galleries

[calimac]

1. Huge-scale photos of (mostly) huge independent bookstores. Distressingly, I know only three of these eleven stores. Four are in cities I haven't visited in recent years, but the other four I don't know are in cities where my visits are distracted by other bookstores. In Portland, I'm usually at Powell's; in Chicago, at ... Powell's (the stores are not related, but the Powells they're named for are). Neither of those are pictured here, but Smith Family in Eugene is. Aside from the Portland Powell's, which is really a different kind of store, this is one of the two most awesomely endless collections of worthwhile used books I've ever been in, and the other one no longer exists.

The other two stores I know, Elliott Bay and City Lights, are the kind of new book store worth visiting even if you have a good one at home, because these stores have character, which includes each having its own distinctive style of selecting books on display and on the shelves. Browsing will bring your attention to things you might otherwise never see. Elliott Bay's selection is at least moderately to my tastes, City Lights' much less so, as it happens; but every such store should serve its own audience. I miss Cody's in Berkeley, which zeroed in on mine the best.

2. Scenes from Mike Nichols movies. I've seen most of these, and most liked Charlie Wilson's War, though Angels in America was awesomely impressive; and that final scene from The Graduate is a real kick and worth the rest of the movie. My favorite Nichols film of all isn't in the gallery: Primary Colors, which really captures the book and is sometimes even cuter. (The Graduate is altogether much better than the book.) But - getting back to the gallery - though I know I saw Carnal Knowledge some time long ago, I cannot figure out what those characters are talking about.

Comments

[eddyerrol.livejournal.com]

I've only been to Annie Bloom's books once (I live right outside of Portland), and that was to see Douglas Anderson give a presentation (he was promoting the publication of the second edition of his Annotated Hobbit book, circa 2002). Cool independent bookstore.

[k6rfm.livejournal.com]

Some of these reminded me of the old Kepler's in Menlo Park. The new Kepler's is OK, I guess, but I haven't been in it since it was cut in half. (Not *because* of the downsizing, I just don't seem to go to downtown MP anymore.)

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Kepler's was never as much to my taste as Cody's, and it's never been the same since its abortive closing. I still go there when I'm in MP, which is fairly often, but Books Inc. is my first-line independent bookstore now.