Paperback Dreams

August 26, 2008

Paperback Dreams

When Cody's Books took its last breath on June 20th, one could not help but see it as the end of an era. For the last 56 years the bookstore(s) had been a fixture of San Francisco's literary life. In 1989, the store had been firebombed during the controversy over the "Satanic Verses".

That's why we are hoping that "Paperback Dreams", a new documentary about Cody's Books and Kepler's Books, the Menlo Park indie bookstores, will soon make the rounds.

Andy Ross, the previous owner of Cody's was quoted in the SF Chronicle saying: "...when Cody's was doing quite well, independent stores had 40 to 50 percent of the market. Now they're down to about 3 percent of the market." WOW!

As someone who keeps on ordering her books from the internet...I am not sure what to say. I can't help but feel really sad about this...but I guess this is not enough!


Paperback Dreams Trailer

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Comments

Odile's picture

Point taken!Lina had blogged

Point taken!

Lina had blogged early on about another short-term option, i.e. until we make it easier to order directly from independent booksellers on this site.

It only works if you are using Firefox...I have not used it myself - as I am a Safari gal - but Lina installed it and loves it. The widget is made by www.AdaptiveBlue.com.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Richard Friedman's picture

Well, if you MUST order

Well, if you MUST order books on the internet, order them from the independent bookstores. Usually you can order a book from a local independent who can get it from the distributor in less time than it takes for books to arrive at your doorstep thru Amazon or B&N, and with no extra shipping charges. (http://booksense.org)

Or, if you really like having UPS or USPS come to your door, order them from those larger independent stores that have an full-featured online service, like Powell's (http://powells.com)

As transportation costs skyrocket, people are discovering their local businesses.

You CAN help bring the local bookstore back.