Rare Book Monthly

Articles - May - 2021 Issue

A Book Store is Closing

Used book selling on the slippery slope

Used book selling on the slippery slope

When a diner or shoe store closes the two rarely raise the ambient decibels while, when a bookstore closes, the future of civilization is imperiled.  The difference is that bookstores, for many, symbolize their residual faith in the society we live in.   From childhood we learned by reading and have always since relied on this basic skill to understand the world.  When a book store closes we often feel a sense of threat.

 

Such angst should not be surprising, as for more than 20 years our children and their children have been learning online and many simply have not become emotionally attached to the printed word.  Information yes, books not necessarily.

 

For those us of a certain age this is difficult to accept but our reality has long been that bookstores have been disappearing for decades.  That another closed on April 28th in Boulder, Colorado, seems inevitable.

 

What brings me to this subject as that the proprietor of Red Letter Books announced, “that after 31 years at 1737 Pearl St., we are being asked to leave. Developers are going to tear down half the block on 17th and Pearl to make way for luxury condos and upscale dining. Heartbreaking. We thought we had more time, but it looks like we are being asked to leave by April 29th. We would like to make it clear that this is not our decision, nor is this due to the pandemic. We’ve been contributing members to the neighborhood for 31 years. Sadly, no longer. We will continue selling books in some capacity, but at the moment, we do not have a new location. We are not entirely sure when our lady plan for the public will be. Please stay tuned for more information.”

 

I’ve looked over their web presence and haven’t found a database of their material which looks to be of the catch and catch can variety.  Many bookstores in their last stages become everyday bookfairs providing tens of thousands of possibilities but little or no cataloguing. Such material is often priced by fiat, “all material in a section is $10” or some other number. Such an approach has long been employed elsewhere to turn browsers into buyers.

 

I have no doubt the firm and their friends will find each other on the web, quite possibly on Facebook, as they seem to have a robust presence.  Yahoo also seems to be keeping tabs on them.

 

And one last word, they seem to be trying to raise capital on a go-fund-me basis.  Such efforts sometime work but long term solutions cannot depend on charity.

 

References to this online:

 

 

A facebook link

https://www.facebook.com/Red-Letter-Secondhand-Books-114001695297179/

 

Yelp about Red Letter Secondhand Books

 

https://www.yelp.com/biz/red-letter-secondhand-books-boulder?hrid=pUjnxiMBTX12zR9XK1UMqA

 

Use a search of Red Letter Secondhand Books you’ll find them referenced on many sites.


Posted On: 2021-05-01 22:04
User Name: artbooks1

On Yelp Laura N from Ky summed it up best: If I were a hoarder I'd hoard books. And cute coffee mugs.


Rare Book Monthly

  • Sotheby's
    Bibliothèque Jacques Dauchez - Autour de Dubuffet
    5-19 June
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Bissière, Roger. Cantique à notre frère soleil de saint François. 1954. 1,000 - 1,500 EUR
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Céline, Louis-Ferdinand. La vie & l’œuvre de Philippe Ignace Semmelweis. 1924. Rare édition originale, avec envoi. Joint : La Quinine en thérapeutique, 1925. 4,000 - 6,000 EUR
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Céline, Louis-Ferdinand. Mort à crédit. 1936. Édition originale. Bel exemplaire sur Hollande. 2,500 - 3,500 EUR
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    Bibliothèque Jacques Dauchez - Autour de Dubuffet
    5-19 June
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Chillida, Eduardo ─ Emil Cioran. Face aux instants. 1985. Un des 100 exemplaires sur Arches. Eau-forte signée. 600 - 800 EUR
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Dubuffet, Jean. Ler dla canpane. L’Art Brut, 1948. Édition originale. 3,000 - 5,000 EUR
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Dubuffet, Jean. L'Herne Jean Dubuffet. 1973. Un des 100 exemplaires du tirage de luxe avec une sérigraphie originale en couleurs. 1,000 - 1,500 EUR
  • Gros & Delettrez
    Livres & Manuscrits Arméniens
    Jeudi 12 juin 2025
    Paris, Francis
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    Gros & Delettrez, June 12: CHARAKNOTS, manuscrit daté 1606, reliure arménienne
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    Gros & Delettrez, June 12: CHARAKNOTS, Amsterdam 1702, reliure arménienne
    Gros & Delettrez, June 12: DICTIONNAIRE arménien, manuscrit XVIIe-XVIIIe siècle.
    Gros & Delettrez, June 12: EVANGILE, manuscrit 1735-1737, reliure arménienne
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    Gros & Delettrez, June 12: GEOGRAPHIE, Ghoukas INDJIDJIAN, Venise 1802-1806
    Gros & Delettrez, June 12: MANUSCRIT THEOLOGIQUE, XVIe-XVIIe siècle
    Gros & Delettrez, June 12: MASHTOTS, manuscrit XVIIIe-XIXe siècle, reliure arménienne
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    Gros & Delettrez, June 12: NOUVEAU TESTAMENT, Amsterdam 1668, reliure arménienne
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    The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore
    June 4, 2025
    DOYLE: Peter Max, Portrait of Mary Tyler Moore (Versions 1,2, 5, 6), 2001. Estimate $10,000-15,000
    DOYLE: The iconic screen-used wall-mounted "M" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Estimate $5,000-8,000
    DOYLE: The Mary Tyler Moore Show by Al Hirschfeld. Estimate $4,000-6,000
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    The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore
    June 4, 2025
    DOYLE: Annie Leibovitz presents Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke for Vanity Fair. Estimate $4,000-6,000
    DOYLE: Al Hirschfeld presents Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke in the CBS Wednesday Night Lineup. Estimate $4,000-6,000
    DOYLE: Richard McKenzie, Portrait of Mary Tyler Moore. Estimate $1,000-2,000
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    The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore
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    DOYLE: Three Original Bill Hargate Costume Designs for The Mary Tyler Moore Hour. Estimate $600-800
    DOYLE: The famous Bonnie and Clyde "Wanted" broadside. Estimate $500-800
    DOYLE: Ticket to the Final Episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show Estimate $400-600

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