Delocate The Best Books And Coffee Houses

Of course we're all conscious of the ongoing economic crisis, and of course we want to spend our money in a responsible and productive manner. I've written before about the importance of supporting local bookstores (just made a run to one of San Diego's best, Wahrenbrock's, over the weekend and found a volume of Whitman's Civil War poetry, Ambrose Bierce short stories, and Arthur Fremantle's memoir of travelling through the Confederacy in 1862-63) as well as the brilliance of local coffeeshops like Caffe Calabria. Putting your money into these locally-owned venues will not only get you a premier product, but you'll be keeping your money in your community, instead of having it vanish into the corporate ether.

A major obstacle to doing this was knowing where these places are. Rarely does an independent bookstore or coffeehouse have a substantial marketing budget, and certainly they lack name recognition, thus its difficult to compete against ubiquitous juggernauts like Borders or Starbucks when you want a quick coffee or something to read.

Now there is a solution to this problem: delocator.net

This website allows you to plug in your zipcode and immediately get a list of locally-owned coffeeshops, bookstores (and movie theatres, for that matter) straight to your computer or hand-held device. You'll be given the address, phone number, all the vital statistics you need. It's incredibly easy to use and will allow both you and your local businesses to reap immediate benefit.

Give it a try and tell me about the great finds you come up with. I'll be hitting up Elixir Espresso Bar to see what they do with the beans they get from Caffe Calabria.

The Confederate Battle Flag And Civil War Memory

The debate and emotion generated by the Confederate flag flying in Tampa not only captures what a hot-button topic this symbol still is, but how comprehensive our disconnect with the actual history of it. Example: while this flag is referred to as "the" Confederate flag, there actually was no national flag of the Confederacy until maybe 1863. This flag was also not the battle flag of the entire Confederacy, late in the war it was the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia. From this it has metamorphosed into a political hot potato, a divisive insult, beach towel kitsch, and a NASCAR staple.
Okay, clearly this subject requires more study, and thankfully I think I found the resource at Point Loma books in San Diego (a smashing addition to the list of San Diego used/independent bookstores). John Coski, the director of the Museum of the Confederacy, wrote a book called "The Confederate Battle Flag" which provides a comprehensive discussion of the history of this flag's cultural evolution. Don't let preconceptions about the Museum of the Confederacy fool you, Mr. Coski is a scholar of a high order, and his interview on NPR in 2005 (which you can listen to by clicking here) gives evidence of that fact.
I'm going to try something a bit different with this book; instead of reviewing it en bloc when I'm done, we'll take it piece by piece as I move through it. Feel free to get a copy for yourself and join me.

Book Review: "Isn't This Glorious!"

