Having just issued my first two catalogues during the last year, Michael's weekend post on the resurgence of this bookselling tool was of particular interest. I completely agree that catalogues are making a comeback, perhaps especially among younger booksellers (an incredibly relative term in the antiquarian book biz - see Between the Covers' Tom Congleton for more on this). In addition to the previously-mentioned Derringer Books and Jeff Maser (and even, for that matter, Wessel and Lieberman), I would also throw out the examples of Garrett Scott (whose Some preliminary notes on the aesthetic merits of interesting catalogues is another...
The Return of the Bookseller Catalog
Derringer Books. Catalog 17. Designed by Andrea LathamPublishers might be considering giving up on the printed catalogs but bookseller catalogs are making a comeback. Since the early days of bookselling the catalog was the cornerstone of a bookseller's business. It was the premier sales channel for the trade. They became; however, an early casualty of online bookselling. Many booksellers completely abandoned the catalog format while focusing on developing an online presence. Most of us thought they were no longer necessary. Now, a little over a decade later, most have returned to the catalog.Jeff Maser. Catalog 46. Designed by Andrea LathamWhy?...
Zoomii : A Virtual, Virtual "Bookstore"
When Amazon.com burst on to the scene as the world's first virtual bookstore who knew that it would eventually turn an entire industry upside down. Overnight, practically every book in print was made available at discounted prices to anyone with computer access. It wasn't long before the traditional independent new bookstore began to die.Now comes Zoomii "an online version of a real bookstore with Amazon's low prices, secure payment and fast shipping." Zoomii takes Amazon's entire catalog and turns it into a visual browsing trip. Essentially an Amazon affiliate, with all order processing done by Amazon, that utilizes Amazon's powerful...
An Interview With AbeBooks CEO, Dr. Hannes Blum
AbeBooks.com is one of the world's leading marketplaces for new, used, rare, and out of print books with over 13,000 vendors offering over 110 million books. I recently had a chance to interview their CEO, Dr. Hannes Blum. An edited version of the interview will appear in the July issue of Amphora.*********************************************************************************************************Book Patrol - Firstly, I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule, it is appreciated.AbeBooks recently announced its acquisition of Chrislands, a website provider for online booksellers. This comes on the heels of AbeBooks previous acquisitions of Fillz and BookFinder.The earlier acquisitions of...
82% Still Curl : Zogby Polls Readers
Random House hired Zogby International to get out there and find out what is going on in the world of reading and book-buying. They polled a little over 8,000 people and here are some of the highlights and lowlights:82% say they still prefer to "curl up with a printed book" rather than reading online or using an e-reader or smartphone.Only 3% of those surveyed currently own an e-book reader, and only 4% have plans to purchase one.A whopping 80% reported that they have no plans to purchase an e-book reader!Independent bookselling did not fare so well in the survey either:The...