Terry On Books Blog

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Visit my website at:
www.stillmanbooks.com

Remember, the only book purchase you’ll ever regret
will be the one you didn’t make.

Chapter Two: Buying Inventory for a Used Bookstore

Originally published in the October 30, 1995 issue of
AB Bookman’s Weekly, a Magazine for the specialist
book world.

To see this second chapter of advice for aspiring first-timers
entering the used-book business, follow this link to my
website:
www.stillmanbooks.com/bookstore2ndchapter.htm

Although it is thirteen years old, I think that the advice
in this series of articles is still relevant today. Therefore,
I’ve reprinted the second chapter in its original form, with
the exception of a couple of Author’s Notes regarding
dollar figures and popular authors.

Six more chapters to follow over the next few weeks.
I hope you enjoy them and perhaps derive some practical
use from them.

Please visit my website for the opportunity to choose
from more than 3000 unique books:
www.stillmanbooks.com

Remember, the only book purchase you will
ever regret is the one you didn’t make.

Talk soon.

Well, it seems the word is out…yes, my wife and I have
separated after nearly twenty-five years together.
Another bookseller relationship bites the dust! She
decided to cut her losses and move on to a bookless future.

Cops, movie stars and booksellers–those are three
tough professions for relationship longevity. I guess
I was luckier than most, but like all long-term conjunctions,
when they end, it’s hard to accept the finality and the reality.
And it’s a little difficult to get through the sadness, but
most people do, and I guess I will too.

You know what? Concentrating on books helps!
I have most of my inventory shelved again. Funny thing
though…I haven’t bought many new books during my move,
and yet, I find myself with too many books for my shelving.
How’s that happen? Now I need to buy more shelves. Plus
I’ve still got my main storage locker of books to move to a
storage facility closer to where I now live.

I’m doing a show on April 25th and April 26th at the
Queen’s Park Arena off McBride in New Westminster.
It’s called “The Fraser Valley Antiques and Collectable Show”
and I have rented tables #70 and #71 to display and sell
a cross-section of my book inventory, as well as some
toys, prints and ephemera (it’s amazing what I found packed
away in the garage). If you’re in the Greater Vancouver
area that weekend, please drop by and check out the show:
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
(I could use your money to help pay my new rent.)

So, I’ve been busy unpacking boxes with one hand and
packing boxes with the other; hoping that the books and
things that I’m repacking will be the right stuff for the show.
When the show is over and I have my storage locker contents
transferred closer, I’ll be able to concentrate on obtaining some
new stock and updating my website; so, please, be sure to
check it out in May. I know it’s tax time, but hey, maybe you’re
getting a refund!

I’m still managing the “Jolly Olde Bookstore” in Port Moody
and I’m there Tuesdays to Fridays so please drop in if you’re
in the area. The store is getting better and better, and Brian
and I expect this to be a breakout year. A heartfelt “thanks”
to all you men, women, teens and children who became new
customers in 2008 and so far this year. Keep spreading the word!

It may be six months out-of-date, but my website is still up-
and-running and open-for-business, so check it out when you
have a little spare time:
www.stillmanbooks.com

Talk soon.

Remember, the only book purchase you’ll
ever regret will be the one you didn’t make.

Thanks to all of you who participated in my January
stock reduction sale! Now, I’m busy packing up all
of my books to move to a new location.
Because of this move, over half of my inventory will
not be available until around the middle of March.
Also, I’m unlikely to have time to work on my blog.
Please bear with me, I’ll be back.

Talk then.
Please feel free to check out my website still.
If the books you want are temporarily unavailable,
I’ll gladly put a hold on them for you and notify you
when I can ship. I’ll even offer a 10% discount for
any book orders that are delayed for this reason.

Peruse the more than 1000 children’s and illustrated
books on my website, as well as more than 2000 other
books of merit, at:
www.stillmanbooks.com

Remember, the only book purchase you’ll ever regret
is the one you didn’t make.

Last Thursday evening, I attended a lecture (i.e. talk)
by Nicholas Basbanes at the Vancouver Museum. It
was a memorable event.

Nicholas Basbanes is perhaps the leading modern
proponent and chronicler of the “book culture” of
the Western World. His books, including “A Gentle
Madness”, “Patience & Fortitude”, “Among the
Gently Mad”, “A Splendour of Letters”, “Every Book
Its Reader”, and “Editions & Impressions” are
engrossing studies of the history of the book, the
power of the book and the talents, passions and
idiosyncrasies of the myriad of people intimately and
obsessively involved in the book world, including
booksellers, collectors and librarians of yesteryear
and today.

