I like to roam through bookstores. Whether it is the Strand in NYC (kinda spooky) or Pickwick in Nyack, or even Barnes and Noble in any mall, it is fun looking at both old and new books that are offered for sale. Along 6A on Cape Cod, in Yarmouthport, there is a book store called Parnassus. It is housed in an old dark building. After hours, you can select a book from shelves built along the outside of the building. The honor system prevails.
In Sunday’s NYT (November 3, 2013) in a feature called “Neighborhood Joint” an unusual bookstore was profiled. Singularity & Co. opened in August, 2012, in Brooklyn, near the Manhattan Bridge. In an effort to rescue vintage science fiction titles that are no longer in print or are about to disappear, the three owners of the bookstore started a campaign called Kickstarter. They collected science fiction books and raised money to publish them electronically, one a month. They soon had amassed piles of book. One of the people involved in this effort, a lawyer, was looking for office space in which to meet with his clients. Eventually, an office space for him and a book store for all the books they have collected was born.
Independent book stores are a dying breed. Remember “You’ve Got Mail?” It is, therefore, good to know that some have not given up the fight and continue to offer readers great spaces to peruse books.