Love the 1GM site! Good move going to QT7 too. Not sure about 2005 being the year of the bibliophile though. Are there numbers to support that?

In L.A. we lost (at least) two important independent bookstores, Book City and Midnight Express, an expressly progressive bookstore.

Having the broad expanse of choice at Borders and Barnes & Noble is appreciated, but having the depth of subjects and knowledge at the local independents can be more important.

'Year of the bibliophie' wishful thinking I suspect, but hey I like the idea.

Although I miss Midnight Express, I'm thankful that we still have Dutton's. It scares the hell out of me though every time I walk by a B&N, because I realize how hard it must be for these indie places to stay open. And, admittedly, I bought my last book at B&N because I had several gift certificates there.

But most of these closet thinkers are reading whatever the hell Oprah thinks is significant.

So we're still screwed.

In 2005, I spent between $1500 and $2000 on books (a first for me). By far surpassing all other expenditures for the year aside from food and rent. I did about 99% of our my purchasing on-line from ebay and abebooks.com -- often playing abe off ebay and using ebay as a tool to learn "what is out there." I have a surprising monopoly on certain obscure subjects. What I've been thinking lately is that this REALLY is a unique period in world history. These books are the material productions of the past and will not likely be reproduced physically. And then to think about the projected population growth for the next 50 years -- it seems like a golden age of materialism.

I hope to digitize and make the books I purchase available on-line for free use.

Work at B&N and every year we out sale the last. Book lovers need to touch and feel a book sometimes sit down with it. We had a reporter in the other day doing a piece on e-books, wanted to know if book stores will become a thing of the past. I told him that in the same mall that our store is at there are four shopes that sell nothing else but candles, and we have had light bulbes for over a hundred years. Only book lovers will get this but, there is something about sitting in a room full of books. Books are hardwired. Even though I read alot on the internet, it would be hard not to read Walden Pond in hand.

@Bookboy I don't know your age (I'm 49)and I feel the same way you do, but my two kids don't share our perspective. They absorb information because they need or desire it; the faster the better. I on the other hand, find myself reading off my screen and wish I was sitting in a comfortable chair, or in bed. btw,I really like your candle analogy.

Choosing where you shop for books and other goods is a great way to "vote" every day. I hope Norm and the any of the rest of you will please consider linking to Barnes & Noble or Powell's, not Amazon, when recommending books. B&N and Powell's both support Democrats (although B&N gives a lot more money to Democrats than Powell's does). Both B&N and Powell's have affiliate programs too ... so you can support Democratic companies while they support you.

By telling your visitors why you made the change, you could educate a lot of your readers about buying blue. Please see BuyBlue.org for a guide to companies that support your policies.

Of course, I'm also always in favor of a pitch for local book stores. They are often run by local Democrats or liberals and may be your best hope in the fight against censorship. Please see AMIBA.org for more information on the importance of shopping locally.