As I listened to Basbanes relate several of the
fascinating stories included in his writings, I felt his
enthusiasm and dedication to books flow through
me, revving up my own engines of book lust and
invoking my personal passion to get out there and
discover many more books of importance and rarity.
And it wasn’t just a desire to find more great books,
for myself and others, but also a need to read more
great books, read about more great books and
about great book collections.

As I said to Nick after he’d finished speaking, “I
always enjoy listening to someone who knows more
about books than I do”. After thirty-five years in
the book business, one thing I know for sure…
there’s so much more to learn. Listening to Nick
Basbanes and looking through the books he has
written merely confirms the notion.

Nick’s first book, which took eight years for him
to research and write, “A Gentle Madness:
Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion
for Books”, was first published in 1995 and it has
gone through nearly twenty printings and sold more
than 250,000 copies. When I heard that Nicholas
Basbanes was coming to Vancouver, I searched
my “books on books portion” of my personal library
for my copy of  “A Gentle Madness” which I had
purchased five or six years ago. I thought that I
had a first printing of the book, but when I’d
located it and opened it, I discovered that I actually
owned a second printing. Oh well, it would still
be nice to have it signed. Thus, I took it along when
I went to hear its author speak in Vancouver.

When I told Nick about having a second printing
when I thought I had a first, he commented that
actually the second printing was more scarce. In
surprising manner, the first printing of 5800 copies
sold out quickly, and a second printing of just
900 copies was rushed onto the market to fill
the void. He also pointed out to me two full pages
and parts of two other pages of text that were
removed from the book by the publisher before
the third printing was issued and the deleted text
never appeared in any subsequent editions. If
you’re a bibliophile like me, you eat up this stuff!

Then, Nick asked if I’d like my copy to be certified
a “first printing”? I said, “Sure!” He proceeded to
turn to the copyright page and he added a “1″ and
an asterisk to the end of the number line. Below,
with asterisk, he added the note:
“I hereby declare this an official First Edition”
and added his initials.

Nick asked me next if I wanted a signature or an
inscription (some author’s today will only offer an
inscription because it makes the book somewhat
less saleable than with just a signature) and I said
that since this volume was remaining in my personal
library, that I’d welcome an inscription.

I gave Nick my name and jokingly said that I
like to tell people that my ancestors “manned the
stills”. So this is what Nick wrote:
“For Terry Stillman–
Bookseller in Vancouver–a man whose
ancestors “manned the stills” (this from a man
whose name in Greek is “winemaker”–
with regards and best wishes
for many years of happy hunting.
Nick ”
I laughed when I’d seen what he had written
and said, “We make a great pair. Who’s
buying the first round?”

Nick then proceeded to write his full name on
the title page, plus place and date. When he got
to the date, he confirmed with me that it was
the 30th. I said yes, I’d remarked to his wife
that tomorrow was Halloween and they would
be spending it in Victoria. So Nick added in
brackets “(Day Before Halloween)”. He’s a
literal guy, and I said, “gee, you must make
copious notes when you’re researching”!
At any rate, that’s one special copy I now
have of “A Gentle Madness”.

Constance (Connie) Basbanes, Nick’s lovely
and vivacious wife, although not a book
collector herself, is obviously a good sport
as she has to cope with her husband’s
“houseful of books” that has accumulated
over the years. Connie and Nick write a
monthly review of children’s books for
Literary Features Syndicate which they
established in 1993. They are both dedicated
to the encouragement of reading in young
people. With their first grandchild on the way,
I can only assume that lucky girl or boy is
going to have one heck of a personal library.
Connie mentioned that there were lots of
children’s books in the house, so I suggested
that birthdays and holidays wouldn’t just mean
a gift of one or two books. Connie said “No,
I’ll be giving them by the box!”

Check Nicholas Basbanes’ website:
www.nicholasbasbanes.com
or,
www.agentlemadness.com

Nick’s most recent book, “A World of Letters:
Yale University Press, 1908-2008″ is being
released this month. Nick received a few
Advance Copies while he was visiting Vancouver
this past week.

Nick and Connie, it was so great meeting you
both, and thanks for the wonderful evening. Too
bad you live all the way over there in Massachusetts;
I wouldn’t mind seeing that cellar of books.

Please take some time to visit my website:
www.stillmanbooks.com
for hard-to-find children’s books, aviation,
Canadiana and more.

