Quote:
Originally Posted by jgaiser
Yep... My local indie, Powell's Books in downtown Portland, has more books by a factor of 5 or 6. There's no way I could compare the choices with my local B&N.
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Powell's is an oddity even by indie standards though. I've never been in a bookstore even close to its size - you have to grab a map on the way in to find your way around. I've literally gotten completely lost in that building.
The big issue I have with them is that they're SO large and so popular that the sections that I'm interested in have been picked over. When I'm looking for that 80s printing of a Moorcock book with the Whelan cover, the fact they have a million and one used McCaffrey books doesn't impress me. I'm sure they get 'good' stuff but you'd have to be local enough to stop in frequently. (I'm twenty minutes or so away but it's pretty inconvenient to drive to. But then, I hate driving in Portland.
) I find their selection of new books (again I mainly look at scifi) to be not better at all than the local Barnes and Noble.
That being said, any book lover who finds themself in Portland needs to stop at Powells at least once and plan a day of it. And bring breadcrumbs....