Used Book Store: When Was the Most Recent Time?

[Pyan]

Lucky. There's no chance of me finding a bargain like that. At my Oxfam bookshop, the manager is very hot at working out the market value for unusual copies. A lot of those then sell online.

Which is fair enough, I suppose, given that his brief must to make as much money as possible for the charity.

 

[HareBrain]

Which is fair enough, I suppose, given that his brief must to make as much money as possible for the charity.

Yes, though knowing him quite well, I think his greater motivation is to top the sales league!

 

[Astro Pen]

Lucky. There's no chance of me finding a bargain like that. At my Oxfam bookshop, the manager is very hot at working out the market value for unusual copies. A lot of those then sell online.

Which is precisely why, generally, I don't use the big charity shops which cherry pick the good stuff before it reaches the high street. Only use the local ones which have a far richer variety and a decent chance of 'finding treasure'.
Same with auction houses. I bought a job lot of pottery for £12 because I knew it contained a hand made vase by Wedgewood master potter and designer Norman Wilson. Worth around £500. That was a nail biter but luckily no one else had spotted it. So yes, go local.

 

[mosaix]

Unfortunately the only book shop in Bridgnorth is a branch of that appalling chain W.H. Smith.

The last time I visited a second hand book store was before lockdown in December 2019 in Stratford on Avon. They had a ‘local author’ section.

 

[Ed Lake]

When was the last time you visited a used book store?* Did you buy or sell or trade anything?

I visit a local Goodwill store about once a week to look over their books, music CDs, and movie DVDs. If you are a Janet Evanovich fan, you can usually find at least ten of her books there for 99 cents or $1.99.

Mostly, though, I download Kindle and audio books from my local library's web site. I burn CDs for non-fiction books to listen to while driving. And I read from my Kindle during breakfast and lunch. I read used paperbacks and hardcover books when I know I've got a lot of free time ahead. And sometimes I listen to audio books on my MP3 player. So, on any given day I could be reading (or listening to) 3 different books at the same time.

 

[Foxbat]

We don’t have a used bookshop in town but we do have a recycling centre where folk can donate books (among other things). I usually go about once every couple of months to buy and sometimes to donate if I’ve had a purge. Last thing I bought there was a book on the history of Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers. It’s shut right now because of lockdown so haven’t been recently.

 

[Astro Pen]

Last thing I bought there was a book on the history of Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers. It’s shut right now because of lockdown so haven’t been recently.

Now that's what I call eclectic.

 

[Foxbat]

Now that's what I call eclectic.

My first ever job was with APCM so I had a curiosity that most other folk don’t have regarding that company. What was interesting was that it was actually a number of small companies acting as one larger organisation. It’s something I wasn’t aware of when I worked there. I suppose the clue is in the company name but I never questioned it at the time

 

[Extollager]

We don’t have a used bookshop in town but we do have a recycling centre where folk can donate books (among other things). I usually go about once every couple of months to buy and sometimes to donate if I’ve had a purge. Last thing I bought there was a book on the history of Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers. It’s shut right now because of lockdown so haven’t been recently.

Here's something to listen to the next time you pick up the portland cement book.

The Portland Cement Factory - John Fahey - YouTube

 

[Spade]

Probably five years ago. Our local book store used to have a bunch of great deals on books and movies but now they make so much money they have armored trucks come to take the cash and everything is overpriced.

 

[tinkerdan]

Used to go all the time until they closed several years ago. Then I went to the library to buy lib-castoffs.
Now it's just Amazon.
There is one used book store near the campus but I avoid that right now.

 

[chrispenycate]

My last actual visit must have been 2018, Kim's Bookshop in Arundel. A very cramped horizontally, four stories high with all wall space covered in shelf, including staircases, and several piles of unsorted, no catalogue. My kind of place
I was with Nesa, while Morpheus (her giant) wandered over the countryside, we crawled through a labyrinth od dusty beek. Can't even remember what I bought - always end up buying something.

 

[Extollager]

Photo from Kim's found online:

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I'm lucky enough to have two in town -- a dedicated Oxfam bookshop and another called Kim's, and I visited both in December. Most of my purchases from both are Folio Society editions. These tend to be about 30% of the list price and in many cases have seemingly never been read (in some cases are still in plastic wrapping).

Folio are lovely and keep their price well. We find around £15 to be a good guide price for most

 

[HareBrain]

Folio are lovely and keep their price well. We find around £15 to be a good guide price for most

Ooh, I've been getting most of mine for a tenner.

They do look very classy on the shelf.

 

[Astro Pen]

Of course there's this one, - but they probably won't have what you want.
Before Python there was The Last 1948 show. You can see the proto-fawlty evolving.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I went to Half-Price Books right before Covid, but I usually just go for comic books. I once did buy a book of Japanese Batman comics.

 

[Pyan]

Went to the Old Pier Bookshop in Morecambe again, still packed with books - a bit like the Colossal Cave Adventure, but actually “a maze of small, twisty passages, all different”…

 

[Astro Pen]

Went to the Old Pier Bookshop in Morecambe again, still packed with books - a bit like the Colossal Cave Adventure, but actually “a maze of small, twisty passages, all different”…
View attachment 109346
View attachment 109347

I just love bookshops like this.

 

[Pyan]

I borrowed the shop step-stool to reach a couple of books on the top shelf in a side room, (about the same height as the big volumes above the chap in the white tshirt in the picture). I'm somewhat precariously perched on the top step, moving books around to get what I want, when there's a diffident cough, and a oldish soft voice says "Excuse me, but do you have any Dostoevsky?"
First time in my life I've used the phrase: "Sorry, guv, I don't work here." He said sadly "Oh , my apologies.", so I added "The owner is sitting by the door, he'll be able to help you." "Thank you very much, young man," he said and padded off.
I saw him talking to the owner a few minutes later: he had to be at least 20 years younger than me. Made my day...