Remember, the only book purchase you’ll
ever regret will be the one you didn’t make.

Talk soon.

Chapter One: Getting Started
Originally published in the October 9, 1995 issue of
AB Bookman’s Weekly, a Magazine for the specialist
book world.

To see this first chapter of advice for aspiring first-timers
entering the used-book business, follow this link to my
website:
www.stillmanbooks.com/bookstore1stchapter.htm

Although it is thirteen years old, I think that the advice
in this series of articles is still relevant today. Therefore,
I’ve reprinted the first chapter in its original form, with
the exception of a couple of Author’s Notes regarding
dollar figures and popular authors.
For instance, in the 1995 publication, I suggested that
$25,000 to $30,000 would be an appropriate amount
for setting up a used-book store. I’ve added the
following caveat:
(Author’s Note: 2008 equivalent for setting up a used-book
store, probably $75,000-$100,000.)

Seven more chapters to follow over the next few weeks.
I hope you enjoy them and perhaps derive some practical
use from them.

Please visit my website for the opportunity to choose
from more than 3000 unique books:
www.stillmanbooks.com

Remember, the only book purchase you will
ever regret is the one you didn’t make.

Talk soon.

For any of you who have been paying attention,
you’ve noticed that I haven’t begun reprinting my
book on opening and operating a bookstore. Turns
out it’s a little more work than I had considered,
mainly because I’d forgotten that I had prepared
it long before I had a computer, on my reliable
1960’s Royal typewriter, so I don’t have any
handy files that I can just “copy and paste”. I
actually have to retype the whole damn thing
into my computer in order to put it on my blog,
or at least on my website so I can link it to
my blog.

You guessed it: I’ve been dragging my feet,
putting it off, saving it for later. I am going to
try, really try, to have the first chapter typed
up and available by a week tomorrow at the
latest. So, for those who are interested, check
back then.

The other reason that I haven’t found the time
to retype even the first chapter is that I’ve been
working at The Jolly Olde Bookstore in Port
Moody–firstly two days a week, then three, then,
for the past three weeks, four days a week.
Working there has been satisfying, productive,
and remunerative, but time-consuming.

The owner, Brian Sword, and I and the other
staff have been reorganizing, expanding, and
improving the store over what it was like a
year ago. It’s getting better and better every
month and attracting new customers literally
every day. If you live in or are visiting anywhere
in the Greater Vancouver area and you like
books, you owe it to yourself to pay us a
visit. The store’s in a lovely heritage building
at 2419 Clarke St. in Port Moody, along the
railway tracks, and it’s open seven days a week.

Review of Exit Music by Ian Rankin

After having it sit on my “to-read shelf” for several
months, I decided to get to it and finish off the
Scottish crime fiction saga featuring Detective
Inspector John Rebus; “Exit Music” being his
swan song. Now that I’ve read it, there’ll be no more
Rebus books to anticipate and to savour; at least
not until 2014, when his author has stated that he
may bring Rebus back on board as a consultant.
Rebus would be sixty-eight by then, if he doesn’t
drink himself to death in the meantime.

Predictably, Exit Music is another good read from
Ian Rankin. Our three main characters are here, as
well as a few we’ve met before and a couple of
newcomers. DS Siobhan Clarke is slowly and
competently taking over the reins of the two
related murder investigations in progress as Rebus’s
last day looms large. Big Ger Cafferty floats in and
out of the picture, irritating the hell out of Strawman.

Not surprisingly though, Rebus still has considerable
input in the solving of both cases, despite being
somewhat handicapped by his latest and last
suspension from duty.

Exit Music is another dark, seedy story that Rankin
fans are sure to enjoy, although saying goodbye to
our old friend, John Rebus, as he reluctantly accepts
retirement, is a sad ending indeed. No doubt I’m
speaking for many of you when I say that in a year
or two, I’ll probably begin reading the Rebus books
over again, in anticipation of his resurrection in 2014.

Review of Missing Justice by Alafair Burke

Yes, if you’ve read the novels of James Lee Burke
featuring Dave Robicheaux, then the name “Alafair
Burke” is going to sound familiar. The first name is
the same as Robicheaux’s adopted daughter, and,
of course, the last name could make Alafair Burke
the daughter of James Lee, which it does.

Two of my customers whom I turned on to the
writing of James Lee Burke each said that she had
read one of Alafair’s books and was disappointed.
It just didn’t measure up to her father’s books.
Because of their less than stellar comments, I did
not expect that I would enjoy a book by Alafair
either.

