Unbelievably terrific sources for books, new and used

I envy you meeting McMurtry! I'm a big fan--have been since reading his earliest novels (Leaving Cheyenne, Horseman Pass By) through his recent collections of essays.

We have some excellent independent stores in Seattle: Elliott Bay Books (which sponsors readings most every night) and the University Book Store are the biggest. And there are still some quaint shops in neighborhoods, though none, alas, in mine. Good second-hand stores, too.

My main on-line source is abebooks. com, a consortium of small dealers. Great for rare and used stuff...

I use Abe too, D'art. And Amazon (Ah owes mah soul to that comp'ny store). There's something really daunting about McMurtry's store -- the shelves are very very high; there are ladders; a soft light pours in; the cats are friendly; there is almost total silence. It's amazing.

Oh, and they'll keep a list of what you're looking for... The guy is genuinely book-greedy AND book-generous. In other words, a saint!!

Seattle: Twice Sold Tales-at Broadway and John streets. Excellent selection, and tons'o'cats!
Tacoma: Don't know what its caled, its a large beige warehouse with "Books" in big friendly brown letters, right behind the Tacoma Dome.
Baltimore: "Used Bookstore Row on 38th near JHU. Also the annual Bookfest.
Denver: Tattered Cover, in the Cherry Creek Mall (Tres Yuppie mall, tres boho bookstore staff! ).

Interesring about abe, A2K affiliated with them a few days ago.

Yes, hobitbob, Twice Sold Tales is a great place, too. I live not too far away. I tend not to haunt used-book stores, but that's a good one...

Lonesome Dove remains one of my all time favorite books. (speaking of McMurty)

Regarding book stores: I receive the Edgar Hamilton catalogue every month and enjoy perusing it immensely. A wonderful variety of books and I have found some exceptional bargains. Definitely worth checking out. Even if you don't order a book, the catalogue alone is good reading.

check it out

I used to get that catalog, gustav, and I enjoyed it. I guess I didn't order frequently enough, because they stopped sending it. It's a veritable free-for-all for book lovers--though, as I recall, they're kind enough to divide the books by subject or genre...

You are correct on both counts. The books are divided nicely and they probably stopped sending you the catalog because you didn't order anything. That's why I order, at the very least, some three of four dollar bargain every month. I want that catalog.

Oh, and as long as I'm here, I have a question. Where would be a good place to find, at a reasonable price, a good book on medicine/ medical practices that was written in the 1700's. I have no interest in reproductions; I am looking for the real thing.

I am trying to (slowly) refurbish a friend's library that was destroyed a few years ago.

Library used book sales, etc. are the places I am frequenting, but do any of you know of a place that would help me find a steady source to go to when i have the money to make a few purchases?

Classics, philosophy, humor, history, etc., are what this friend had, stacked floor to ceiling.

Diane, i've had good luck with

www.harvestbooks.com

i find a few at the goodwill, salvation army and other thrift shops at times.

dear holy father
The Pennsylvania German Society has a number of reproduction textx of old Pow-wow doctors herbal remedies and hex incantations.
good for swamp fever and whatever ails the ol pontiff

Gus: the Strand Book Store in NYC is the place to start and perhaps finish your search.

http://www.strandbooks.com/home/

Good luck.



Are you researching leeches?

I could intoruduce you to my ex.....

Just checked through my "book search" list in my Favorites list and found AddAll, which is a useful comprehensive search engine for books with a little wider net (I believe) than ABE, and then a useful little list of Canadian booksellers -- http://www.ramsaybooks.com/bookstore/dealinks.html -- which may prove useful to others...

I've found that planting an inquiry with one bookseller tends to get the word out to others as well -- which is what I was doing with McMurtry. They all kind of know each other, know which collections will be up for sale soon, etc. etc...

Mikey, thanks! Harvest Books was a wonderful suggestion. I've been looking at the site and see that I can find lots there at very reasonable prices.

I love thrift stores and have already found some very good deals on old books, from Camus to Edward Abbey to Plato.

the goodwill store in somerville puts bins of them out on the sidewalk,,,it's time consuming to search thru them but sometimes you get lucky and find what you want. at a dollar to three dollars each it's worth it.

The Tacoma store is called The Tacoma Book Center. They became affiliated with abebooks sometime in the year. They usually buy $300-$500 worth of $1 books from "my" library book sale. I really, really like them! They're good customers. <Big Plug> We're having our last sale of the year on Saturday. If you have a book you're desperate for, Diane, I can look for it while I'm setting up. The TBC is an experience... I think I took Ossobuco there when she came to visit.

In Gig Harbor we have Harry Dearth's No Dearth of Books, a small storefront that houses an impressive group of books collected by Harry over his long lifetime. He's happy to look over his collection or work with his contacts all over the country to find you a book.

I didn't see that anybody mentioned Powell's in Portland. If you did, I apologize, I'm speed-reading with dire results. Powell's is a marvel -- almost a museum of books.

I'm certainly pleased to hear that Larry McMurtry is doing well with his bookstore. That's a positive in so many ways.

Mikey, I was a thrift store maven in Connecticut, but now that I'm in Denver, I have lots to learn about location and quality.

The Tattered Cover Bookstore has two Denver locations: the yuppie Cherry Creek Mall and dowtown Denver (the original store).