That's a pretty explanatory sentence right there, but let me go on.
There are several used bookstores in Las Vegas. Perhaps the most well-known is Dead Poets Books, but I would never go there because the owner is an asshat. Just look at him.
They used to have a website, but I can't find it anymore. One part of the site featured guidelines explaining the types of books they'd buy, which is fine; I understand it's a business. The problem was that the owner had basically used the page as a forum to condescend to the little people who couldn't possibly understand the difference between Ann Rand and Tolstoy.
Anyway, I traveled to this other used bookstore on North Rainbow that manages to survive down the street from both Borders and Barnes and Noble. I took a bag of my old books including anything from paperbacks that are now movies to out-of-print craft books. Alas, they wouldn't buy any of them because, as the sweet old lady who owns the place explained, "They won't sell anymore." Sure enough, I noted that they shelves held multiple copies of several of the books I'd brought in. What does sell, judging by the shelves, is romance novels. The "literature" is condemned to a miniscule section at the back of the store. There I saw a paperback copy of East of Eden and about two dozen fancy first editions that are out of my price range.
I lugged the sad sack of books back out to my car and drove down the street to Borders to peruse the now defunct store's inventory. It was kind of a madhouse there, since Vegas loves a sale. As I entered the store, I passed a family exiting. The teenage boy of the group exclaimed, "There's nothing to buy here. All they have is books!"
If you know me at all, you know I hate Borders and have mixed feelings about their going out of business. Clearly, this means the decline of reading, but, like I said, I hate Borders because 1)it's a chain and 2)they mostly sold toys and movies anyway. Still, I love discounted reading material. I picked up several copies of Best American Short Stories, a few lit mags, and a travel magazine for the BF. I'll be visiting again as the prices drop further.
Anyway, what I really had to deal with walking past the shelves of pawed through books was the fact that no writer deserves to have his or her life's work stamped with a huge 20% off sticker. It's depressing to see the likes of Alice Munro defamed like that. There's nothing worse than seeing surplus inventory from a writer you know and then having to face that writer later, pretending nothing is wrong. The maternal side of me wanted to buy all five copies of Fear and Loathing and hightail it out of there.
At least the books are marked down because the store is closing and not because the books won't sell anywhere. I feel bad when I get a book that is marked down because it is remaindered and then have the author sign it. I do at least make sure to remove any stickers advertising such before presenting it to the author.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking that I should try to sell all these stupid books I have laying around, but your post suggests I'd be better off donating them to the library. Or to the dumpster. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Dave, both cases are bad, but I agree that remainders are worse. And Kayla, since you're not an idiot, you probably don't have any books the bookstore will buy, although, last time I went to the used bookstore in SC, their selection wasn't too bad.
ReplyDelete