Nearby used book stores a great place to browse

A used book store can be a cluttered place, filled with the warm scent of aging paper
Morgan's Tales Used Book Store 9620 271st St. NW Stanwood 360-629-5257and rows of groaning shelves, ideal for browsing. While the Internet may offer the quickest way to find an old book, and chains such as Borders carry a better selection of new titles, used book stores can't be beat if you're eager to discover an out-of-print novel or peruse vintage cover designs. Here are a few standout shops from Snohomish and Island counties. One carries well-worn pulp fiction for $2. Another specializes in rare first editions that sometimes cost as much as a used car. All have a niche worth exploring.

Gregor Rare Books and Lowry-James Rare Prints & Books

Like most display cases, the one in David Gregor's Whidbey Island store holds the true jewels.

A first edition of Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" rests inside, priced at $1,300, alongside titles by Hunter S. Thompson and Raymond Chandler. The average price of a book from the shop is about $150.

"I had a very rare copy of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' a review copy, the first printing of the book by (Ken) Kesey," Gregor said. "That sold for $11,000."

At a snug 325 square feet, Gregor's shop might feel small, but his stock in trade deals with big names. He specializes in the 20th century's best known authors.

It wasn't always that way. When he went into the used-book business 21 years ago, he sold a wider selection of titles. He gradually transitioned into rare books, however, opening his quaint Langley shop four years ago.

He's not alone. A block over, his wife, Priscilla Lowry-Gregor, operates a likeminded store, Lowry-James Rare Prints & Books. Her shop specializes in nature books and prints from the 16th to 19th centuries.

Both shops have well-organized Internet sites, but the couple are quick to stress the worth of a storefront.

"We work very hard to create these beautiful environments where people can come in and spend some time," Lowry-Gregor said.

3rd Street Book Exchange

Darilee Bednar doesn't believe in reincarnation. Still, she thinks she could have been a white Chinese dragon in a previous life.

"They horde things," she said.

The comparison seems apt. Her Marysville shop, 3rd Street Book Exchange, is a mess of literature. She estimates the store holds more than 100,000 books. Ninety-eight percent are in the right place, on shelves sagging with the weight. That puts about 2,000 books on the floor.

Bednar offers titles by John Cheever and Graham Greene, but her store's pulp fiction often draws the eye. The cover of "Scandal's Child," featuring the sort of femme fatale that inspires Quentin Tarantino, may be more impressive than the book itself.

Most of her well-worn copies range in price from $2 to $10, and the store carries more paperbacks than it does hardcovers.

"We tell everyone we're a mass market-reading bookstore," Bednar said.

Pilchuck Books

Up a short staircase, natural light streams through the windows at Pilchuck Books, falling on the store's religion section.

There's also a couch, in case you need to sit down for some divine inspiration.

Granted, the Everett store doesn't specialize in religious texts; it's simply one of many areas. Along with hundreds of popular authors, the store carries unusual plays such as "Houdini: The Musical" and a fairly deep collection of baseball books, an interest of owner Ken Bosman.

Bosman opened his store 13 years ago. He has since lost count of the number of books for sale. Including the stock stored in his basement, he said he owns about 150,000.

One case holds a few rare books, including a first edition of Ray Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man" for $650. The collectible is an exception, however, as most of his stock deals with relatively well known titles, costing between $8.50 and $12.

While Bosman carries high-quality paperbacks, many of the books at his downtown shop veer toward hardcovers for a simple reason.

"It's neater," Bosman said.

Other chapters

Morgan's Tales Used Book Store: This small Camano Island shop offers a decent variety of $1 mysteries and thrillers from best-selling authors in mass market form. As a bonus, all proceeds benefit the Stanwood Camano Community Resource Center.

Third Place Books: New and used books are shelved together in this expansive Lake Forest Park store, giving browsers a chance to get the best price available on a selection including 200,000 books.

Upper Case Books: Along with books by popular authors, this Snohomish shop carries oddities such as a book on electricity from 1929. After finding a title, shoppers can hit the espresso cafe or settle into a couch.



Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com