Areas of Unrest

2 December 2006 - Used Books

I did a used bookstore run today, getting rid of 32 books and acquiring 11. Usually, I start out at McKay, but it's more or a hassle since they closed the Centreville store, and I didn't feel like driving out to Manassas. Instead, I started with C&W, who pay well and have a nice selection, but are very picky about what they take. Basically, they reject anything that doesn't have a UPC printed on the back, which rules out anything old or less old and British. They reject a certain amount of other stuff, too, with less obvious criteria. Their prices are also higher than most of the other stores, so they higher amount they pay gets washed out in the trade.

So I had plenty left to take elsewhere. In the process of which, I learned that the Falls Church branch of Burke Used Books has closed. They could still have the store in Burke, but I'd have to call and check to find out. That makes it at least the third used bookstores in the general area to have closed in the last year. The on-line stores don't have the infrastructure costs, so that isn't surprising. The problem is that it isn't very satisfying to shop for used books on-line. Sure, it's convenient if you're looking for something specific. But where's the serendipity? Where's the "a-ha!" moment as you stumble across something you've never knew existed? For example, the other day I read Bill "Spaceman" Lee's autobiography. Have Glove, Will Travel is actually his second autobiography, both written "with" (read that as "by") Richard Lally. It's a thoroughly entertaining book and, while I might have briefly heard of it if I thought hard enough, it wouldn't have been on my "to buy" list had I not been glancing over the baseball section at McKay a couple of months back.

I finished up my excursion at Hole in the Wall Books in Falls Church, which is a place I have mixed feelings about. The folks there are great and they have an interestingly quirky selection. (If I were majorly into science fiction, it would be my first stop in northern Virginia. They're also the only one of the local places with much that's truly old.) But it's hard to search through the narrow, overflowing aisles. For example, the mathematics section is pretty much just a pile of books on the floor in front of one of the shelves of mysteries. The biggest downside is that their credit system lets you use trade towards only half the price of a book. I can't complain if it keeps them in business. I should also see it as a plus that it makes me recognize I'm not really getting free books by doing trade, but it does make me more selective about what I pick up there. But it is still a reason I only go there a couple of times a year.