i'm looking for good used book stores, like the ones you find in changmai. not the crap you see on the second floor of tops, or the semi-outdoor place by the dolphin roundabout. know of any good ones with directions?

Swan Book House on Soi Bukaow next to Sawadee Hotel.

Or Petes Fishermans bar. He will swop you one for one. Blow the dust of them and you will see he has a very good collection.

His he still open BTW?

I buy my books in Soi Chaiyapoon just off Soi Buakao can't remember the name

It is about the first shop on the left before Crazy Dave's might be something like Greg's Bookshop but not sure.They also rent Motorcycles.

I buy my books in Soi Chaiyapoon just off Soi Buakao can't remember the name

It is about the first shop on the left before Crazy Dave's might be something like Greg's Bookshop but not sure.They also rent Motorcycles.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Jeremy's book shop, its got a pretty good selection to.

Whats wrong with the one above Topps?I been there acouple of times,thought the selection was great.

Swan Books on Soi Bacow near Soi Diana is the best. He must have several hundred thousand books there, and they are NOT wrapped in plastic, so you can actually see what's inside.

As I remember he's across from a gold shop.

Swan was probably the first, also has quite a lot of books in other languages!

Jeremy's also has Internet facilities and so on.

Big breakfast in Crazy Dave's, into Jeremy's next door, catch up on e-mails and so on, then pick a book for the poolside afternoon.

What more could one want?

(Usually a waterproof book - 'cos it's beeing down )

Edited August 4, 200520 yr by Humphrey Bear

Pattaya does not have used bookstores to equal those found in Chiang Mai...I visit Chiang Mai annually, visit the bookstores and bring back a bunch to read here in Pattaya...Jeremy's and Swans seem to have the best selections with the shop above Tops improving...I have found some nice selections in the open air shop in North Pattaya near the roundabout...

The used bookstore scene here, while a bit sparse, has improved a great deal in the past few years...please give the shops your business to keep them in business.

If you are into heavy reading and make regular trips to BKK. then it is worth looking in the Neilson Hayes library on Surawongse next to the british club.

20 baht to browse and 2000 b membership[used to be].Wonderful books and you can take out for app 2 months at a time..

The guy that owns Pattaya Beach Books on the seciond floor of TOPS has just taken delivery of another large consignment of books from England and has opened a second shop in Soi Bhukeaw.

I was in there yesterday he has a pretty good selection - it's worth a look.

Whats wrong with the one above Topps?I been there acouple of times,thought the selection was great.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Did you buy anything? 'Nuff said.

yes I did, a few times.I don't like having to take my shoes off to go in a book store.

i checked out jeremy's today. they also have a rather large selection of crap. i brought about 5 books with me to "trade". 3 of them were like new, just paid 400 baht each for them at bookazine. the girl there offered me 60 baht each trade in. these books would've flown off the shelves ina day too. i said forget it and walked out. i'd rather burn them or give'em to a farang walking down the street. i actually offered to trade her these 3 new condition books that i'd recently purchased for 1200 baht for a beat up used book she was selling for 220. she said no, i'd have to chip in another 40 baht. i'll never go there again.

they all seem to offer 50 percent trade in if you bought them there, but if you didn't buy'em there, they try to rip you off. anyway, it's just too depressing to even go into these places. missing are authors like murukami, bukowski, delillo, hemingway and insightful non fiction on SE asia like you'd find in changmai. present are names like koontz, clancy and king, oh, yeah, they do have alot of books on whores, though.

Was that your first time in a used book store?

Used books go by the kilo, not by condition, or who the author is . I know that's not precisely true but it's pretty close. I couldn't care less that a book was read only once and still looks new, or was read 100 times and is a little dog-eared, as long as it's complete.

New book prices are so outrageous that I only buy new occasionally but I certainly don't expect a used book store to offer me trade-in value based on my purchase price.

I think you're way off base bad mouthing Jeremy's for what is standard policy in the business.

That said, I hate the way they wrap the books in plastic. I passed on a Singapore guide book last week because I couldn't open it to see the date of publishing, could have been 15 years old.

I couldn't care less that a book was read only once and still looks new, or was read 100 times and is a little dog-eared, as long as it's complete.

Do you care if the book smells like old piss? Or random shmutz falls out of it into your eye while reading in bed?

That said, I hate the way they wrap the books in plastic. I passed on a Singapore guide book last week because I couldn't open it to see the date of publishing, could have been 15 years old.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The bookstore on Pattaya Klang near the beach (forgot the name) is great for that! Anyone want to buy a brand new 10 year old IT book (e.g. Dreamweaver '97)? With a 2005 price? Anyone? Anyone?

"Clearance Sales" aren't very popular in Thailand -- the whole country might go missing!

Swan Book House on Soi Bukaow next to Sawadee Hotel.

Or Petes Fishermans bar. He will swop you one for one. Blow the dust of them and you will see he has a very good collection. 

His he still open BTW?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Seatramp: Peter's Bar has now closed. Peter is now retired as he was finding the long days a bit too much for him he is around 76 now.

If you want to support a good cause and check out a good range of second-hand books, check out the Thais4Life charity shop in Sunnee Plaza.

A good range of books and your purchase money goes to a good cause.

Kharmabum's comments that Second hand book shops are full of crap may be true but are surely more a criticism of the reading habits of the public not the shops themselves. Recently in England I could not find Murakami books and there too the second hand shops are stocked high with recently discarded best sellers. Also what is wrong with books about "Whores" some great works have featured them.

Try starbooks on Soi Khoa Noi

Seven year old thread, surely there is something more up to date than this one.

//CLOSED//