When I was putting together my lecture to the San Diego Civil War Roundtable last month about the 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, or Harvard Regiment, at Gettysburg, I happened upon a text I had not known existed. Prior to my discovery of "Isn't This Glorious!" by Edwin Root and Jeffrey Stocker, I thought my library had all of the pertinent materials I needed.
As soon as this book arrived in the mail from the publisher, I knew I had been mistaken, as this book had a treasure trove of new photos and personalities to examine. It was put to use as a resource, and after the lecture, I've gone back and read it as it is supposed to be; a treatment of the 15th, 19th, and 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiments at Gettysburg that will bring their memory up to an equal level with other, more celebrated forces that participated in the battle.
There is no shortage of books providing analysis of various regiments and their exploits at this most famous of American battles; "Isn't This Glorious!" is particularly unique because it's investigation does not end with the battle or even the war's conclusion.
The first part of the book introduces us to the men of the regiments, the bloody paths that brought them to Gettysburg, and focuses us in on the essential role they played in the battle: the sealing of the southern portion of the Confederate breathrough at the Copse of Trees. The detail is tremendous, as the fighting is told straight from the eyes and mouths of the men, and not just the officers, either. We learn about the brutal dealings from the rank and file, brought out in vivid and anxious detail. There is also no shortage of photos of the men from whom we are hearing, so we can almost see their faces through the battlesmoke.
The fighting in this small section of the battlefield was just as chaotic as it was pivotal, and the tension provided by the authors as the men surge towards the Confederates at the Copse of Trees is palpable. Bringing this home in a more tangible form are some of the best battle maps I've seen. These foldout pages do not present the battle as a whole, but the the small piece of the action these regiments took part in. The value and uniqueness of these maps comes in their kinetic ability to show the lines of the regiments move from a disciplined front on Cemetery Ridge to a mob charging north towards the Copse of Trees. The Confederate forces have no marking at all, they come forward in the maps as a ravening horde, an irresistable tide plunging toward the Union forces.
The actual detail of the battle I'll leave to you, but this little-discussed segment of the battle, fought just below the Copse of Trees by men with carbines, pistols, swords, and bare hands, will leave you quite shaken.
The second section of the book takes us on a journey quite unique in the regimental histories pertaining to Gettysburg. After we spend much time investing in the men and their sacrifices, the authors take us through the sometimes sordid history of the monuments placed on the field to commemorate these sturdy men. In this portion, we see how this story became almost lost in contemporary Gettysburg history and how the men of these regiments faded from memory.
The historiography of the Civil War is spoken of frequently in this space, and this section of the book is an example of historiography at the highest level. We are walked through events that occurred over decades and shown how decisions were made and how they have influenced our current conceptions of the battle. There was quite a struggle over these regiments, and I learned, quite to my dismay, that the marker of the Harvard Regiment on the field today is in the wrong place! This story is a perfect example of how the reality of the past is frequently altered subject to the exigencies of the present.
As the various markers and monuments are shuffled around, it can become difficult to follow. We are well-served by the map that shows the previous and current locations of the structures, as well as another collection of photos of the site as well as the monuments themselves.
The stroke of genius in this book is in its ability to remind us why we care about these monuments and showing how closely the men whom they represent were so closely tied to them after the war. It's clear why these monuments maintain a hold on our imagination and why the pictures in the book are so evocative.
At the book's end, the author's stated goal, to elevate the memory of these Massachusetts men back to a level field with the more celebrated units that fought at the Copse of Trees and repulsed Pickett's Charge, is fully realized. In closing, we are reminded by the authors just what these men dealt with not only to achieve victory, but also to survive the sometimes tragic lives that awaited them after the war. The diary entry of one James Tenney, an enlisted man in the 15th Mass. as pertaining to the battle, is a telling conclusion to this story.
You will undoubtedly close this book with saddened eyes and a newfound appreciation for these men who helped win the battle of Gettysburg. If you have any interest in this battle or in Massachusetts regiments, this book will be an asset to your learning. Best of all, you can acquire it and still remain faithful to our commitment to supporting independent booksellers. I refer you please to the book's website, where you can order directly from the publisher.

"Paperback Dreams" And The Need To Support Independent Bookstores

As followers of this blog know, I am an avid book collector and the entirety of my browsing and shopping takes place at used and/or independent bookstores, be they in San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, or Portland.
Given this hobby and the joy I derive from it, I, of course, have a strong allegiance to these stores and do my best to support them. In that vein, The Jess and I watched an amazing and unsettling program on PBS this morning entitled "Paperback Dreams." This program focused on two important and vibrant stores in the Bay Area: Cody's Books in Berkeley and Kepler's Books in Menlo Park.
The journey of these stores, the influence they and other similar stores have in our communities, and the significant chance (or reality) of them failing were explored in a fascinating and telling fashion. You can buy the DVD or click here to find out when it's on your local PBS network.
I've written about this subject before, but was spurred to bring it up again by the facts brought up in this program. These stores are a vital part of our communities, and when they're gone, they stay gone. They face tremendous pressure from many sides, but mostly from the sterile and soulless chain bookstores (Barnes and Noble, Borders) as well as big-box stores (Target, Costco, Walmart) that carry new releases right next to the lawn furniture.
Now more than ever these independent bookstores need our support. In tough economic times, we all need to make careful and considered decisions on where our money goes. So what's the difference when you shop at an independent store? The wonderful website indiebound.org spells it out, as well as allowing you to find local stores in your community.
"When you shop at an independently-owned business, your entire community benefits:
The Economy

• Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
• Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
• More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong

The Environment

• Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
• Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.

