Used Books Blog

The other day Dave Rosenthal, Assistant Managing Editor of The Baltimore Sun, emailed me and asked if I’d contribute to a blog post regarding the best bookstores in vacation destinations.

Following is my contribution:

This is a great topic and I always like to check out an independent bookstore while on vacation. It often gives you a real sense of what that area is like - something you won’t get at Borders or Barnes and Noble.

If you’re in San Francisco, I’d recommend City Lights Books:

City Lights Books reflects the political heritage of San Francisco and you can often see freedom of expression banners of every sort adorning the second story. City Lights is in the heart of North Beach, a focal point of the Beat genre. This is a great store, with plenty of poetry and local authors you might not find elsewhere. Please note that it is a stone’s throw away from the ‘other’ part of North Beach which is comprised of strip clubs.

If you’re going to Portland, Oregon you must go to Powell’s:

The main store is just gigantic and you can tell how passionate they are about books and about remaining independent. You could spend an entire day here without a problem. They also maintain perhaps the best independent website if you’re unable to visit in person.

In particular, I like the ongoing story of Fup the store cat. Though Fup passed on in 2007 you may keep up with Fup online here.

If you’re in Washington, DC I’d recommend stopping in at Kramerbooks & Afterwords:

This is a funky little place in Dupont Circle where you can browse books while waiting for a table in the cafe. It’s an experience and a hang out. Not a place to find the best selection but certainly a place to experience if you’re looking for a literary lunch.

If you’re in New York City you should go to The Strand:

I’ve (sadly) never been to The Strand but I know those who have and they are thrilled with the selection. How could you not when they have 18 Miles of books.

If you’re in Denver, Colorado take a look at The Tattered Cover:

This is another long established independent housed in a unique location. I’ve never been, but many have told me of their visits here and that it has character. Couple that with an obvious passion for literature and you have a winning combination.

If you’re in Los Angeles, CA and you’re into the Horror genre you must go to Dark Delicacies:

This might not be a place to take the little ones, but if you’re into Horror then this is the place to go. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Del Howison who runs the store, and you could not meet a nicer guy. Del is also an actor and author himself. Just look for the pale guy with the long white hair.

A Berkeley store that I’ve been urged to go to but haven’t (shame on me) is Dark Carnival:

“Dark Carnival specializes in science fiction, fantasy, and mystery books! We have a huge selection, a knowledgeable staff and plenty of random plastic stuff to round out your bookstore experience!”

Their Hot 100 or essential reading is a perfect match for me, including folks like Jonathan Lethem, Jonathan Carroll, Steve Erickson, Philip K. Dick, William Gibson and Neil Stephenson.

I know I’ve missed plenty others. The important thing is to visit and patronize these and other independent bookstores so that the flavor of literature in each city remains for generations to come.

Thanks to Dave and The Sun for the invite. I encourage readers to check out the other responses to this question and to contribute your own bookstore gems. Is there a dynamite bookstore in Maui? What about San Diego? I’m sure there’s a great Chicago bookstore and what about Seattle?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 8:49 am and is filed under Book News, Used Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.