Ulysses G. Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 But you claim to live in Chiang Mai. It has the best selection of secondhand english bookshops in Thailand, and far superior to the drossy backpacker paperback Tom Clancy bullshit you find in Khao San Road. I couldn't have said it better myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendix Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 But if would have been impolite for you to say it UG, so I felt I should step forward on your behalf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertz Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 But you claim to live in Chiang Mai. It has the best selection of secondhand english bookshops in Thailand, and far superior to the drossy backpacker paperback Tom Clancy bullshit you find in Khao San Road. I couldn't have said it better myself! Seconded, CM's good for second hand books. Anyway Bendix, I like Clancy bullshit, I suppose you don't like Grisham either. Snob! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTW Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 Okay, here we go again. There is one bookstore of where I speak which has sections of books based on various awards going back years, The Man Booker Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and all the others as well as large sections of non-fiction which is what I like to read. The used book store here seems to be happy to buy what I bring them. And even though I know what the reputation of Khoa San Road is, apparently they have at least one book store that gets a good number of books from somewhere, that isn't your standard crap. This store has huge sections of biographies for example. Many history books not just about Asia. Bookstores in CM have huge sections on meditation, massage, Buddhism, eastern religions, self-help, herbal stuff, travel books for SE Asia, many crap novels which if you like that fine, many books I already read when I was new here, or read already because I have always read a lot, and some good books, depends. If I really wanted to make up lies, why in the hel_l would I tell you to go to KS road to get good books?? IF the guy on this board is the guy I suspects own the shop in CM where I sometimes sell my books to, ask him if there is a blond American woman who comes in with used good books from a used store in BKK from time to time, and if they are Nancy Drew novels or not?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTW Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 And I am not saying CM doesn't have the "best selection of English second hand books" just not the best selection for me. And for me not to have to spend a long time looking, and make a lot of choices that I end up not liking very much because I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendix Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 But you claim to live in Chiang Mai. It has the best selection of secondhand english bookshops in Thailand, and far superior to the drossy backpacker paperback Tom Clancy bullshit you find in Khao San Road. I couldn't have said it better myself! Seconded, CM's good for second hand books. Anyway Bendix, I like Clancy bullshit, I suppose you don't like Grisham either. Snob! Grisham? What's to like? He's written one book ten times. Snob? Oh yes. Guilty as charged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendix Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 Can you believe, when I was looking for a book to study the culture of Thai Visa members, they didn't have it??!! That's because i haven't had time to write it yet. Give me time . . give me time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTW Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 Sorry, I hit resend, because nothing seems to be going today, and don't know what happened. But the store I go to has a sister store here in CM but I don't go there because I would rather support a fellow farang here and he has mentioned he likes my books, although maybe he says this to everyone. He has never rejected one. (Although I can't say I know if a Thai or farang owns the store in BKK just the guy in CM is a nice guy so I will support him as much as I can.) I just looked in one of my books and the store in BKK is called Aporia Books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet Gorgon Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 Gecko Books in Chiang Mai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 (edited) Sorry, I hit resend, because nothing seems to be going today, and don't know what happened.But the store I go to has a sister store here in CM but I don't go there because I would rather support a fellow farang here and he has mentioned he likes my books, although maybe he says this to everyone. He has never rejected one. (Although I can't say I know if a Thai or farang owns the store in BKK just the guy in CM is a nice guy so I will support him as much as I can.) I just looked in one of my books and the store in BKK is called Aporia Books. Aporia Books truly is a great bookstore and the owner is a really nice Thai guy who really knows his literature. However, they only have one store and that is on Kao San Road and they specialize in the best of the best titles, but they are usually new, unused books and quite pricey. They do have some used books also, but not a lot. I LOVE the place, but everything is marked as high as possible, so I am careful when I go there, but I can't blame him because the commission on new books is much lower than in the West and he has such a good collection of hard to find great books Edited June 28, 2007 by Ulysses G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTW Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 Oh MY GOD. Thank you!