Book Buying Notes

Author: Fan Yongbian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: I love running to bookstores, not libraries. To get a book in a library is too much trouble—first, you have to check the card catalog, then fill out a book request form, and wait for the librarian to find the book. In a bookstore, the books on the shelves are laid out for all to see, and you can browse freely. If you find a book you like and have money in your pocket, you just buy it. Another joy of running to bookstores is making friends with the bookstore owners and staff. Even when I was a primary school student, I made friends with a bookstore clerk in Zhenjiang. More than fifty years later, he still remembers me and brought his family to Beijing to visit this little friend of mine. I wrote an article titled "Bought Books and Made Friends" about this story, which is now also included in this book. Due to this hobby, I am also interested in reading others' accounts of visiting bookstores and buying books. Now, I have compiled them into "Notes on Buying Books," as a contribution to fellow enthusiasts.
Book Introduction: This book features stories of buying books told by over sixty people with a "book addiction." Some are collectors who have made significant finds in terms of editions and printings; others are driven by interest, accumulating wealth in certain genres; some simply follow their whims, believing that if they like a book, it is a good book. There are also those who are financially constrained, spending their days in bookstores and stalls, unwilling to leave. Book lovers and book dealers rely on each other but often engage in a battle of wits. However, the sellers are not as discerning as the buyers, leaving book lovers with deep impressions—not only their own "victories" but also many shrewd yet warm-hearted bookstore owners and staff, whom they call friends and even teachers. Many writers and scholars have formed an inseparable bond with books thanks to the kindness of stall owners or bookstore owners.
Book lovers are almost always "poor," yet their wealth is astonishing: they are often erudite and have extensive collections, yet they often live in debt and financial hardship. As a result, secondhand bookstores become their paradise. After much effort, finding a book they've longed for at a reasonable price in a secondhand bookstore brings immense joy.
(Note: The original text contains repeated sections, which have been consolidated in the translation.)