We all amor books. That's a given. But what about bookstores? What are your thoughts on them?
I'm just going to presume that you amor bookstores, and even more, independent bookstores. But in this dia and age when it is too easy to procurar for and buy books online *cough* amazonas, amazon, amazônia *cough*, I want to remind all of the wonderfulness of independent bookstores. But I also want to remind you that they are suffering. These historical and community treasures need your help!
And so I want to direct your attention to an upcoming PBS documentary called Paperback Dreams. Paperback Dreams is the story of two landmark independent bookstores and their struggle to survive. The film follows Andy Ross, owner of Cody’s Books, and Clark Kepler, owner of Kepler’s Books, over the course of two tumultuous years in the book business.
"In the last decade, competition from big chains and the internet has put booksellers in a vice. Half the independent bookstores in America closed in the 1990s. But in the 1960s, bookstores like Cody’s and Kepler’s redefined intellectual life, democratized literature, and helped launch a counterculture. Publishers were putting the classics into cheap paperback editions for the first time. Literature—once the purview of academics and elites—was suddenly affordable for the masses. Most established booksellers dismissed the new editions as drugstore pulp. Their indifference allowed a new kind of store to emerge, and it opened the door to a new breed of bookseller." -Paperback Dreams website
And so, please set your digital recorders and TiVos to record Paperback Dreams this autumn. You'll be reminded on how wonderful they are and hopefully you'll locate your nearest store and visit.
link
I'm just going to presume that you amor bookstores, and even more, independent bookstores. But in this dia and age when it is too easy to procurar for and buy books online *cough* amazonas, amazon, amazônia *cough*, I want to remind all of the wonderfulness of independent bookstores. But I also want to remind you that they are suffering. These historical and community treasures need your help!
"In the last decade, competition from big chains and the internet has put booksellers in a vice. Half the independent bookstores in America closed in the 1990s. But in the 1960s, bookstores like Cody’s and Kepler’s redefined intellectual life, democratized literature, and helped launch a counterculture. Publishers were putting the classics into cheap paperback editions for the first time. Literature—once the purview of academics and elites—was suddenly affordable for the masses. Most established booksellers dismissed the new editions as drugstore pulp. Their indifference allowed a new kind of store to emerge, and it opened the door to a new breed of bookseller." -Paperback Dreams website
And so, please set your digital recorders and TiVos to record Paperback Dreams this autumn. You'll be reminded on how wonderful they are and hopefully you'll locate your nearest store and visit.
link
