In the quest for the best e-reader, qualities such as resolution, similarity to the feel of holding and reading a book, portability and battery length are are discussed and compared. From the Kindle® to the Nook® to the iPad®, all want to become the reader of choice. There is still a technology that has 10x higher resolution, infinite battery length and 1000x more titles than all e-book readers combined. Yes, you saw this coming...real books. Nothing simulates or resonates with an book lover more than the feel, the look and even the smell of a real book. While the Kindle has 600x800 resolution (just over 100 dpi (dots per inch), a printed book has detail up to 1/1000s of an inch. A fine press book that includes actual etchings, lithographs and photographs can pop out from the text in a way nothing can simulate. While an ebook may be a great innovation and one way to consume text, the 500+ year old technology of printed books have tactile qualities that many would never trade for suitcase packing convenience. While a beautiful coffee table book of artwork from a major museum can be breathtaking and lovely, it could never compare to visiting the museum itself and taking in the artwork in person. There is a similar disconnect in reading an e-reader vs. an actual book. Millions of ebook loyalists may swear by their new toys, but lose a little bit of their souls (this is hyperbole to keep you reading...ironically on a screen).
Even with online sales, the demise of Borders books and with Barnes and Nobles pushing the Nook (which may become their own demise), physical book sellers still have loyal fans keeping them going. In the WNY area, several unique new and used bookshops still endure and are worth seeking out. On the new book front, Talking Leaves on Elmwood Ave and Main street has been a Buffalo institution since 1971. A true independent bookseller, Talking Leaves carries major publishers and hard-to-find independent and local publications. The added insight of a bright sales clerk can help guide you towards reading material that amazon recommendation algorithms would never think of.
For the used book aficionado, Greater Buffalo has some truly unique antiquarian (or just plain used) book shops worth any bibliophile's time to seek out. "Why?" you ask, "there are plenty of online book search services that have everything." the answer is there are at least 2 local bookshops who have resisted to online cataloging and selling. Bob's Olde Books on Center St in Lewiston (just a quick jaunt north of Niagara Falls) has no web site or searchable database. What this unassuming storefront within a quaint village shopping district does have is a step into the lost era of booksellers. The proprietor, poet, and human card catalog Bob Giametti can assist you, and has a backstory on just about every title in the shop. Or, if you just want to browse, there is something to be said for a selection that has not been scoured and cherry picked by every book search engine on the web. This tidy little shop packs in lots of books on classics, local history and fine Victorian bindings that you might only otherwise see in a museum. Bargains can be found but sorry no wi-fi.
Another local institution resisting assimilation into the net is Rust Belt Books on Allen St. in Buffalo. Bursting at the seams with books on every topic, their "antiquarian" section is wryly posted as "books that cost too much". Along with titles you would never imagine finding are rare poetry chapbooks and ephemera that most shops would have no idea how to catalog or list online. In both the case of Rust Belt and Bob's Olde Books, it's not a matter of not being technologically savvy or not wanting to reach a wider customer base, but rather an adherence to the notion that bookshops are more than just a place to buy the same generic selections you could find at any similar shop in anywhere USA. Part of the experience of a good used book shop is its careful curating of titles and its loyal customer base who know that every visit can turn up something new and wonderful. These types of shops may be something of a relic, but you can still visit a booksellers row in London or even Mexico City and the wonder of an undiscovered shop with a just traded in collection of the exact topic you are looking for is something to behold.
Other local shops have taken to the internet as a significant part of their business and quite possibly the reason they are still in business. This should not diminish the experience of a visit where you are physically surrounded by thousands of titles and at least a few you can't live without. Second Reader is a book lover's oasis along a busy restaurant and antique shop laden Hertel Ave in Buffalo. While they may be filling online orders when you come in, the folks here (and most independent and used bookshops) will take the time to answer whatever questions you have about their stock, or just let you browse at your own pace in peace and quiet. For Art, local history, poetry and so many other categories, there is nothing like the thrill of the hunt in discovering new (yet very often vintage) books.
