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The Perfect Bookstore

A confession: books were losing their appeal to me. Not their contents, but in terms of the physical artefact. I’ve been working with books in one way or another for around 8 years now, so they were becoming… mundane. Nothing special. This is surprising, because when I first started out, I loved books greatly. I adored their smell. I loved the sense of being surrounded by thousands of ideas by thousands of writers, no matter how niche their interests.

Somewhere over the years, that affection disappeared. Has that happened to anyone else?

Writing books, perhaps, contributed to that a little – in that self-depreciating sense that if I could write one of these, then it no longer seemed special. Also, when you enter a bookstore, as a published writer you’re all of a sudden concerned about whether or not the store has a copy of your book, how many they have, was it on offer, and so on. Visiting a bookstore when you’re an author can become something of a self-indulgent trip if you’re not careful.

Then I visited the Strand Book Store in New York, which has 18 miles of shelves. That’s a lot of books, from new-ish releases to antiquarian books on the top floor. And, pretty quickly, in another city, far away from my own concerns, I remembered why I loved books. It was incredible to be surrounded by so many tomes, so many forgotten writers, to wander through those maze-like shelves. There was an energy about the place. Something clicked.

The place reminded me of how bookselling should be (and used to be like): not stacking discounted items high in a race to the bottom of the industry. Instead, books were displayed everywhere according to what staff wanted or recommended rather than some central list. That made for a lot of fascinating browsing. There were loads of friendly booksellers on hand, too. The entire building seemed like a book haven, with a strong community feel: something buying online or ebooks can’t provide. You can just tell when a bookstore is loved by people – because it’s full of customers even in the middle of the week.

Needless to say, I bought loads of books (things on Roman history and law, related to a future project), but I didn’t even think about what I was spending because it was just so pleasant to stand in a place that clearly loved books. I thought it was pretty much the perfect bookstore. If you ever happen to be in New York, you must pay a visit.

And if anyone else knows of some hidden gems, then please share…

By Mark Newton

Born in 1981, live in the UK. I write about strange things.

10 replies on “The Perfect Bookstore”

I had a very similar reaction to The Strand as well first time I went there two years ago. It is a brilliant place, isn’t it? I went back last year and got loads of books – and they are so cheap too. AND they have the best YA section (although the SF could be better.) not to mention awesome cool gifts as well, bags, tshirts etc. Ok, enough with the gushing, I am not being paid for this comment I swear.

 I thought it was pretty much the perfect bookstore. If you ever happen to be in New York, you must pay a visit.
Quite, Mark, quite.  On some days off, I would take the subway to Union square and work my way down Broadway, the Strand a beloved stop on that journey.

Great post Mark.

I agree: I love books. I love their feel, texture, smell and memories. I love browsing through them and revisiting places that I last imagined as a kid. You just don’t get this kind of nostalgia reading an e-book. So it was both a sad goodbye but also an extremely welcome development when my
debut novel launched on Kindle recently. Being the reluctant environmentalist that I am, I made the leap to e-book as, overall, they are much better for the environment and I can sleep a little easier at night knowing I have an eco-friendly option to offer to my readers.

Thanks, O.C.! 

Yes indeed. Of course, that is once you remove the environmental impacts of your e-reader. 🙂  I wonder if anyone has looked at the environmental impacts of various types of books. Second hand books are probably the best (though don’t give authors any money, of course!)

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