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTW Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 I will say, that the last time I was there, they had a map up, although I couldn't figure it out, for a CM store, that they said, would pay half the value of books you bought from them, hence, why I said a sister store. But since I wasn't very interested to go, I didn't bother to take one of the maps. And I didn't see a name written on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertz Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 But you claim to live in Chiang Mai. It has the best selection of secondhand english bookshops in Thailand, and far superior to the drossy backpacker paperback Tom Clancy bullshit you find in Khao San Road. I couldn't have said it better myself! Seconded, CM's good for second hand books. Anyway Bendix, I like Clancy bullshit, I suppose you don't like Grisham either. Snob! Grisham? What's to like? He's written one book ten times. Snob? Oh yes. Guilty as charged. I knew it! Okay, 2 books that have grabbed me of late: A day in the life of Ivan Denisovitch by Soltchenitzin Enigma by Robert Harris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 I will say, that the last time I was there, they had a map up, although I couldn't figure it out, for a CM store, that they said, would pay half the value of books you bought from them, hence, why I said a sister store. But since I wasn't very interested to go, I didn't bother to take one of the maps. And I didn't see a name written on it. You are getting two different stores mixed up. The one with a store in Chiang Mai is OK, but as a customers mentioned the other day, it is chock FULL of pirated copies that sell for almost the price of a brand new book. I much rather go to Amporia and pay a little more for a beautiful original, than buy a crappy pirated copy for almost the same price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draggons Posted June 29, 2007 Share Posted June 29, 2007 I head for the backpacker places in Ayuttaya and swap paperbacks, always plenty to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTW Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 I was thinking that the store I wrote the name to, is not the store I buy most of my books. Because some of my books have a stamp inside and some don't. I think the store I wrote the name for, is on the street with the silver stores, where the tuk-tuks gather, and yes, they have mostly new books. I am not aware that the other store has fake copies as the covers look real and I didn't know about fake copies. But they have a good selection of books that I like, they are actually on KS Road, and I just don't know what to say if you are saying I am buying fake books. However other bookstores are buying them from me and reselling them, and certainly I am not a criminal for buying what I think are used books, if they are fake used books, sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTW Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 Also, since I think it has been proven that I don't have the same reading tastes as many people, I doubt the store I go to is producing fake books for the types I am buying. "Private Dancer" maybe, but I am not going there for books like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadiangirl Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) Hi.Can anyone recommend an online source for (preferably) second hand books. I'm an avid reader, living in Khon Kaen, where obtaining English language novels, etc is very difficult. I used to visit the second hand book stores in Pattaya, but now that I've moved to Issan, that's impractical, so an online source would be great. I'm mostly interested in Science Fiction, Mystery, Classics (Dickens, etc), some non-fiction. Many Thanks. Hi Reality Check, I think amazon.com now has listing for used books as well (they act as a clearinghouse for private sellers, and some used book shops as well). But I don't know if they deliver to Thailand. For some new books, have you tried Asiabooks? As some other posters have said, if you ever go down to the more touristy areas, neighborhoods popular with backpackers tend to have second hand books. I think some of them will even swap books (so you can "rent" a book by buying it, and then they will buy it back from you later). Kao San Rd. has tons of used bookstores, with a great selection (at least for what I like), and Chiang Mai has a few as well. I rmember there was a place called gecko books in Chiang Mai that had a good selection. I bought tons of my books in those shops, reselling my old ones (although they generally give you a really crap price unless it's one of theirs), until I just had to start swapping with my friends bc it was becoming too expensive (I can read a book a day!) I don't know if you like reading books on your computer (I don't) but some books are available as e-books, where you can just pay to dowload them off the net. Good luck! Edited July 1, 2007 by canadiangirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thanyaburi Mac Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hi.Can anyone recommend an online source for (preferably) second hand books. I'm an avid reader, living in Khon Kaen, where obtaining English language novels, etc is very difficult. I used to visit the second hand book stores in Pattaya, but now that I've moved to Issan, that's impractical, so an online source would be great. I'm mostly interested in Science Fiction, Mystery, Classics (Dickens, etc), some non-fiction. Many Thanks. My favorite oline source for 2nd hand, and sometimes new, books is www.abebooks.com. This is a world wide deal of some 13,500 booksellers, altho most of them are in the U.S. I use this service often, last month for six books, yesterday sorting through for three more. Becoming a problem now, tho, with shipping from the U.S. The USPS used to have a very good M-bag deal, up to 60 pounds sea freight for $1/lb, and the bag arrived in 6-10 weeks. They still have the M-bag but the price has gone out of sight, CRS on exactly what it is now but over $3/lb I think. Pondering a new means of shipping. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sceadugenga Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Not yet.We are in the process of putting all the stock in the computer and on-line. When we finish that, we will think about selling by post. Well, you'll have one regular customer here, General. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgriffith Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Love a good catfight, early in the morning....... Oh, and on thread, I buy most all my books at Gecko in CM. Great selection, fair prices, and he buys back for 50% of original price. McG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 (edited) Also, since I think it has been proven that I don't have the same reading tastes as many people, I doubt the store I go to is producing fake books for the types I am buying. "Private Dancer" maybe, but I am not going there for books like that. The stores that I am talking about copy the books that are trendy with backpackers but expensive and hard to get, such as anything by Tom Robbins, Hunter S. Thompson or Jack Kerouac. Also books about Che Guevera, Mr. Nice, drugs and New Age topics. The store has about 40% fake copies of some type and they don't mark them or price them as pirated. It is NOT Amporia books. They sell real, excellent quality books and are good honest booksellers. Edited July 2, 2007 by Ulysses G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
