Thomas Jefferson once said, "I cannot live without books." Bearing that statement from U.Va.'s founder in mind, students should think twice before regarding books as little more than an expense incurred for classes. Books are meant to provide insight into the human condition and add joy and intellectual stimulation to reader's lives.
But then there's the price issue. Books at the University bookstore and large chain stores certainly aren't cheap.
There's a logical antidote to the disease of inflated literary prices: used bookstores. Not only do they sometimes offer a more diverse and interesting selection than new bookstores, they're drastically less expensive.
Furthermore, Charlottesville provides a vast goldmine of these unique establishments, providing for a great variety of literary genres and collector's items.
Used bookstores aren't confined to carrying what's currently selling the best or what happens to be in print. Books that are 50 years old can share shelf space with a paperback printed three years ago.
Daedalus, located off the Downtown Mall, is the oldest used bookstore in the Charlottesville area, having been around for 27 years. Owner Sandy McAdams has run it effectively since its 1974 opening and has not lost any enthusiasm for his work.
"We're really a reader's bookshop," McAdams stated, summing up the philosophy of his shop, a place for readers, by readers.
Daedalus has three stories of books containing over 100,000 titles. It embraces all literary genres, but specializes in fiction. The store has a particularly noteworthy detective fiction section.
Daedalus welcomes trade-ins but generally avoids first editions. It does, however, carry a wide selection of vintage paperbacks. It has a section set aside for them, in addition to a great deal of them mixed into the general inventory.
Heartwood Books, on the Corner, has been in Charlottesville for 26 years, seeking to serve the University community.
Heartwood doesn't carry textbooks, but owner Paul Collinge says he provides a "collection of books that appeal to the University community."
Heartwood carries a fair share of both paperback and hardcover books and has a separate store for its collector's items, 9 Elliewood street?. The store only covers one floor, but the single floor is jam-packed from top to bottom with a diverse offering of reading material.
Interested readers also can pick up a used book brochure at their location on the Corner for a complete listing of all booksellers in the Charlottesville area.
Back on the Downtown Mall, Oakley's Gently Used Books, going on its sixth year in the area, is not only owned but also largely run by Chris Oakley.
Oakley specializes in children's books and sci-fi but as the owner emphasizes, "We have a well-rounded selection."
Oakley's Gently Used Books has a good deal of first editions and special editions to complement its offering of both paperback and hardcover books. Anyone looking for books they remember fondly from childhood would do well to check out their collection.
Oakley says her store maintains a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. "It's why we've been here for six years," she happily notes.
Residing nearby on the Downtown mall, Blue Whale Books has been in the area for nearly five years.
The store invites trade-ins and carries a wide array of fiction and non-fiction. It also has some first editions, but is more into scholarly works.
Blue Whale is a general shop with a wide price range, providing a pleasant, ambient atmosphere with a focus on academic books.
Near the middle of the Downtown Mall is Read it Again, Sam, a store that also has been in the area for nearly five years. Its specialty is general and first edition mystery fiction, though it has enthusiastic employees who specialize in a wide array of genres such as military fiction, civil war books and children's literature.
Co-owner Eugene Ford specializes in vintage paperbacks and co-owner Dave Taylor specializes in mystery fiction. Taylor regularly attends mystery conventions and rubs shoulders with such great authors as Joe R. Lansdale (whose work is almost always to be found on their shelves).
Ford recently brought in a gargantuan shipment of vintage mystery paperbacks that still are being added to the inventory. Interested readers can check out a partial list of their inventory at www.abebooks.com as well as find information on any published book.
"We have wonderful, wonderful customers who bring us wonderful books," says Robin Gutterman, one of Read it Again, Sam's specialist employees.
On the other side of town, across the road from Fashion Square Mall, resides the Book Room. It has been in the area for 20 years and in its current location for 10.
Paperback fiction is the Book Room's specialty and one employee pointed out that it is "one of the only stores in the area that specializes in romance." Its selection in this genre is indeed impressive, as are their mystery, horror and general fiction sections.
Though the Book Room is not really a collector's store, interested readers can sometimes find a treasure trove of books by hard-to-find authors such as Shaun Hutson, Jack Ketchum, John Skipp and Craig Spector at the Book Room.
Whether it's for pleasure reading or for getting some paperback copies of fiction books for classes (a great way to save money!), Charlottesville's used bookshops have a lot to offer. Check 'em out.
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