The motherlode of used books in Western New York may be unknown to the masses who still think downtown Buffalo is a scary place. Old Editions books (located 3 blocks from the central library--in what is become a downtown book lovers district flanked by Old Editions (Huron & Oak) and The Central Library (Lafayette Square) is the centerpiece of the WNY Book Arts Center (Main & Mohawk) which houses Just Buffalo Literary Center and a gallery, shop and working museum dedicated to book arts and printing) Old Editions is online but walking into this multi-floor depository of books and prints is a sensory experience. If you are there at the right time, you can get a tour of the rare book room form owner Ron Cozzi. You can browse online, but if you have an few minutes, an hour or a day to get lost in stacks of books, no one will think less of you for doing so. The printed word is (not) dead. Long live the printed word.
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Even with online sales, the demise of Borders books and with Barnes and Nobles pushing the Nook (which may become their own demise), physical book sellers still have loyal fans keeping them going. In the WNY area, several unique new and used bookshops still endure and are worth seeking out. On the new book front, Talking Leaves on Elmwood Ave and Main street has been a Buffalo institution since 1971. A true independent bookseller, Talking Leaves carries major publishers and hard-to-find independent and local publications. The added insight of a bright sales clerk can help guide you towards reading material that amazon recommendation algorithms would never think of.
For the used book aficionado, Greater Buffalo has some truly unique antiquarian (or just plain used) book shops worth any bibliophile's time to seek out. "Why?" you ask, "there are plenty of online book search services that have everything." the answer is there are at least 2 local bookshops who have resisted to online cataloging and selling. Bob's Olde Books on Center St in Lewiston (just a quick jaunt north of Niagara Falls) has no web site or searchable database. What this unassuming storefront within a quaint village shopping district does have is a step into the lost era of booksellers. The proprietor, poet, and human card catalog Bob Giametti can assist you, and has a backstory on just about every title in the shop. Or, if you just want to browse, there is something to be said for a selection that has not been scoured and cherry picked by every book search engine on the web. This tidy little shop packs in lots of books on classics, local history and fine Victorian bindings that you might only otherwise see in a museum. Bargains can be found but sorry no wi-fi.
Another local institution resisting assimilation into the net is Rust Belt Books on Allen St. in Buffalo. Bursting at the seams with books on every topic, their "antiquarian" section is wryly posted as "books that cost too much". Along with titles you would never imagine finding are rare poetry chapbooks and ephemera that most shops would have no idea how to catalog or list online. In both the case of Rust Belt and Bob's Olde Books, it's not a matter of not being technologically savvy or not wanting to reach a wider customer base, but rather an adherence to the notion that bookshops are more than just a place to buy the same generic selections you could find at any similar shop in anywhere USA. Part of the experience of a good used book shop is its careful curating of titles and its loyal customer base who know that every visit can turn up something new and wonderful. These types of shops may be something of a relic, but you can still visit a booksellers row in London or even Mexico City and the wonder of an undiscovered shop with a just traded in collection of the exact topic you are looking for is something to behold.
Other local shops have taken to the internet as a significant part of their business and quite possibly the reason they are still in business. This should not diminish the experience of a visit where you are physically surrounded by thousands of titles and at least a few you can't live without. Second Reader is a book lover's oasis along a busy restaurant and antique shop laden Hertel Ave in Buffalo. While they may be filling online orders when you come in, the folks here (and most independent and used bookshops) will take the time to answer whatever questions you have about their stock, or just let you browse at your own pace in peace and quiet. For Art, local history, poetry and so many other categories, there is nothing like the thrill of the hunt in discovering new (yet very often vintage) books.
The motherlode of used books in Western New York may be unknown to the masses who still think downtown Buffalo is a scary place. Old Editions books (located 3 blocks from the central library--in what is become a downtown book lovers district flanked by Old Editions (Huron & Oak) and The Central Library (Lafayette Square) is the centerpiece of the WNY Book Arts Center (Main & Mohawk) which houses Just Buffalo Literary Center and a gallery, shop and working museum dedicated to book arts and printing) Old Editions is online but walking into this multi-floor depository of books and prints is a sensory experience. If you are there at the right time, you can get a tour of the rare book room form owner Ron Cozzi. You can browse online, but if you have an few minutes, an hour or a day to get lost in stacks of books, no one will think less of you for doing so. The printed word is (not) dead. Long live the printed word.
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I guess I'm an old geezer. I need to hold a book.