natural history, travel, topography, religion, most with an emphasis on Wales.  There are choices in English and Welsh.  The books are pricey.  This store is for the collector or people like me, the voyeur.

There is “best” list for everything in Great Britain, one day we were fortunate to visit the “best loo in Great Britain” and while it was quite nice, as bathrooms go, we found it humorous that such an award existed. Kelsey patiently waited for me to meander around the store Read the rest of this entry »

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Housing Works Used Bookstore Cafe – New York, NY

October 1, 2010 in essay, short story, used books by Kim | 2 comments

Fighting AIDS One Book at a Time

I don’t know of another bookstore in the US like Housing Works Bookstore Cafe.  The entire premise is to raise money for AIDS programs; it’s a thrift store for books.  I keep thinking I must have been in other ‘charity’ bookstores (other than at a library), but can’t come up with one.  To date, Housing Works has helped over 20,000 men, women, and children with AIDS/HIV.  The public contributes in a variety of ways.  Housing Works offers memberships.  For example, a $60 annual fee entitles the member to 10% off all purchases.  Book donations stock the store, in fact there was a table of books donated by Chronicle Books, but unlike most used bookstores, the public is actually giving the books to the store without receiving a credit.  If that was an option in LA, I’d happily give my books to a charity bookstore (I already give my books to the library, but I’m open to spreading the love).  And, of course, you can do what I did-buy books and eat there.

The Bookstore

It’s all for a good cause, but is it a good bookstore?  You bet.  The atmosphere is used store perfection:  wood floors, dark bookshelves, open space for lounging or holding events, a wide selection.  In the essay section I found a volume of Michel de Montaigne’s Essays that has been on my ‘to be purchased’ list for over a year.  In classics I found Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time which I passed up the day before at Posman Books.  The book was discounted and it was for a good cause, so I succumbed.  But the prize was waiting for my in the short story section.  A book rack displayed recommended books and there was Nathan Englander’s For the Relief of Unbearable Urges. Half an hour earlier, I was shopping at McNally Jackson and almost bought Englander’s book; at Housing Works I practically lunged for the book wondering why no one had snatched it before me.

Why my reaction to Englander?  A few weeks earlier, Claire e-mailed me and said I had to read Englander’s story in the New Yorker’s 20 under 40 issue.  People tell me I have to read stuff all the time, and I love hearing recommendations, but often it feels overwhelming to add them to the sea of books on my desk.  But, Claire isn’t the biggest fan of short stories, so I paid some attention.  When she asked the next day if I had read the story and sent me the link, I knew I needed to read it.  It’s gut wrenching and  impeccably written, Claire describes it best in her post.  Needless to say, I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found it, I almost took a picture of it to send to Claire.

Any used bookstore where I can pick up two books I passed up at regular prices within 24 hours of seeing them qualifies as a good bookstore in my opinion.  Plus, they serve a mean quiche.  Check out the two amusing signs I found in the store.  FYI, Housing Works and McNally Jackson are less than two blocks apart, making for a nice duo excursion.

If you know of other charity bookstore, other than those associated with libraries, please tell us about them!

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe

126 Crosby Street

New York, New York   10012

Tel:  212.334.3324

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