Alafair Burke’s debut novel wasn’t available so I
read her second novel, “Missing Justice”, a pun on
the disappearance of a Portland Oregon Judge.
Alafair is a former Deputy District Attorney in
Portland and her character, Samantha Kincaid
has been recently promoted to Deputy District
Attorney in Portland. As they always say: “write
about what you know”; so Alafair has started
off right. Also, there’s no question that she can write.
Her prose doesn’t have the visual impact of
her father’s, but I certainly found the book
interesting enough to finish.

I liked Samantha Kincaid, but my one criticism
of her is that she tried to do way too much on her
own, instead of–as a Deputy District Attorney
would probably do–directing the police to follow
the clues and take the risks. But then that seems
to be the fault of a lot of modern heroines. Having
said that, I’m looking forward to going back and
reading Alafair’s first book, “Judgment Calls”,
and any more recent titles.

So, sorry ladies, I don’t totally agree with you.
Alafair Burke’s writing is not as exciting or
riveting as her father’s, that’s true, but then that
judgement can apply to eighty per cent of
all mystery writers. It doesn’t mean they’re
not worth reading.

Please take some time to visit my website:
www.stillmanbooks.com
for thousands of quality books.

Remember, the only book purchase you’ll
ever regret will be the one you didn’t make.

Talk soon.

Someone asked me today for my opinion:
assuming it would be possible to rent an 800-
1100 sq. ft. store in a medium-size city in
Canada for $1500 to $1800 a month plus
utilities, would it be reasonable to expect
that at the end of one year, a bookstore’s
sales could be at least $4000.00 a month?

My answer was: assuming you were fortunate
enough to find a location with sufficient walkby
traffic (and it would have to be at least 1000
sq. ft.) for $2000.00 including utilities, yes, in
one year, you could be doing $4000.00 or
more a month in sales. If you’re not, then you
won’t be making any money.

Of course, there are a lot of factors involved
in this speculation. How much experience, if
any, does the person have selling books? How
much experience does the person have buying
books–because they are two different things. How
many employees are going to be needed and
for how many hours? Besides General paperback
and hardcover stock, would there be a specialty
or two to attract collectors?

Ten years ago, I would have said unequivocally
that given the parameters, a person with some
experience buying and selling books would
have no trouble making a success of a bookstore
for used books. I was doing it with 900 sq. ft.
and a rent of $1000.00 in a less-than-affulent
part of Vancouver, B.C. Today, the game has
changed in some respects, and the answer is
not so cut-and-dried.

I would appreciate your opinions on the subject
and your personal stories if possible regarding
your success, or failure, in starting a small bookstore.

Next week, I’m going to begin reprinting here
(with some updates) my serialized book in
AB Bookman’s Weekly in the mid-1990’s on the
subject of setting up and operating a
used bookstore, so stay tuned.

Please visit my website for over 3000 hand-
picked special books:
www.stillmanbooks.com

Remember, the only book purchase you’ll ever
regret is the one you didn’t make.

Talk soon.

When I had my bookstore in Vancouver,
except for the last couple of years, I had a
substantial mystery/detective fiction section–
usually over two thousand paperbacks and
about five hundred hardcovers. But then,
in the ’80’s and ’90’s, people who didn’t
already know the authors they were looking
for and were asking for advice would have
a choice of English or American, male or
female authors? Then I could recommend two
or three writers they could try. That’s all
changed today.

Sure, even twenty years ago, readers could
ask for mysteries by that English jockey or
that American P.I. who lived on a houseboat.
But there wasn’t the astounding selection of
private detectives that there are today. It seems
that every new mystery writer in the last ten
years has tried to carve out their own little niche
with a kooky hero or heroine to match.

Books for catlovers were quite the craze for
a while, and authors such as Lilian Jackson Braun,
Carole Nelson Douglas, Rita Mae Brown and Linda
Adamson happily obliged. Ellis Peters began her
medieval England series with Brother Cadfael, and
historical mysteries jumped to the forefront, with
offerings from a whole host of writers such as
Paul Doherty and John Maddox Roberts writing
about ancient Rome; Leonard Tourney writing
about Elizabethan England; plus mystery-solving
archaeoligists from the pens of Elizabeth Peters,
Lyn Hamilton and Val Davis.

Horseracing mysteries have been well-covered of
course by Dick Francis, Stephen Dobyns and
John Francombe. Bookstore owners Annie Darling
and Cliff Janeway solve mysteries at the bidding of
Carolyn Hart and John Dunning respectively. Forensic
anthropologists Temperance Brennan (Kathy Reichs)
and Kay Scarpetta (Patricia Cornwell) are more
adept at solving mysteries than their police counterparts.