November Rain Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Very off topic here, but I just last week stumbled across a shop in HK that had early editions in largely fantastic condition. Jane Eyre (by "Currer Bell") from the 1890's, a 1930's illustrated "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", early "Winnie-the-Pooh" & "When we were very young" a UK first edition of "Grapes of Wrath" (and loads more Steinbeck), Graham Greene, Hemingway, etc etc; it was wonderful. They even had a first edition double volume of Jane Austen's letters (I believe it was dated 1884, but I'm not 100% sure on that). It had been in a lending library in the year it was published & still had the sheet inside signed by all of the borrowers. My idea of heaven! I was severely tempted by "Alice" and "Jane Eyre", but, like MTW, many of my books fall prey (inadvertently) to dogs & the idea of a treasure like that getting chomped on was too distressing, so I left them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet Gorgon Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Glad you did not buy any NR! I have my Gran's books from 1900-1912 and none have publisher's dates in them. I only know their age from the date Gram wrote when she received them. The one you found from the library would be a treat tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Love a good catfight, early in the morning....... Oh, and on thread, I buy most all my books at Gecko in CM. Great selection, fair prices, and he buys back for 50% of original price. McG Thanks much. We are also about to double the size of the main/original store and add lots of new and different types of books which will begin arriving next week. I can see the workmen across the street now beginning to work on our new building! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 I get most of my reading material from Amazon, although shipping for used books is expensive. Theres heaps of good reading material online if you are willing to do some research. Ive also digitally photographed some of my bulkier non-fiction books (only takes about 5 minutes for a 300 page book), as it has advantages in portability and easier to read on a big monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ijustwannateach Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Let's cool things down, folks. No more flaming here or warnings will follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimjim Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 (edited) Maybe you deleted posts but I didn't see any flames. Oh, wait, not I see some rough talking on page 3 but that was several days ago so I think it's been sorted. As for good books to read, I was thinking of a great one last night. It's about the war in Laos that the American public didn't know about. Fictional history. It was written as a diary of a Raven pilot and I just can't find the book. I can't remember the name. It's bugging the hel_l out of me. Anyone know of it? There are many like it but I can't find the exact book. Edited July 2, 2007 by Jimjim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbk Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hi.Can anyone recommend an online source for (preferably) second hand books. I'm an avid reader, living in Khon Kaen, where obtaining English language novels, etc is very difficult. I used to visit the second hand book stores in Pattaya, but now that I've moved to Issan, that's impractical, so an online source would be great. I'm mostly interested in Science Fiction, Mystery, Classics (Dickens, etc), some non-fiction. Many Thanks. My favorite oline source for 2nd hand, and sometimes new, books is www.abebooks.com. This is a world wide deal of some 13,500 booksellers, altho most of them are in the U.S. I use this service often, last month for six books, yesterday sorting through for three more. Becoming a problem now, tho, with shipping from the U.S. The USPS used to have a very good M-bag deal, up to 60 pounds sea freight for $1/lb, and the bag arrived in 6-10 weeks. They still have the M-bag but the price has gone out of sight, CRS on exactly what it is now but over $3/lb I think. Pondering a new means of shipping. Mac I know what you mean Mac. What a terrible decision on the part of the post office If you come up with some alternative method please let me know. A great website for ordering remainders is daedalus books. They have all sorts of interesting books that can be really off the wall. And they ship overseas for a reasonable price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Maybe you deleted posts but I didn't see any flames. Oh, wait, not I see some rough talking on page 3 but that was several days ago so I think it's been sorted.As for good books to read, I was thinking of a great one last night. It's about the war in Laos that the American public didn't know about. Fictional history. It was written as a diary of a Raven pilot and I just can't find the book. I can't remember the name. It's bugging the hel_l out of me. Anyone know of it? There are many like it but I can't find the exact book. Air America - they made a movie of it in Chiang Mai? It wouldn't be The Ravens as that is non-fiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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