Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The End of Borders Books

When Borders books entered the Chicago Market in 1986 I was a sophomore in college. Chicago had some good local bookstores of which Barbara's and Seminary Coop have survived and a couple of locals like Kroch's and Brentano's which did not. But Borders in Oak Brook was different. It reminded you more of Prairie Lights in Iowa City it had a great selection and was a good place to buy books in suburbs without good bookstores.

Now they are going out of business.

Much has been written about the demise of bookstores. The fact is that a whole series of irreplaceable institutions are being destroyed in America. In many places Catholic schools are but a memory as are small liberal arts colleges and the demise of bookstores is the same problem. You can talk about the internet and kindles and alike but should all the knowledge of the world be only in the ether?

I continue to buy real books. I continue to shop at the Book Table in Oak Park, IL , Seminary Coop in Hyde Park and any other good bookstore. I love the serendipity of it all. Finding a book by looking and reading a few pages and when I am finished putting it on my shelves for future use. I hope that the day never comes when that simple pleasure cannot be enjoyed and I will miss Borders only because it was another place to do that when your wife was shopping for panty hose or brasseries.

3 comments:

Anjuli said...

I'm sadden when any bookstore closes its doors no matter how big or small. Like you- I enjoy the 'finding' of books...rather than just the downloading of them. I love ruffling through the pages- prior to reading- and flipping back to my favorite spot after I have read the entire book!

L.A. Jones said...

My dad can relate. Me as well. Bit by bit what made me happy goes away. Case in point: bookstores.

qifei2012 said...

Obviously, business office robot needs pc's Office 2010 key. Try to search for desktops with the greatest degrees along with the most up-to-date computer operation Microsoft Office 2010 Key. In case you have already a new personal preference for products to utilize, these can also be things to consider from the selection of your computer to do your office Microsoft office 2010. office 2010