Used book stores are just about my favorite places in the world. There are certain books one never sees, or even hears about, elsewhere, but they seem to be present in nearly every single used and antiquarian book store out there. The ones I’ve especially noticed are:
[ul][li]Napoleon by Emil Ludwig[/li][li]The Importance of Living by Lin Yutang[/li][li]Mr. Britling Sees It Through by H.G. Wells[/li][li]Trelawny by Margaret Armstrong[/li][li]Syrian Yankee by Salomon Rizk[/li][li]As We Were by C.F. Benson[/li][li]My Unknown Chum by “Aguecheek”[/li][li]A Journal from Our Legation in Belgium by Hugh Gibson[/ul][/li]
These titles turn up in store after store around these parts. Specifically, Armstrong’s biography of Edward John Trelawny seems to be something no used book store can do without.
The only one of these I’ve read is Benson’s book.
I’m interested in what other bibliophile (or -phage) Dopers find with surprising frequency?
I also love used bookstores. the only trend I’ve noticed is alot of the “popular” authors; John Grisholm, Dean Koontz & so on. Why anyone buys these books new I don’t know. I get all my trashy reads from used book stores!
Last Sunday I noticed alot of the “Dr” Laura books in the self-help/psych section, though.
I’m assuming you’re talking about “serious” books, not Harlequin romances or sci-fi?
I always notice plenty of the previous year’s “tell-all” ghostwritten autobigraphy, about a year after they were on the best-seller list for a few weeks (O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman, etc.)
Also travel books–Fodor especially. They’re the upscale book and my theory is that the kind of people who buy them are the kind of people who buy them for one trip (to Hawaii, Yugoslavia, wherever) and then dump them. You don’t see Lonely Planet or Let’s Go books that often.
And there’s LOTS of Martha Stewart’s stuff out there, especially her cookbooks (which must suck). My theory is that people receive them as presents and quietly get rid of them as soon as it’s decently possible.
Jaws (Peter Benchley)
Chariots of the Gods (von Danniken)
Everything ever written by Erma Bombeck
Guinnes Book of World Records 1989
Vet In A Spin by James Herriot
Megatrends by John Nesbick
The Book of Lists #2
Megatrends by John Naisbitt, usually on the bargain rack in multiple copies.
As I have said before, I work in the largest used bookstore in New Jersey, so I guess that makes me the bibliophile that you are looking for…
Our book buyer is incredibly selective about what he buys. There is a whole arcane art to knowing what will sell and what won’t. Best-sellers of the recent past are often very slow to sell, and very numerous. It makes me sad when people come in with a bag full of what they think is “hot stuff” and we don’t buy the books, but the last thing we need is another dozen Danielle Steele novels. Especially since we already have mutiple copies of all of her books.
The used book biz is absolutely fascinating. Unfortunately, the pay is lousy, and so I am leaving after Christmas to find something else. I will miss it, though.
And yes, tevya, there’s a copy of Trinity in the .50 cent rack.