Buying Books

Buying the books is always the most fun. Arranging them, cataloguing them, pricing them, selling them, processing shipment - those activities can't compare in thrill-quotient to buying books.

A call comes in. Maybe it sounds promising. The truth is, you can always convince yourself it's promising. In the mornings before the store opens, Chris follows up on those phone calls. He goes to homes with shelves full of books. It's a treasure hunt. Occasionally he finds marvelous books of great value. Often he finds good solid books that he'd like to have in the store.
There's another kind of treasure too. Book collections reflect the collector's interests. That ignites Chris' interest. He loves looking over the books, even when they are subsequent printings and commonly available. Sometimes the person who collected and read the books is still alive and eager to talk about books. Even if a relative or friend is arranging the sale, the reader/collector is a strong prescence in the collection. Those people are treasures too.

At 11:00, every single day, riverrun bookshop opens its doors. Before 11 though, Chris has usually gone treasure hunting and bought books. He's already done the part that's absolutely the most fun.