RobertoBologna t1_j9zt41b wrote
Knowing that the books are cheap allows you to let your curiosity lead you. A place filled with $25 books doesn’t do that.
BatheMyDog t1_ja00s5n wrote
There’s a place in Ohio called Dollar Book Swap. It’s a warehouse full of used books and every book is $1 no matter what. It’s heaven. Smelled bad. Quite musty smelling. But still heaven.
Ok-Horror-282 t1_ja3jgh6 wrote
I’d love to check that out one day. The mustier the better when it comes to bookstores imo.
bhbhbhhh t1_ja02h24 wrote
A regular bookstore's selection of books published more than a few years ago will range from okay to abysmal.
RobertoBologna t1_ja03r5w wrote
Ehh I feel it’s the opposite. I think it’s the newest books that are the most hit or miss, the ones that have been through a few printings have survived for a reason.
bhbhbhhh t1_ja0dwtw wrote
I'm not talking about the quality of individual books. I'm talking about the selection. Your Barnes and Noble will only have a sliver of the books that have "been through a few printings," while carrying a much higher percentage of the books that have recently been released.
RobertoBologna t1_ja0l9ga wrote
I don’t think it’s true that B&N has only a sliver of books that have been through a few printings. I’d guess only 20 or 30% of the store is new releases. What’s boring about a B&N is that each time you go is mostly the same experience because that other 70-80% of books gets reordered from the publisher when a copy is bought, whereas a used bookstore could have entirely new books from one visit to the next.
bhbhbhhh t1_ja0ob2m wrote
> I’d guess only 20 or 30% of the store is new releases.
80% of a regular-sized store is maybe a small percentage of the size of the building you'd need to gather up every book in the language that's been through multiple print runs. You need a warehouse.
bhbhbhhh t1_ja91cij wrote
I said “only have a sliver of the,” not “only have a small portion of the shelves be dedicated to the”
DeterminedStupor t1_ja1agw8 wrote
> Knowing that the books are cheap allows you to let your curiosity lead you.
Yes! Though I didn’t buy it second-hand, I wouldn’t have read Ulysses if it had been $18 or more. I bought the cheap Wordsworth edition for about $3, and it’s one of my favorite books now.
Niku-Man t1_ja1jhkg wrote
Also library doesn't seem to do that for most people. There's something about the potential for ownership that adds to it, like it's not just a potential source of reading material, but also a shelf/coffee table piece to display your mental prowess for years to come
RobertoBologna t1_ja1ltiq wrote
I think it somewhat depends on the library’s collection, but overall you’re right. I think a big thing is the feeling of scarcity. If you decide not to buy something at a chain store, you can expect it to be there the next time you’re there. The same is true of the library, though you may have to wait for it. At a used bookstore, that may be the only copy that ever comes into that store. If you don’t buy it and don’t write down the name/author, you may not ever be able to find it again.
Griffen_07 t1_ja5gqmk wrote
It’s the curation aspect. I volunteered at my hometown library for 4 years shelving books. After 2 I noticed the kinds of books that were stocked and what never made it through the doors. Used bookstores tend to go deeper on non-mystery/romance/thriller that form the majority of most libraries.
vivahermione t1_j9zywcv wrote
So true. That just makes me stand there frozen in indecision until I end up leaving empty-handed. 🫤
dominion1080 t1_ja3moku wrote
Yeah. The $25 shop is just for new releases. At least for me. I buy the rest of my books used.
RobertoBologna t1_ja3q76l wrote
Yup. New releases or if there’s a specific book I want to give as a gift.
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