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What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

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Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#71

Post by ryanobjc »

throwaway0x7E6 wrote: post #68

nothing. physical bookstores and libraries are obsolete. they don't serve a purpose anymore. the electronic format is superior in every way - full text search, fully customizable/accessible reading experience. ebooks cost nothing to "print", transfer and store, and they don't degrade. a 500 GB SD card fits 25000 rather large 20 MB pdfs/epubs. a 16 TB HDD fits 800000. it's over. and that's a good thing.

There’s a few areas where paper is vastly superior:

Doesn’t require power to operate

The tactile experience is top notch, and makes for fast seeking in the book

You can sell or lend the book without permission from someone else

Edit: also books don’t have dynamic tracking or affiliate links or scams for getting you to buy something - this is more apropos to websites. Still though, I hear people say that long form is dead and internet video/short form, or even blogs is the way real knowledge is passed on.

Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#72

Post by ryanobjc »

vonnik wrote: post #31

One of the great thing about the physical sites of used-book stores, which I've never seen replicated in an online store, is their ability to surface books you'd never know to look for. It's not just curation, but the accumulation of curation over many years, and the willingness to leave interesting books on the shelves to wait for the right reader. Great second-hand book stores are riddled with wormholes into past c…

It’s really interesting - we’ve seemingly given up on curation and discovery on the internet. There’s just too much spam and scam to really make it work. Take your average recipe website: it includes multiple paragraphs of irrelevant “background story” to delay you seeing the recipe for more ad views.

Whereas books and libraries have none of that cruft. If you want to learn something the library (or bookstore) is a much better place - the books don’t come with dynamic ads and affiliate links to encourage you to buy something.

Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#73

Post by fritztastic »

reaperducer wrote: post #49
waspight wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious, why is second hand book stores that important? I imagine that everything worth reading is available on Amazon and rated in Goodreads. I am just curious and hopefully I am totally wrong as well.

I imagine that everything worth reading is available on Amazon and rated in Goodreads. Then you should broaden your imagination. Amazon and Goodreads have barely a fraction of one percent of the books that were published. And that's just in English. It's like saying "Anything worth watching is on streaming," even though less than 5% of the world's video content ever made the translation from film to VHS to DVD to str…

I understand your metaphor in the sense that The Matrix is a scifi adaptation of the allegory of the cave. The concept that commercial/online bookstores are where items worth finding will be found is like thinking the shadows of the cave are the only thing worth seeing. You are correct, there is so much content there be found, which isn't limited/controlled by what the big market values.

Additionally those are very good points about English and streaming. There are books out there which are not translated and not digitized, which are absolutely worth reading, and will not be found anywhere besides private collections, used bookstores, flea markets, estate sales. Some of these books were originally purchased long ago and/or far away, just because they are not popular enough to be easily found does not mean they are not worh finding.

Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#74

Post by mattkrause »

reaperducer wrote: post #51
WolfeReader wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I suspect most people who claim to love them are exaggerating." I can't imagine why a person would either think, or write, this sentence. Most people are being honest when they say they enjoy a thing.

Because it reinforces his own assumptions and prejudices. It's a way of justifying a thought that is easily disproven. By portraying someone who doesn't think the way you do as a bad person (in this case, a liar), this person elevates themselves, in their own mind. It's pretty much seventh-grade logic.

A (good) public library may also scratch a lot of the same itches: you can browse the stacks, they sometimes have events and "staff picks", etc.

Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#75

Post by jakewalters »

throwaway0x7E6 wrote: post #68

nothing. physical bookstores and libraries are obsolete. they don't serve a purpose anymore. the electronic format is superior in every way - full text search, fully customizable/accessible reading experience. ebooks cost nothing to "print", transfer and store, and they don't degrade. a 500 GB SD card fits 25000 rather large 20 MB pdfs/epubs. a 16 TB HDD fits 800000. it's over. and that's a good thing.

I really can’t think of a reply but “LOL”…nothing can replace physical bookstores and libraries in particular are still very important. They provide a place to get books/newspapers/magazines for those who can’t afford an e-reader. Libraries also provide internet access to those who can’t afford it. I hope you go to your local library, get a card, and make use of the services they provide. I think it would be a great experience for you.

Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#76

Post by ryanobjc »

swayvil wrote: post #63

Have you ever thought that this whole "dream evocation and amplification via text-consumption" thing might be a dead end? I mean, 99.999% of the meaning is coming from your own head anyway. And there is this powerful and toxic illusion of "knowing", which ain't good. It's basically solipsism-opium. Might be a bad trade.

Isn’t this argument a fancier version of “civilization is dumb”?

Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#77

Post by mattkrause »

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #11
goldcd wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really think that's what the article was getting at. (although I'm not quite sure what it was trying to do)

> I'm convinced I wouldn't find anywhere in store In the “old days“ before Amazon, you would place a custom order at the book store (Not a second-hand book store) and it’d arrive a while later.

You still can!

I was interested in a book that went for $120 on Amazon; a local shop ordered for me at $80 instead. It took about a week, so maybe a hair longer than Amazon. Oddly, I found the link directly from the publisher.

Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#78

Post by fritztastic »

WolfeReader wrote: post #42
rr808 wrote: post #34

Meh, I really dont miss bookstores, and I suspect most people who claim to love them are exaggerating. I dont read as much as I used to, my local library is good and online is much cheaper and convenient. What is cool is second hand books if you can get browse for something interesting cheap that you didn't know you wanted.

"I suspect most people who claim to love them are exaggerating." I can't imagine why a person would either think, or write, this sentence. Most people are being honest when they say they enjoy a thing.

I'd chalk it up to an egocentric assumption, because it's not hard to accept people love things. I don't care much for old cars but I understand that for some people it's a huge passion they have a lot of love for and they're not exaggerating when they mention how much it means to them.

Some people (myself included) genuinely love bookstores in general and used bookstores specifically. It's not an exaggeration, if I lived near a good bookstore I would be there regularly.

Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#79

Post by pseudolus »

timst4 wrote: post #70

When you walk down the quai along the Seine in Paris, there are used book kiosks for kilometers. The bouquinistes have been there for many years and maybe they are the true enduring heart of French values. Americans consume TV like the French read books, at least in the capital. It is no surprise the overall awareness of the population is far more attuned to the realities of a modern world. America has outsourced the…

The bouquinistes might conjure up romantic notions of a book-loving French population but the reality is a little more complex. Bouquinistes are regulated and apparently are required to allocate three out of every four boxes of merchandise to books. This apparently is causing them some financial hardship as many are located in areas frequented by non-francophone tourists and, given the choice, many would prefer to sell postcards and the omnipresent models of the Eiffel Tower that everyone takes home with them. [0].

[0] https://publishingperspectives.com/2010/10/paris-seine-side-...

Re: What We Gain from a Good Bookstore

#80

Post by mattkrause »

abdullahkhalids wrote: post #57
selimthegrim wrote: post #16

I am enraged that the local anarchist secondhand bookstore and lending library was replaced right before I moved here by condos and a brunch place.

For anyone else wondering, the one in Montreal on St Laurent is still there according to Google Maps.

I thought it had turned into a spa or some such.

Will report back later--it's hot out now!

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