”
Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the
ideal life.
”
So said Mark Twain many years ago, himself the author of so many
good books.
“Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
So said Mark Twain many years ago, himself the author of so many good books.
Now while I’ll agree with Mr. Twain about the value of good books and good friends (how often we take our friends for granted), I’m not too sure about the “sleepy conscience” part. It seems to me that too many people functioning in today’s technology age of cell phones, laptop computers and global positioning satellites, while being so busy with their daily routines of life, unfortunately have not only developed a sleepy conscience, but one that’s downright “knocked-out cold” thanks to the prevailing philosophy of moral relativism and religious humanism that’s so permeated American public education, government, and the media. That’s another story.
I’m referring to Twain’s quote about books because I’m persuaded that Gilroy needs a good used bookstore. And it needs a large used bookstore at that, with thousands of books available for sale. I’ve felt this way ever since moving to Gilroy four years ago. Any city that lacks a good used bookstore, is, well, just missing a charming piece of nostalgia. And Gilroy is big enough to have such a store.
A used bookstore is also a place where browsing and reading can take place in an appropriate atmosphere for thought and contemplation. Goodness only knows that Gilroy’s public library is not (if it ever was) a place for quiet contemplation when it comes to browsing books. Ever time I’ve been there an incessant hum of noise is the rule. That kind of noise was never allowed in my hometown’s library when I was growing up, but I guess that’s just another product of our modern age where many adults and children frequently do their own thing in public at the expense of common courtesy. Courtesy towards others along with personal manners seem to have died in America years ago. But then, is it even taught any more in most homes even here?
But what better place to locate a used bookstore than in Gilroy’s downtown area on Monterey Road. After all, our downtown area seems to fit the bill with the ambiance needed for a used bookstore, the presence of old buildings and a general feeling of history past. And since Gilroy’s downtown is home to a number of antique stores, it seems to me that used bookstores and antique stores naturally go together. In fact, they go hand-in-hand, like salt and pepper or popcorn and butter or Laurel and Hardy. There’s a bonding, there’s a compliment that just fits between old buildings and old books or antiques. If you’ve been over to Moss Landing, there’s a good used bookstore there among the many antique stores. It’s got great ambiance, and the prices are right too.
Now if you’ve browsed through any of the antique stores here in town you know that most of these establishments have some used books for sale. But of course, their quantities don’t come close to the magnitude of a store that’s dedicated to selling used books as its primary business venture.
And there’ s something unique about a used bookstore that a new bookstore just doesn’t have. Maybe it’s the musty smell. Or the lighting. Or the adventure of finding a great used book, and then discovering in its front cover the name of the original owner, or even their address. Some books even contain an admonition written to the original recipient from a loving parent, relative or friend, people now relegated to the ages of time and places passed.
Did the first owner follow the advice given? Did they appreciate the book giver? It’s easy to wonder who the original owner was, and what they did in life. And of course, how the book finally came to end up in the bookstore, as a discarded treasure.
It seems likely for many of these books the original owner has probably departed from this world, but it’s interesting to think how they possibly spent hours musing and pondering over the contents of the same book that you will now add to your own personal library.
So even though I’m looking forward to the opening of the new Barnes & Noble bookstore coming soon to the Gilroy Crossing eastside retail complex, I still think that for an adventure in finding a book, Gilroy needs a good used bookstore. Add a coffee bar and some tables, and I’ll bet you’ll have a Gilroy downtown winner!
“For books are more than books, they are the life, The very heart and core of ages past, The reason why men lived and worked and died, The essence and quintessence of their lives.” (Boston Athenaeum)
