Re: Health Notice, bookstores

["Lois Melina" <lmelina@moscow.com>]

Linda,

I do support Bookpeople, but the reality is that places like Bookpeople
can't support authors like me. I write for a small market and Bob has a
small store. Like most bookstores, he can only stock titles that he expects
to sell, no matter how much he might like me or my books. While he can and
does order books for everyone, the consumer has to first know what he or
she wants to buy.

Amazon.com has done a tremendous thing for readers of books by making
lesser known titles every bit as available as the NYT Best Sellers. The
amazon.com search engine does not distinguish between best sellers and
simply good books when the consumer types in the topic of interest. This
has made it profitable for publishers to publish books that previously
would have been "marginal" sellers. That is not only good for authors, but
it is good for everyone who is concerned about the quality of literature
available.

So let's not demonize amazon.com or suggest that consumers need to choose
between the ambience and value of a good local bookstore like Bookpeople
and the benefits of cybermarketers. Both can be good for us right here in
Moscow.

Lois Melina
----------
> From: Linda Pall <lpall@moscow.com>
> To: vision2020@moscow.com
> Subject: Re: Health Notice, bookstores
> Date: Friday, January 08, 1999 5:15 PM
> 
> Dear Visionaries,
> 
> I am a great fan of Bill London but I must kvetch just a little.
> 
> When checking out books, "Ragnar Benson's" or "Dylan Thomas," please
visit
> your local home-owned, home-grown Moscow bookstore, Book People. And
don't
> just visit, browse, enjoy the ambiance and buy elsewhere... dollars for
> books, magazines, etc. spent at home recycle immediately right here...
> 
> We all appreciate and profit from it. Cyberpurchases remove those
wonderful
> person-to-person interactions where help and advice of knowledgeable
> merchants can make a big difference for you. 
> 
> Support your local poet...and bookseller!
> 
> All the best,
> Linda Pall
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >Return-Path: slist
> >Resent-Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 09:40:50 -0800 (PST)
> >X-Originating-IP: [134.121.3.83]
> >From: "bill london" <bill_london@hotmail.com>
> >To: vision2020@moscow.com, psalant@moscow.com
> >Subject: Re: Health Notice
> >Date: Fri, 08 Jan 1999 09:39:24 PST
> >Resent-Message-ID: <"yah1T.A.bgG.5Lkl2"@whale.fsr.net>
> >Resent-From: vision2020@moscow.com
> >X-Mailing-List: <vision2020@moscow.com> archive/latest/2146
> >X-Loop: vision2020@moscow.com
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> >
> >The insert in the Daily News entitled "health notice" should more 
> >appropriately been entitled "paid political ad"
> >Erin Walter did a piece on the insert in the Lewiston Tribune yesterday.
 
> >The question of who are these guys? was not answered.  Larry Grupp, 
> >spokesperson for whatever this group is, is a Moscow author.  He has 
> >several books out under his own name (mostly military history) and 
> >dozens of books out under his pen name of Ragnar Benson.
> >The books he writes under that pen name are all anti-government, how to 
> >build your own bombs, how to kill people with flamethrowers and booby 
> >traps, etc.  Check out the list of Ragnar Benson books at Amazon.com.
> >BL
> >
> >>From vision2020-request@moscow.com Wed Jan  6 20:34:10 1999
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> >>	Wed, 6 Jan 1999 19:59:49 -0800 (PST)
> >>	(envelope-from vision2020-request@moscow.com)
> >>Resent-Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 19:59:49 -0800 (PST)
> >>Message-Id: <199901070356.TAA27440@whale.fsr.net>
> >>From: "Priscilla Salant" <psalant@moscow.com>
> >>To: <vision2020@moscow.com>
> >>Subject: "Health Notice"
> >>Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 19:56:50 -0800
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> >>
> >>Can anyone shed light on the "health notice" inserted in tonight's 
> >Daily
> >>News?  It's a one-page flyer with quotes (I think) from Dennis Avery, 
> >the
> >>well-known conservative analyst of environmental and agricultural 
> >issues. 
> >>The theme of the flyer is that organic foods pose health dangers to
> >>consumers that conventionally produced foods do not.  
> >>
> >>I am interested in learning more about the "Moscow Branch of Citizens
> >>Opposed to Food Fascism," which apparently paid for the insert.   
> >>
> >>--Priscilla Salant
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
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> >