The Community

• Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
• Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
• More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community"

I simply ask that when you and your friends are going book shopping, make the choice to shop at your local independent store. Chances are, they'll have or be able to order what you're looking for, and when you're there, you will be helped by any number of really bright and engaging people who share your interests and can make great recommendations.
If you want to shop online, don't just leap to Amazon, as most independent stores have their entire stock easily searchable and available. The best example is the wondrous Powell's Books in Portland, which has everything and will deliver virtually anywhere. You can even use Amazon and still support independent bookstores. Simply select your book and click on the "used and new" link in the center of the page. This gives you access to a host of private sellers that you can support with your purchase.
Spending money is a conscious act, so we have a responsibility to be conscious of where our money is going when we spend it. That said, here are some links to independent stores throughout California. Please feel free to send me other stores via comment and forward this post to anyone you think may be interested.
San Diego
Adams Avenue Bookstore
Wahrenbrocks Book House
Santa Rosa
Copperfields Books
Treehorn Books
San Francisco
Green Apple Books
Berkeley
Cody's Books. I include this link to remind us how much of a loss it is when one of these stores closes. Cody's fed minds for 52 years and now it's gone for good.
Menlo Park (near Stanford University)
Kepler's Books
Los Angeles
Angel City Books

Book Review: "Lee Considered" Plus An Examination Of Robert E. Lee In The Lost Cause

