book buyingest place on the planet
Topic 8 · 8 responses · archived october 2000
~terry
Fri, Nov 15, 1996 (03:47)
seed
Austin - the stats show - has the highest per capita
book purchasing in the world. Folks buy more books
per person here than anywhere else.
Bookstores abound. Bookpeople. BookStop. The Co-op.
Borders. Barnes and Noble. Half Price. Who did I forget?
What book did you buy recently? Where do you go
for your books? Why do folks buy so many books here?
What are you reading now?
8 new of
~aubrey
Tue, Apr 8, 1997 (19:20)
#1
I mostly bought at Half Price (tho I tried to boycott as much as possible given their mingy miserly buy-back rates--they're not even a joke, they're insulting!); otherwise nowadays I browse at Bookpeople but being a poverty-stricken slacker of course I can't afford to actually BUY! The only store you've left out is that one whose name escapes me now so perhaps I should shut upn(their logo was an owl, was their name Smith or something? they were on or near the drag and then moved just South of campus down
by the ACC campus...man I'm blanking.) Isn't there a Bookstop at the Central Market? They's actually ok, if you (1) buy a lot of books and (2) get one of their cards. So insummation I would have to say your best bet is...THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY!!!
~terry
Wed, Apr 9, 1997 (03:52)
#2
I think the one you're talking about closed down. BookPeople
may possibly be the largest bookstore in the world, it's surely
the most interesting to visit with the opulent sitting areas, and
metaphysical influence from the old BookPeople on South Lamar that
was it's forerunner. Did you ever visit there Aubrey?
Aubrey, when are you planning a visit to Austin?
~aubrey
Mon, Apr 14, 1997 (14:12)
#3
I want to visit SOON but it seems like every time I plan a trip something trips me up. I never got to the old BookPeople (didn't know there was one! wish I hadn't missed it) but I've spent some time in the new one, and it certainly is big. Big, big, big. Now I'm being mean--no, it's nice, too. I like the...well, like you said, metaphysical influence, lots on tarot, astrology, feng shui (some current book interests of mine). Champagne taste on a beer budget, tho. I'll have to look for that other "sm
th" store--too bad my direction sense is entirely based on landmarks which (see enviro topic!) constantly shift! I know vaguely where it was (near my old vet!). They had lots of first editions, poetry collections, stuff for specific interests. Probably got driven out of business by the megastores for the masses, like you said!
~terry
Tue, Apr 15, 1997 (04:26)
#4
That's what happened. Hmm, their name is on the tip of my tongue but I
can't quite pull it out of the old memory banks.
~aubrey
Thu, Apr 17, 1997 (18:45)
#5
I'm convinced it was Garner and Smith, with a little owl logo on their shopping bags. I could be wrong....
~terry
Fri, Apr 18, 1997 (04:33)
#6
No, that's it. Garner and Smith. Too bad they got squeezed out by the big
boys,
~terry
Fri, Oct 17, 1997 (14:20)
#7
I'm not sure what topic to put this, we don't have an obits topic.
James Michener. 1907-1997.
James Michener died yesterday at age 90. Author of many epic books
like Texas, Hawaii, Space, etc. he gave heavily to all the other arts
around Austin. He gave $60 million for the arts at UT.
The funeral is at 2:30 today at Westminster Presbyterian Church, and
is public.
He had lived in West Austin for the last 12 years.
~stacey
Fri, Oct 17, 1997 (17:47)
#8
He took himself of dialysis from what I understand. A long, prolific life, just
like his written creations.