Sunday, July 19, 2009

A Bookworm’s Bargain Haven

My search for the latest issue of Preview Magazine(the one with Maricel Soriano on the cover) led me to National Bookstore POB (Previously Owned Books).

Nestled on the second floor of National Bookstore in Quezon Avenue are literally racks and racks of bargain books.

I checked out the quality of the books on display and a lot seemed brand new albeit the yellowish paper. I think these are volumes of old stock that National Bookstore just wants to get rid of. Checking out the selection I noticed that some of the books there were the ones put on sale in some of their branches. Now I know where the unsold books go.

I went around and checked out the prices, most of the paperbacks (a lot of which are romantic novels) are from thirty to one hundred pesos. Hardbound volumes start at a hundred. The more popular authors are more expensive though, I found an unknown James Patterson novel with a two hundred plus peso price tag. The priciest books there are leather bound bibles, in yummy bright colors I might add, which goes for 699 pesos apiece.

Whenever a bookstore overwhelms me, my first instinct is always “go toward the classics”. I saw a lot of Shakespeare, some Thomas Hardy and one of my favorites Iliad all at 30 pesos. I almost bought Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d’ Ubervilles. But I remembered the stack of books I have in my room that I have yet to read.

So I went home empty handed. Well... looks like I just have to come back another time.




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