when i was little my mom used to bring us to used bookstores (among other dusty curiosities) all the time. most often we ended up in the bookbarn in niantic, ct. i won’t lie and say that i loved these saturday afternoon adventures. the store had cats and dusty books with pages that left your fingers feeling chalky. i was really more interested in browsing the selection of powdered doughnut holes they kept up front than browsing their selection of good reads. to each her own.as i’ve gotten older though, i’ve learned to love a good used bookstore. there is something so satisfying about the precision of row upon row of wooden shelves filled with books that are usually less than orderly. no two copies are alike, most are dog-eared, some smelly, but they all have a neat little spot nonetheless. i like that.
allison arieff’s post this week is delightful. i’ve never been to william stout’s architecture and design bookstore in san francisco, but it sounds wonderful.
the bookbarn tops my list of favorites for sentimental reasons, followed predictably by powell’s and strand books. but i must say that the tiny old books on front street here in wilmington, has not let me down either. what’s your favorite?
photo courtesy of the new york times.
2 Comments
I too can spend hours upon hours in a musky old bookstore. The muskier, the better, as that simply means there are more treasures and wisdom to be had.
Powell’s is just incredible…any bookstore that needs a map automatically makes it onto my favorite list. I loved Cody’s in Berkeley too, but sadly, that has since gone out of business. What kind of world are we living in when an amazing bookstore in a college town that supports local business goes out of business?
I love books and used book stores but sadly, they are disappearing. On my first trip to NYC I looked up articles on used book stores and I found that many of the ones that folks raved about are no longer around. 🙁 If the Strand ever closes it will mean the End of the World.
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