Flutterby™! : Indie bookstores 2006-05-19 18:09:33.980226+00

Indie bookstores

2006-05-19 18:09:33.980226+00 by Dan Lyke 3 comments

Hey, look, seven years after I ranted on Flutterby with Requiem for the Independent Bookstore, the mainstream media catches up: Tyler Cohen: What Are Independent Bookstores Really Good For? Not much. (via Rebecca Blood)

#Comment Re: made: 2006-05-19 20:59:26.586828+00 by: ziffle [edit history]

hhhmmm The City Lights book store in San Francisco now bans books it does not like. Maybe an independent book store is not all it's cracked up to be.

The store's Web site proudly declares that the place is "known for our commitment to freedom of expression," but they wil not carry the best voice for freedom in Europe today, Oriana Fallaci.

I just finished her book, the 'Force of Reason' and also the 'The Rage and the Pride' chronicaling the takover of Europe by Islam, and she is right - and the US is next.

So why does a bookstore dedicated to all books, decide not to carry a book advocating freedom? At least its a private business. Our public Libraries and the way they are erasing our memories is another story for another day.

The value of any bookstore that doesn't try to be comprehensive (and I think only Powell's and Amazon try to be comprehensive) is that of filtering: I don't want a huge selection at my local bookstore, I want books that appeal to me.

Even back when I found little more appealing than haunting a new bookstore, City Lights has never had a selection that appealed to me; I was never a fan of Jack Kerouac

, never got into beat poetry, and find a lot of the sorts of literature they carry tedious. So: yeah, whatever. Lots of folks say things I don't agree with in their marketing literature, and lots of stores carry merchandise I think is crap and can't get merchandise I think is quality (think "Toys-R-Us").

#Comment Re: made: 2006-05-20 06:47:32.83639+00 by: meuon [edit history]

It's little places like it's a Novel Idea that I like. Karen carries new stuff, pre-read, collectibles, and a healthy selection of alternative literature including a collection of gay/lesbian writer/topic fiction. She both talks about what she's read (a LOT), and asks you about what you liked and why. It's a neat little place, and serves a nice niche well. That is what 'small local' stores of any kind are about, an extention of the owners personality and customer service.