Support Your Local Used Bookstore

I try to post something every day (more or less) about what’s going on in the art/ illustration world. Some days I see lots of stuff that’s pretty interesting but for whatever reason, sometimes nothing really quite hits me right that I want to write about it, you know? Today was one of those days. I did have a high point in a creative sense, though – I saw a couple of postings on the Book of Faces from two of my favourite Montreal bookstores – S.W. Welch, and The Word, with books that I absolutely must have.

One thing you have to understand about me is that I not only love art, but I love to experience it however I can, and  in many instances that means through books.

I love books. A book is not just a medium; it is  collection of media through which ideas are communicated. It is also has a ton of appeal as an object. The gratifying heft, the sweetness of opening a book that you are unfamiliar with for the first time – the anticipation of enjoying its contents, the texture of the paper – mill rolled, or cold press? The edging – rough cut or machined? A new book has no uncertain charm – cracking open a volume hitherto unexplored by anyone else (other than casual browsers), knowing you are treading upon the virgin page…  but a used book has the added joy of being an object and subject that countless others have already enjoyed. Marginalia and inscriptions give you hints in that direction, but knowing that each page has been thumbed through by other like-minded readers adds no uncertain frisson to the pleasure of exploring a book. You are not alone! This book has been a part of someone else’s life! I find this thrilling, personally. What’s more, there are few things more satisfying than the smell of a used bookstore; the ambience reminds me of the country libraries I grew up with, and perusing my father’s extensive personal library as a child. Of course those classic turn-of-the-century libraries no longer exist, and my Dad lost his entire collection in a house fire, but hey. Used bookstores can be your window in time. It works for me, anyhow. The smell is the most important element for me. The dust that accumulates on a book is different than any other kind of dust. It has a sweet, comforting smell, like a cozy blanket on a winter evening. Few things are more soothing than the whiff you get just opening the door of a used bookstore. When you really get into the stacks, it’s a taste of heaven.

To be fair, I don’t just read art books; I read new fiction, classic literature, pulps, memoirs, histories, technical textbooks, you name it… but an art book is the best. Art books open up a world to the reader of unknown galleries and museums, of universities and lecture circuits, of artists and art periods in their prime – often from a specific time that cannot be experienced through the convenience of modern travel. What’s more, you can see a ton of imagery on the internet, but for all its vaunted universality, if you want to find something specific – or more than the most popular – books still trump the internet fairly consistently. Both the books i had set aside for me today are wonderful examples of the kind of specificity the internet doesn’t address.

The books I had set aside for me today were “The Main: A Portrait of a Neighbourhood” by Edward Hillel, and Energy Plan for the Western Man – Joseph Beuys in America. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to pick them up in the next couple of days. The Hillel book is essentially a photo essay of Saint Lawrence Boulevard, aka Boulevard Saint-Laurent, aka the Main – it’s the main north-south street in my neighbourhood here in Montreal, right before it got heavily gentrified. Hillel is a fairly well- known photographer, and the photos were taken in the late 80’s which is one of the golden ages of Montreal – and when I first started visiting, so it resonates with me a lot. Beuys is, well, Beuys. Joseph Beuys is one of my favourite artists, but he’s a bit hard to describe – he could be considered conceptual, or maybe performance, or maybe just a truly inspired individual. The text of this book is largely unavailable except, well, in book form. The internet is a fantastic resource, but it’s not infallible. In any case, I am truly stoked to read through both the books I have had set aside.

As far as used bookstores are concerned, the internet has made selling used books both better and worse; book values have dropped as various sellers compete for a shrinking market, and everyone knows most of the really collectible titles available, so rarity has become less of an issue to the buyer. As S.W. Welch once joked with me, the easiest way to become a millionaire in the book market is to start with 2 million. It’s not easy to have a used bookstore these days, so if you enjoy these spaces, I encourage you to  drop by whenever you can. Support local business, and enjoy the lovely ambience that a used bookstore affords. One of the few annoying things about used bookstores has always been that titles show up and get bought before you get a chance to even know they are there – with stuff like Facebook and internet-savvy booksellers, it’s easy to keep on top of the interesting titles that show up. Check if your favourite used bookstore has a facebook (or other social media) presence – you will luck out more often.

In any case, should you find yourself in Montreal, S.W. Welch in Mile End, and The Word in the McGill Ghetto are the best used bookstores in town, and you should definitely check them out.