The joys of second hand bookshops

By ramedrake · Jun 3, 2011 · 599 · 4
  1. In the current turmoil of long work hours and stressful studies, not to mention the on coming heat of the summer (it's the third day of June and already Tokyo is like an armpit) it's nice to have some place i can kick back and forget about everything else. That place for me is my local second hand bookshop. Every time I go in there is like a delightful treasure hunt searching for unknown gems that lurk in every cranny. Having spent nearly two years living in a town where the only books in English were John Grisham novels, Samurai philosophies, back copies of One Piece or biographies of Obam it is a wonderful breath of fresh air to be able to walk into Blue Parrot and browse to my hearts content.
    The month before last, the great quake caused the shop to close temporarily and I was in a panic about whether this meant that the lovely girl who works there on Fridays (the day of the quake) was hurt as the books pilled high all around toppled on top of her. Luckily she was fine, but the overburdened shelves weren't hence the closure.
    I love books I always have, the new, the old the dog eared, the pristine it matters not. I love them I want them and if I could survive purely on oxygen I would spend my last penny on them and form myself a castle made from piled paperbacks and a protective roof fashioned from Folio edition histories. Sitting naked and gleeful amdist the different tomes I would feel like I didn't need a thing.
    Friday is the best day of the week, not because its the weekend (I work saturdays) but that is the day I go to the Blue Parrot and find some new wonder to get me through the week. Today its Kafu Nagai's Geisha in Rivarly. I can't wait. :D

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  1. Banzai
    Ironically, I think second hand books are very bad for the bookselling business.

    Firstly, books are generally priced a long way under their face value (such as places like Oxfam, which sell books for a pound or two). This worryingly has helped lead to a view of the public that books are worth that much. Hence people complain when bookstores charge a sustainable price, and when ebooks aren't dirt cheap. The fact is that a lot of work has gone into making a book, both on the part of the writer and the publishing company, and the reason they cost around £7 a pop is because that's how much they are worth.

    Secondly, if you buy your books second hand, none of the money from it goes to anyone who made it. The writer gets nothing from the sale of a second hand book. As someone who enjoys writing and reading fiction, that makes me more than a little uncomfortable.

    I understand why people like second hand books. Any book lover would be thrilled at the idea of such a bargain. But I think a lot of people don't understand the drawbacks inherent.
    Banzai, Jun 3, 2011
  2. art
    Delightful!

    In a few hours I'm about to make my monthlyish pilgrimage to my favourite second-hand shop..which has a wonderful cream tea shop right next door. Perfect.

    A very handy means of keeping on top of numbers..I'll get rid of seven today and maybe buy about five. With first-hand purchases it means my collection doesn't become (too) unmanageable.

    Second-hand shops - the good ones - feed a love of books which gives rise to more book buying. I would spend less on new if I spent less on old.
    art, Jun 3, 2011
  3. ramedrake
    Banzai, you do make some good points but I'm tended to agree with art more. Yes, they can get you accustomed to paying less for a book but if the shop is a good one, they will treat the collection they have with as much respect as a first hand supplier and help to give people a love of reading.
    I think its the same principle in listening to CD's you copied off your mate rather than buying them brand new; in principle you aren't paying for it but convenience and other factors allow it, but you are listening to the music and you are reading the writers work which can lead to an interest in their stuff and a willingness to buy it. I got my first copy of the Sandman at a library sale for 80p, within the year I had bought the entire collection and most of Neil Gaiman's other work first hand.
    Also with the example of Oxfam, many second hand shops are often related to charity (the Blue Parrot is not) so I'm sure the writers themselves don't begrudge the fact they lose out too much if that two pounds is doing something to help some one less well off. Perhaps I'm being over optimistic, I'm sure Lars Ulric would tell me where to go.
    Another thing to add is that even in Tokyo, the best book shops I've found are still lacking in certain areas. So the second hand book shop fills those gaps and can allow you to stumble more easily on things you might never think about looking for elsewhere.
    Thanks for the comments either way guys, first hand, second hand, third, fourth, fifth. Keep reading!
    ramedrake, Jun 4, 2011
  4. ramedrake
    Banzai, you do make some good points but I'm tended to agree with art more. Yes, they can get you accustomed to paying less for a book but if the shop is a good one, they will treat the collection they have with as much respect as a first hand supplier and help to give people a love of reading.
    I think its the same principle in listening to CD's you copied off your mate rather than buying them brand new; in principle you aren't paying for it but convenience and other factors allow it, but you are listening to the music and you are reading the writers work which can lead to an interest in their stuff and a willingness to buy it. I got my first copy of the Sandman at a library sale for 80p, within the year I had bought the entire collection and most of Neil Gaiman's other work first hand.
    Also with the example of Oxfam, many second hand shops are often related to charity (the Blue Parrot is not) so I'm sure the writers themselves don't begrudge the fact they lose out too much if that two pounds is doing something to help some one less well off. Perhaps I'm being over optimistic, I'm sure Lars Ulric would tell me where to go.
    Another thing to add is that even in Tokyo, the best book shops I've found are still lacking in certain areas. So the second hand book shop fills those gaps and can allow you to stumble more easily on things you might never think about looking for elsewhere.
    Thanks for the comments either way guys, first hand, second hand, third, fourth, fifth. Keep reading!
    ramedrake, Jun 4, 2011
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