Buying used books was not always in fashion. On the contrary it was not considered acceptable and was looked down upon. College student and book-lovers made clandestine trips to stores that sold second hand books. Not only did their purchase of the large number of books that they wanted come cheap, the bookstores also gave them the time and space that they required to browse through various books. These trips promised an unstrained period of time with coffee, background music, a soothing flavor of the age gone by and years of paper.
But then the popular bookstores realized that there was a lucrative market in selling used books as well and soon enough the independent operator who were also booklovers themselves were shoved aside in the race to make money. The consumers also realized the practicality of the buy and are no longer embarrassed to be seen with a used book.
The result, large bookstores added a section on second hand books and more and more people flocked to it. Today buying an old book has become as frustrating as buying a brand new best seller. The pleasure of experiencing the sweet fragrance of the Victorian age at the crummy but loveable stores has become a thing of the past.
To give you a first hand experience of what happens at these stores, let me take you to a trip to one such store. After you travel through pellets of rain in maddening traffic and arrive at the magazine section in a buffed up store looking for an old edition, you realize that there are some eight people standing in front of you. There is no solace in the fact that these people are genuine buyers and shall get on with their purchases because all that they do is scratch their bottoms, talk on cell phones, rummage through the pages of magazines leaving them debased with smudges and smears or just plain simply hang around.
Since a trip to a brick and mortar bookstore has become such a thwarting experience, buying old books on the Internet seems much more convenient and comfortable. You miss the crummy but loveable ambience but can sift through many books to find the one you want in seconds. Some of the great sites that I have discovered for second hand books are listed below.
Powells.com is the site of one of the largest bookstores that spans a city block is a few stories high. Situated in Oregon you require a map to navigate. Navigating through these on the Internet seems like a better prospect than physically sailing through the sea of people.
Ebay.com helps in searching a book or periodical using the search engine
GreenAppleBooks.com is one of the latest favorites in the Bay Area. Their physical store is an antithesis of the crowded chain bookstores.
Word Power word-power.co.uk is one of the few independent online bookstores and does not receive any state or other funding to promote, or maintain.
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