Okay, so far, not so bad. I’ve read books by all of
the above authors and enjoyed them. I guess my
(mild) complaint is with the newer brand of “boutique”
mysteries. We have a choice of detectives now from
the vocations of: food writers (Angie Amalfi and Monsieur
Pamplemousse); caterer (Goldy of Goldilocks Catering);
bed-and-breakfast proprietor (Judith McMonigle Flynn);
newspaper publisher/editor (Emma Lord); bounty hunter
(Stephanie Plum); fisherman (retired dentist Doc Osborne);
ex-lawyer and herbalist (China Bayles); glassblower
(Sarah Atwell); and someone has even turned real-life
children’s book author Beatrix Potter into a detective
in the Cottage Tales series. Read a mystery and learn a
trade at the same time!

If you thought you’d never enjoy reading mysteries,
I think all of your excuses have gone out the window.
There’s a mystery out there that’s tailor-made just
for you. Simply match up your favourite interest or
hobby with an amateur detective who shares your
passion. And, if you can’t find that special mystery
series that’s just right for you, then write one.

Please take some time to visit my website:
www.stillmanbooks.com

Remember, the only book purchase you’ll
ever regret is the one you didn’t make.

Talk soon.

Book Review of “Kill Me” by Stephen White

I’ve read several Stephen White books over the years,
but this is the first story where psychologist Alan Gregory
is a secondary character.

White’s rich protagonist, who narrates the story, has a
potentially fatal skiing accident and starts thinking
about how he would feel if he ever became physically
or mentally incapacitated by another such accident or by
a serious medical condition. He decides that he
couldn’t handle it and would prefer to avoid months or
years of inactivity and helplessness.

So, when a friend tells him that he knows a guy who
knows a guy who can put him in touch with an
organization that will contract to end his life once a
certain threshold of sickness has been crossed, then
our rich protagonist loses little time in arranging the
substantial payment that will guarantee his own death
should certain circumstances occur.

This is a thrilling read, based on a moral and controversial
issue. Many people today come down on the side
of euthanasia and assisted suicide, but what if after a
certain point you had no choice, you couldn’t change
your mind, the action was going ahead despite a
reconsideration on your part? Perhaps you’ve decided
that here’s still something you feel you must do, or
complete, before your life is taken, but the contract has
been signed, you’ve crossed the agreed-on threshold–
the client-determined parameters–and the wheels
are in motion.

White’s protagonist has a dilemma, but with some help,
he arrives at an acceptable solution.
Great story!

Review of “A Philosophical Investigation” by Philip Kerr

The year is 2013. The place is London.

The first of two problems I had with this novel was that
it was published in 1992, but I didn’t read it until 2008.
Sixteen years after publication, and only five years before
the setting of the story, meant that any revolutionary,
futuristic advances in technology weren’t really very
surprising, and/or believable from this advanced
perspective. This is not the author’s fault really, but
it is always a risk writing about the future.

In 2013, the two main changes in society are:
“punitive coma”, wherein murderers and rapists are
put into a drug-induced coma instead of being
executed or becoming a drain on the public purse
for twenty or thirty years; and, the availability of a
“reality approximation machine” for you living room,
complete with protection gear for your exploits,
be they sexual or safari.

The crux of the story lies in the supposed discovery
that the brains of some males lack a Ventro Medial
Nucleus (VMN) which acts as an inhibitor to the
Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus (SDN), a preoptic area
of the male human brain which is the repository of
male aggressive response. The government in
England has identified the men who lack the VMN
and offer them counselling to control aggression.
This group of men are given pseudonyms which
happen to be the names of famous philosophers.
Our criminal is known only as “Wittgenstein” and
he displays many of the traits of the real Wittgenstein.
Except, this Wittgenstein decides it would be a
rather good idea to kill off all the other “philosophers”
in his group, for the good of mankind.

Of course, there is much philosophical discussion
and justification offered; which brings me to the
second problem I had with this book: too damn
much philosophy!

The premise of the story was very good, very
intelligent; and, I liked the female police investigator,
who was very good at her job. But really, for a
simple bloke like me, there was just too much
thinking involved. I have a feeling many readers
would agree with me.

Please take some time to visit my website:
www.stillmanbooks.com
for thousands of quality books.

Remember, the only book purchase you’ll
ever regret will be the one you didn’t make.

Talk soon.