Salamander Books

One star for existing.
Two more stars for a courteous owner.
The collection is tiny and not ideal for discerning readers.
It’s warm and cozy inside but maybe it’s because I’ve been spoiled by a bunch of fantastic used bookstores where I lived? I would never walk out without getting a few things at least and over here it’s quite dire.
I read on a variety of topics and like a variety of things but had to force myself to pick up one of Plato’s dialogues which I doubt I’ll get a chance to read.
It’s worth a look if you’re in the area.

I am pro Book, anti Nook. I don’t fiddle with the Kindles, either. You know that commercial where the girl is expressing her deep love of having a book in her hands and frowning down on one of the two (I forget if it’s a Nook or a Kindle) and the smug guy who has one convinces her she is being silly. Yeah — I wish I could smack that chick, or at least the script writer who wrote that, because I so would have convinced HIM he was being silly instead.
Nothing beats curling up with a new read, flipping a page, dog-​earring a corner, or sneaking away reading breaks thanks to the paperback in your purse. You know what else, nothing beats the smell of a book — new or old. There’s nothing like it. Electronic tablets don’t have that and if they do, that’s just weird.
That’s why it concerns me to see that many bookstores are going under. Not the case here at Salamander. This place is alive and kickin’! It’s in the same building as before, but just moved to the basement a couple weeks ago. Don’t let that fool you though — the basement doesn’t feel like a basement at all and because it almost street level, there’s a lot of light spilling in. The walls are painted bright orange, blue, and pink and paired with a random, but fitting, leopard carpet (no for the faint of heart!). Bold artwork and posters hang from the walls and there’s a nice seating area midway through the store for book readings and signings.
There are thousands of used books, all very affordable and begging to be read, and little surprises throughout the store that make looking for them fun (I won’t give it away, but check out the second floor when you get the chance. The stairs are off to the left as you are walking toward the back). When you are there, don’t forget to go to a little room all the way in the back of the store behind the counter area. I thought it was for sales people or something, but it turned out to be another lovely room with religious and spiritual books and a small chair for you to sit and read.
I wound up getting a book by an author I hadn’t read since college (Chinua Achebe’s «A Man of the People»). It only cost me a whopping $ 2. LOL! To say I will be back is an understatement. I might move in! Warn the owner!

The locally owned bookstore is a dying institution.
Despite my generally liberal, anti-​corporate outlook, though, I gotta say– for the most part, I think the small, locally owned bookstore had it coming. Many were essentially a little, dusty Waldenbooks, where the stock was mustier and more dogeared than usual.
That said, the rare locally owned and operated bookstore that met a niche market need, with a friendly staff and good deals did exist. And some still do. Salamander is one of them.
Salamander is a bit of a specialty shop– the assortment of art books is amazing. They have decent architecture and history sections, as well.
It’s a used book shop, and whomever is doing the buying obviously knows their stuff. I’m a grad student in History, and usually the history section of most bookstores disgusts me– too much of the «popular» topics (the Civil War and World War II aren’t the only two things that ever happened), too many books with little or no information on sources, too many books written by biographers, journalists, and lay historians.
The History section at Salamander, while it wasn’t as amazing as the art section, blew me away. It was a good mix of popular and academic presses and authors, and topics and methodologies that are usually overlooked were there in abundance. I’ve probably never seen a History section in a bookstore that had more Social History books, with the exception of the one run by Harvard University Press in Cambridge.
I also found a hardback copy of a graphic novel– Charles Burns’s «Black Hole”– that usually retails for around 40 bucks for just ten.
I walked out having spent around twenty bucks, with three great books to add to my library. Best possible recommendation.