where are the books?

Hello all,

I recently moved to the Washington D.C. area from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I
was really looking forward to having a go at all the great used bookstores
in the area.

But where are they?

I've been to a dozen or more so far, and they've pretty much all been, well,
HO HUM or else WAY too expensive for my library sale budget. I have to say
I really expected more from our nation's capital, though admittedly Ann
Arbor was a REALLY great place for used books, what with its splendiferous
almost year round library sale and all. I've been to the library sale in
Wheaton MD, by the way, and found the trash-to-treasure ratio just too
daunting.

Can anyone who lives (has lived, travels through, whatever) in the area give
me some pointers? I dig scifi and books of the Jasper Fforde type mainly,
but also like a good history section. Feel safe in disclosing your favorite
source: at my budget levels, I really won't be much competition--I just want
someplace I can go to and dream and every now and then buy something!

Thanks,
Rachel Wright

(Preston) wrote in message om...
"Rachel Wright" wrote in message rthlink.net...


Can anyone who lives (has lived, travels through, whatever) in the area give
me some pointers? I dig scifi and books of the Jasper Fforde type mainly,
but also like a good history section. Feel safe in disclosing your favorite
source: at my budget levels, I really won't be much competition--I just want
someplace I can go to and dream and every now and then buy something!

Thanks,
Rachel Wright
Rachel,
I used to live in Arlington and there was a used book store right
around the corner from where I lived. I believe it was called Book
Ends. It is in a house in a residential area within walking distance
from Clarendon Metro. I used to do the same thing there. Thanks for
bringing back the nice memory, Here is some info I picked up about it
on the web.

BOOK ENDS
(703) 524-4976
Mike & Janet Deatherage
2710 Washington Blvd., Arlington VA 22201
Fri-Mon 12-6; closed Tue, Wed & Thu
email:
View a selection of our shop inventory at:
www.abebooks.com/home/deatherage
General Stock; emphasis in History,
Military, Cookbooks and Literature
Between Pershing Drive and North 4th Street

Good luck,
Preston
Lost Archives Cafe
http://members.aol.com/lostarchives/home.html

Unfortunately BOOK ENDS got an offer they couldn't refuse on their
real estate and closed the store about 2 years ago. Here is a link to
a website of local bookstores...


http://www.wababooks.com/

One of the problems is that THE WASHINGTON AREA takes in a LOT of
area. I know Northern Va better than Md or DC so if you want
recommendations in that area let me know. You also don't say whether
you are looking for reading copies or collector's copies although your
post Wheaton Library sale makes me think you at least want clean
copies of your books. Give me more info and I'll try to steer you in
the right direction.

David

David Holloway, Bookseller

http://www.wababooks.com/

One of the problems is that THE WASHINGTON AREA takes in a LOT of
area. I know Northern Va better than Md or DC so if you want
recommendations in that area let me know. You also don't say whether
you are looking for reading copies or collector's copies although your
post Wheaton Library sale makes me think you at least want clean
copies of your books. Give me more info and I'll try to steer you in
the right direction.

David

David Holloway, Bookseller

Thanks for the great website url, David! Yes, I'm afraid I am Maryland
based, on the Prince George's side, which probably has something to do with
my lack of success (PG county being a little less chi-chi than the rest of
the suburbs). Still, I'd be willing to travel for a really great, not too
pricey bookshop, so if you have any to recommend, please do! And yes, I do
really want something a little nicer than Good, although I will take that if
it's cheap enough and well, out-of-print enough, if you know what I mean.
But I'm just not one of those people who sees a box of Reader's Digest books
and thinks "Oh! A perfect spot to search for a rare book!" I'd much rather
have a nice selection to look at.

Thanks for your help,
Rachel

You might look through http://www.geocities.com/evelynleeper/na-dc.htm
and see what looks good there.

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
http://www.geocities.com/evelynleeper
Dred Scott
Plessy v. Ferguson
Bowers v. Hardwick
RIP


Oh, yes, I've found your site very useful, but unfortunately the bookshop
turnover rate here seems to be high, and many of the shops on the list don't
seem to exist anymore.

Rachel

Unfortunately BOOK ENDS got an offer they couldn't refuse on their
real estate and closed the store about 2 years ago. Here is a link to
a website of local bookstores...


David,
Thanks for the update. It makes me a little sad to think it's no
longer there, but I understand. I was in Arlington from 1986 to 1990.
I'll strike it off my list of places to visit when I decide to return
to my old haunts.

Preston
http://members.aol.com/lostarchives/home.html

"Rachel Wright" wrote in message rthlink.net...

I recently moved to the Washington D.C. area from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I
was really looking forward to having a go at all the great used bookstores
in the area.

But where are they?



Well, you've got to go to Georgetown, Montgomery County, and Northern
Virginia. But closest to you are Bonifant Books and Second Story
Books (the Rockville warehouse store).

Also check out the Wheaton Library sale:

http://www.mont.lib.md.us/getinvolved/bookdon.asp

And keep an eye on the Washington Post's Book World (for my money, the
best weekly book review section in the country--with columns by
Jonathan Yardley and Michael Dirda):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/books/

The print version is better, though, because there are ads for used
book stores.


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

And keep an eye on the Washington Post's Book World (for my money, the
best weekly book review section in the country--with columns by
Jonathan Yardley and Michael Dirda):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/books/

The print version is better, though, because there are ads for used
book stores.

Oh, yes, I agree--in fact even when I lived in Michigan, I used to take an
afternoon a month at the library to read through that month's Book Worlds. It
has a much more personal feel than the NY Times.

I did find Second Story Books last weekend and it is immense and great. I'll
have to check out Bonifant.

Thanks, by the way, to all who have responded. I'll be a much happier bookworm
when I have some regular haunts in my new home!

Rachel Wright