When I found "Lee Considered" by Alan Nolan on the shelves of the Adams Avenue Bookstore with a pristine book jacket and plastic cover, I knew I had a winner for the collection. I was optimistic going in that I had a winner for my continued study of the Lost Cause mythology as well. The author of "Lee Considered", the late Alan Nolan, was an expert on this subject with a number of related books and essays to his credit. Now that I'm finished, I'm pleased to say this is an excellent discussion of Robert E. Lee the man, the general, and the tradition.
That said, I'm also a little bit irritated.
Given that this review will also be covering what is known as the Lee Tradition within the Lost Cause mythology, I'm going to fold this into our ongoing discussion of the Lost Cause, and again refer you to my previous posts on the subject to get yourself up to speed. Also this post has some meat to it, so please take your time and hang in there, there is some important stuff at the end.
So here is the Lee Tradition in a nutshell (as an exercise, try to recall what you learned about Lee in school, perceptions of Lee you have, and representations of him you've seen in movies, art, books, etc). He is broadly remembered as an ardent anti-secessionist who only joined the Confederacy because he couldn't draw his sword against his native Virginia and was forced into making a choice, as a man against slavery despite being a slaveowner himself, a great conciliator in the post-war period, and most importantly, one of the greatest, most talented military leaders in history, and certainly the premier general officer during the Civil War. Basically a man who's record and reputation stand untarnished and unchallenged, a great man and brilliant general with his name on schools, buildings, and famous cars on TV.
Sound at all familiar?
Mr. Nolan sets out to demystify the man and explore each of these features of his reputation individually. He starts by explaining the genesis of the title "Lee Considered" instead of reconsidered; that despite piles of books on the subject, no single text has done. Nolan reminds us, in the words of Samuel Eliot Morison to the American Historical Association ,"The fundamental question is what actually happened, and why?..After his main object of describing events "simply as they happened, the historian's principal task is to understand the motives and objects of individuals and groups...and to point out mistakes as well as achievements by persons and movements." His point in writing this book is that this sort of attention has (and I agree) not been given to General Robert E. Lee.
In a stepwise fashion, Mr. Nolan moves us through the different tenets of the Lee Tradition, starting with Lee and slavery. Nolan works through Lee's prewar views, his opinion on arming and enlisting slaves into the Confederate army, and his postwar statements concerning his earlier beliefs. This is a skillful way to break down a difficult question based on the understanding that Lee was born into being a slaveholder and was in a society were it was taken for grant. We read letters from Lee's hand where his level of racism is no different than that pervading most people, North and South. We are also shown how Lee jumped on the post-war bandwagon trying to dissociate slavery as the primary reason behind secession and war. The point of this chapter is not that Lee was a hardened slave driver who forever hated black people, but that the answer is much more nuanced than, as the mythology would have us believe. This chapter really demonstrates well the lack of historical attention paid this man and the complexity of the issues surrounding him.
Nolan then moves to the secession question where the Lee Tradition would have us believe that Lee was against secession to the bitter end, but was tragically and honorably driven into fighting for the South and for his home state of Virginia. Thus, we are told, Lee has no accountability for his actions, that he was subject to "tragic forces". In a handful of pages, Nolan completely debunks this and uses Lee's own writings to show that Lee's loyalty was ambiguous at best. He does this by taking us through the timeline of Lee being commissioned a colonel in the US Army to his resignation 20 days later and accepting the commission of the newly seceded Virginia's commission as major general two days after that. This rapidity superimposed on the timing of the secession crisis and Virginia's secession, shows that Lee knew exactly what he was doing and that he made a conscious decision about where his loyalty lay. The point again is that when rigorously studied, Lee is far more flawed than our popular understanding.
The central section of the book analyzes Lee's war record and massive, rarely challenged reputation as the preeminent Civil War general and one of the best generals in American history.
This is the cornerstone of the Lee legend and one that brings up sharp opinions and feelings. Nolan is smart here in that he doesn't get bogged down dissecting campaign after campaign, or getting into the mire of comparing him to one general or another. He steps back and expands the context in which Lee, and any general officer should be evaluated (and most great ones, Eisenhower, Patton, Schwartzkopf, etc have been subjected to). He examines whether Lee's strategy at the tactical level matched with and furthered the overall strategic goals of the Confederacy.
Lee made his reputation for audacity and aggressiveness, and won fame on fields like Chancellorsville and Second Manassas. Nolan shows how this same tendency not only systematically bled his army white, but how consistently offensive warfare also went in contravention of the South's need to prolong the war as long as possible until the North gave it up (which came very close to happening on several occassions.) The view of Lee as an unfailingly brilliant general does not hold up under this sort of examination, so it follows that another part of the Lost Cause mythology was that, as the name suggests, the Confederacy was doomed to defeat from the beginning of the war, thus Lee was in charge of an army with no hope of victory, and he pushed the Union as hard as possible. Nolan makes his point and shows how the mythology of Lee as a superior general also doesn't stand up to close or broad examination.
The book doesn't fail to address the idea of Lee as conciliator and a quiet gentleman detached from the turbulent post-war period that the mythology teaches us. It is clear that he was quite active not only defending his actions and the actions of the South, but took an active role in writing and developing what would become the Lost Cause mythology; his correspondence with Jubal Early are solid proof of this.
The final chapter of the book, titled "The Lee Tradition and Civil War History" is simply a masterful summary of the Lost Cause, the role of the Lee Tradition within it, and how our perception of the Civil War has been so long and so comprehensively skewed. The fault here is not Lee's, it is those who would pervert his actions to further a goal, and those who would allow it to happen. Again, the question of the history of Civil War history is absolutely fascinating and should be the subject of academic treatment, but I digress...
In the final pages, Nolan writes that "the facts contradicting the Lee tradition...are not newly discovered. They are not obscure." Nolan's point is that for the early writers of Civil War history these facts "are exorcised, disregarded, or rationalized." Nolan then writes:
"The distortions of fact that mark the Lee tradition are not unique in Civil War history; on the contrary, they are suggestive of a larger and more widespread problem. Fiction - in the form of misinterpretation or the form of outright misrepresentation - is endemic to the study of the history of the Civil War...These fictions have ousted teh facts and gained wide currency, so that what is treated as the history of the Civil War is instead a legend, a folk epic told over and over again."
This is a premier study done by a clear expert on the man as well as historical method. It is well-written and challenging, with a great flow and rhythm to it. That said, Nolan has a bad habit of when quoting a primary source, he adds italics to the text and writes afterwards "emphasis added". Also, he continuously brings up the work of Douglas Southall Freeman, to the point where that name leads off more than one chapter.
My irritation I mentioned above comes from the fact that I felt a bit manipulated by all this: there is no need for added italics to prove a point. If you, to borrow a bit of poker parlance, have the nuts, then why jazz it up? There's no room for that in rigorous historiography and few are the authors that do it. The continuous invoking of Freeman, even leading off a few chapters with his name, lent a certain clumsiness to the discussion. Yes, Freeman's books are a substantial part of this mythology, but aren't the sole part. The constant bashing away at one entity was a bit heavy-handed and awkward, like there was some personal grudge being exorcised. The examination was of the Lee Tradition as a whole, not one author's role in building it.
These issues are not major detractors from the overall quality of the book, nor change the facts regarding the Lee Tradition and Lost Cause. The damage done by this mythology is slowly being undone and this text pushes that movement and learning further by leaps and bounds. Highly recommended.

