Amazon has great customer service and an extensive selection, but isn’t good at stocking or finding the really obscure works, and doesn’t have a good stock of older editions (even, like, early 90’s stuff).
BN is much better with a wider selection of books, but again, I find the selection of books kind of parochial, as in books mostly of North American origin, and if not, then of the English-speaking world.
I like WH Smith because they have many more of the European-published titles which may not make it across the pond, but their customer service seems lacking, and of course, you have to wait longer for delivery! :mad:
If you are looking for foreign-language books, I like fnac.fr.
half.com is good, too. You’re as likely to find it there are anywhere else. Though they’re used.
It includes Powell’s, several of Amazon’s sites, half.com, and at least half a dozen other sites listed as selling new books. I use it all the time as my first approach to finding an obscure book.
I have been a rare book dealer and collector for some time, so my biases run towards used book sites. I like abebooks.com, with some reservations. It has an amazing breadth of books from thousands of dealers in all price ranges. I have found some incredible bargains there.
Now for my gripes. They do a lousy job of ensuring that books are removed once they are sold. I have run through ten books in a row only to find them all already sold. They also have a more minor fault. There is a function that lets you only look at new listings so you can check on a particular subject or author you have searched before. Dealers will continually update their entire inventory as new though so you get an unreasonably huge amount of listings that have been there forever.
Amazon really cannot be beat for the depth, breath and selection. I buy most of my books from them, used.
But, I’ve found, strictlybooks.com that caters to the remaindered books which I’ve scored heavily on for my insatiable urge to own buttloads of children’s books. (None of which I have read yet, but they are piled so neatly on a shelf waiting patiently.)
basbleu.com has been a delight to get lesser known books from. They cater to a more literate crowd and until recently, I just looked at their pretty catalog wondering if I could handle some of their selections (and not even the loftier stuff. mid-brain level stuff. I pride myself in my low-browness. Where’s the short bus?) Now, I am eating them right up.
May I make a recommendation? I first bought Cooper Edens’ books in the 70’s when he was a student at the U Dub (that’s University of Washington, to the uninitiated)
They are some of the most beautiful childrens’ books I’ve ever encounterd. The three I have are, “If You’re Afraid of the Dark, Remember the Night Rainbow”, “Caretakers of Wonder” & “With Secret Friends”
I don’t know if they are still in print. I don’t even know if he did any others. They are worth the search, though.
:smack:
I cant believe I forgot Daedalus.com! I have sent them sooooooooooo much money in the last year. They have the BEST S&H cost in the world. $4.95 period… long as you are in the US. Many of the clubs make you pay over 60 or so for free S&H. I like Daedulus’ policy.
Krisfer, EdwardRHamilton.com has that beat: $3.50 per order S&H. But you can’t exactly order online; you have to print out the order form and mail it in.
I also love bestbookbuys.com. Like bookfinder.com, it surveys the price over a few web retailers – and it also gives shipping & handling. I like it because sometimes the price of a book is low, but the s&h are exorbitant. I also love used books, so I use the aforementioned Powells, abebooks, alibris, etc.