A Photo Of The 57th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

A few days ago I wrote a post about the efforts of the Civil War Preservation Trust to thwart Wal-Mart's efforts to build a superstore on the battlefield of the Wilderness and Chancellorsville. In that post, I used a few lines to discuss why this battlefield is so important to me, but even when I posted the entry, something felt incomplete; I had left something out of the discussion.
Last night it came to me. I remembered a picture that is the single most moving image I have come across in my years of study, and my collection of Civil War books and photographic compendia numbers in the hundreds.
I do not suppose to know what war is like, but this picture captures the humanity, the loss, and the destructiveness of not only the Civil War, but war in general, in a way that no other picture has ever been able to replicate for me. One the one hand, there are the sterile, bloodless works of artists like Don Troiani, on the other hand is this:
Before we go on, a huge note of thanks and recognition to http://www.picturehistory.com/. I found this picture through their search criteria in about 5 seconds, and was able to download this image for free. Please avail yourselves of this incredible resource! Now, if you'll indulge me, please place your mouse over the picture and click it to bring up a larger image, then study the faces and clothing of the men, as well as the surroundings upon which they stand.
Having done so, let's begin our discussion, and by the end, your investment in this photograph is sure to increase. This image is of the men of Company I of the 57th Massachusetts Infantry, taken in late June or early July of 1864 (no confirmatory date has been found). There are nine men in this image, and they are all that is left of the 86 soldiers of the company who went into battle for the first time several weeks before on May 6th, 1864, the second day of the Battle of the Wilderness.
Over the course of the next weeks, Co. I and the entire 57th Mass took part in nearly every major action of the famed Overland Campaign: the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the North Anna River, Cold Harbor, and into the siege of Petersburg. This campaign ushered a new level of fighting into the Civil War (and warfare in general) with constant marching and virtually continuous contact with the enemy; these men were pushing forward every step of the way. 77 men of Company I had been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner during the campaigning and unrelenting combat of the early summer, 1864 in Virginia, and from the beginning of its service in May, 1864 until it was mustered out, only 10 men of the original 900+ of the regiment survived the war unscathed. A regimental history was written several years ago by Warren Wilkinson, with the fitting title of "Mother, May You Never See the Sights I Have Seen". This image graces the cover.
These nine men, commanded by Sgt R.K. Williams (the far right figure) were all that were standing when they found time for a brief respite and this photograph. They look worn-out, dirty, exhausted. They stand resolute, brave, and unflinching. They are on a wasted, muddy land where the only visible life, save for these nine souls, is the distant trees in the top-right corner. These troops have seen and done things that no one should be asked to do or have to live with having done, and they still had the courage to go forward and continue the fight.
There is all that, and there is the fact that they look just like us! There are no long-whiskered gentlemen or gray-haired officers; they look like men I went to high school, college, grad school with, played sports with, hung out with and befriended. These men capture the essence of American troops at war for me, because this picture could have been taken on the fields of Saratoga or the dusty streets of Fallujah, and I'd still feel like I know them, and I would still ache for what they had to go through. There had been 86, now there were nine. I've never had to go through losing one friend, let alone 77.
This picture came back to my mind because the first field where these men went to war and began to lose comrades was the Wilderness, and this ground may be lost if Wal-Mart has its way. These men took a stand behind a cause 144 years ago, now we can take a stand for them and their memory through the Civil War Preservation Trust.
Oh yeah, Wal-Mart and its ghoulish disrespect are disgraceful and despicable!
(Note: the above link to the book is to Amazon, but all available copies are from independent booksellers. Remember to support your local used and independent bookstores!)

Virtual Book Signings!

I can't believe that I completely forgot to blog about this most wonderful find, virtualbooksigning.net! This is an absolute treat of a website that I discovered a few months ago, to my great and everlasting joy! Sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop in Chicago, this website hosts online author interviews and book signings of recently published volumes on Civil War topics.
"Why so great?" you may ask. Well, living on the Left Coast, there is a notable discrepancy in all things Civil War-related as compared to the East Coast and Midwest. While we do have at least one pre-eminent ACW scholar in our midst (Dr. Joan Waugh at UCLA, my college professor, thank you very much) the bulk of ACW scholarship and discussion does not spring from the west. Thus, virtualbooksigning puts us Cali-based scholars in touch with the newest and brightest in ACW publishing and learning.
The website allows you to log on and stream live interviews in real-time, all you have to do is join when the interview is taking place. You can buy the book if you like and get it signed by the author, even watch the author do it. You can submit questions and have them answered a few minutes later. Seriously, it's really fantastic.
I first ran across it a few months ago and, as luck would have it, Gary Gallagher was just sitting down to discuss his new book "For Cause and Comrades". I got to watch the interview and submit a few questions, which was a total hoot, and a few weeks later, my signed copy arrived in the mail.
If you miss the live webcast, there is a fantastic archive available stretching back a few years, so all you need to do is click on who you'd like to hear and BANG! you're watching Gordon Rhea or Brad Gottfried. Don't forget to check out who's coming up: Peter Cozzens, one of the nation's leading authors on the war in the Western theater, and Pulitzer Prize winner James McPherson.
Yes, I'll be watching both of those with rapt attention.
After you've had your fill listening to some of the foremost authors out there, you can browse the bookshelves of the store, though I warn you, unless you've got some serious wallet, you'll be hanging with me at the window looking in.
I have no association with either the Abraham Lincoln Boostore or virtualbooksigning.net beyond thinking they're both absolute treasures and deserve whatever publicity they receive. Even if you just have a passing interest in Civil War writing and study, you should tune in once or twice; nothing will get you more fired up about a topic than watching a leading expert break down their research and publications and interacting with them, even if you live thousands of miles away.

Civil War Art As History, Or Just Art

After a particularly stressful day at work last Sunday, I decided a sojourn to Adams Avenue Bookstore was just what I needed to soothe my nerves and calm my mind. There's something about used book stores that just helps me feel relaxed and quiet. They're always cool inside, that pervasive musty smell, and oh my the books. There's never a time limit or obligation to buy anything, and the stunning diversity of the collection at Adams Avenue just lets the imagination run wild.
It's always been a personal rule that book-buying is non-budgetary spending; if I see it and want it, I buy it. We're not talking signed first editions here, we're talking old paperbacks and hardbacks without dustjackets. I'm not collecting for the money, I read everything I buy (admittedly I've gotten a bit behind) and having a library stuffed full of books on sports, old cocktail recipes, and the Civil War is just too freaking cool.
Anyway, I went into AAB and immediately got settled in the history section. Within 20 minutes, there was a lovely stack of texts on all manner of Civil War esoterica, now destined for my library. Among these books was a collection of works by famed contemporary Civil War artist Don Troiani, and this is the crux of what we're going to discuss.
Mr. Troiani is touted in circles both historical and artistic as "modern America's finest historical artist" and his depictions of Civil War personalities and battle vignettes are perennially among the best-selling CW pieces, and the marketplace is enormous. He keeps a massive collection of uniforms and armaments in his studio, and goes on location to develop his images, using models in full battle dress to set the scenes. His meticulous attention to detail and historical accuracy even includes test-firing various CW firearms into trees and planks to get the bullet markings just right.
If you read the link about, you will understand the size of this man's reputation and portfolio. Underpinning his reputation and success is this attention to historical accuracy, and here is where I have a huge issue with his work.
I provide you with a link to google images that has a host of images of his paintings (the gallery that supports him online is down). Here it is, what I invite you to do is take a look at the paintings and think about what things strike you. Then think about what might be missing from this depictions of Civil War combat by an artist known for his historical rigor. Here is some music to listen to while you browse the paintings

A Scary Rumor for Bibliophiles

As a student of the Civil War, there is no more important resource to aid my learning than the printed word. The stories, diaries, reports, and accounts of the war are all carefully archived in the pages of many thousands of books published since the end of the war.
As a book collector, there is nothing more wonderful than browsing through a comprehensive and well-maintained bookstore, usually one that stocks used books. This sort of establishment, over the course of several hours of fun, will usually satisfy both needs quite brilliantly.
Unfortunately, this type of bookstore is slowly dying away due to multiple factors that, for the sake of brevity, I won't dissect out here. I was prompted to write this post after hearing a very concerning rumor that Green Apple Books in San Francisco, which is voted the best Bay Area bookstore every year and has been around since 1967, is closing its doors.
After a rigorous google search, I am thankfully unable to confirm this rumor, but did discover that Cody's Books in Berkeley, also a staple in the Bay Area for many decades, is shutting down.
This is a very bad thing, and is at the sharp end of a nasty trend. These stores are incredibly unique, interesting, and inexpensive ways to acquire books and knowledge, aside from being performance venues, artisan coffee shops, and always very cool. But once they're gone, they stay gone, and the community is worse off.
How to prevent this? Simple, when buying books, take a few moments to seek out the independent new and/or used bookstore in your neighborhood. None available? Try Powell's Books in Portland, which is the largest independent bookstore in the country. They've got everything and will ship anywhere.
Still no luck? Like so many of us, you're probably typing amazon.com into your browser. No sweat, nearly every book there is available either new or used, just check the seller when you buy and don't buy straight from the factory.
These businesses are a treasured part of our communities and need our support. Every little bit counts, so put them to good use. Links are below, and I've installed a new sidebar with the same links for easy reference

In San Diego:
Wahrenbrocks
Adams Avenue Bookstore

Online:
Green Apple Books
Powell's Books
Alibris

Music:
The Last Record Store