Book search: Finding the hard-to-find

Ever wonder which one of James Patterson's books you've missed?

Looking for a chronology of the works of Vince Flynn?

Remember a character but can't recall the author?

We get these kinds of problems everyday from customers at Plaza Books, and with thousands and thousands of used and collectible books in stock, we can't always come up with answers. Our solution? The internet of course. Within minutes, we can search for a list of books by James Patterson, divided into groups and in chronological order. And a quick search for a major character's name brings up the author.

Now, we often resort to sources like wikipedia or a bline google search but our favorite site for hunting, the place we get quick answers, is http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk.



Book selection of the month.



Based in the UK, this family-owned business is on top of the publishing information business and is a super source for quick searches. The site is minimalistic (not overloaded with affiliate ads), loads quickly, and responds just as quickly.

And now for the June book trivia, the following authors were born in June. Have you read any of them?

Maurice Sendak June 10, 1928
Andrew Weil June 8, 1942
Aaron Sorkin June 9, 1961
Iain Sinclair June 11, 1943
Richard Scarry June 5, 1919
Michael Shaara June 23, 1929
Tobias Wolff June 19, 1945
Immanuel Velikovsky June 10, 1895
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry June 29, 1900

Is Book Collecting a Good Investment?

As booksellers, we hear this question often: Is book collecting a good investment?

Since we are in the business of selling books, specifically antiquarian, signed firsts, out-of-print, and unique books, our response might be a bit too biased.

So, to prevent the obvious sales pitch format, we’ve collected some links to articles around the web that point out the high points and pitfalls of book collecting as an investment. There’s enough information (and advice) in these articles to help answer the question and point you to the entrance or exit.

Check them out and let us know if they’ve been helpful.

Is Book Collecting a Smart Invesment?

 

Rare Books as an Investment

Book Collecting

Rare Book Collecting as an Investment

FEATURED TITLE *** FEATURED TITLE

 

Second printing large softcover. Signed by the author/editor on title page with inscription "Charles Trinkle you can believe it", and dated 1/21/81. Illustrations. 406 pp. VG+ with no other markings.

It's MAGIC!

Last Friday, Criss Angel brought a crew to the store to film a segment. We had a lot of fun watching him work.

Speaking of magic, we have quite a nice selection of collectible and hard-to-find books on the subject.

This one sports the difficult (if you don't read German) title: Mesmerismus. Oder System der Wechselwirkungen, Theorie und Anwendung des thierischen Magnetismus als die allgemeine Heilkunde zur Erhaltung des Menschen.

The book was published in 1814 and this is a first edition.

Another highly sought-after book in stock is Frank Garcia's Don't Bet on It.

Published in 1978, this softcover is in very good condition.

You can see all our current magic and conjuring titles on our website.

Katie Salidas--Queen of the Vampire Genre and More

Guest post by Jimmie Stevens

You wouldn't think it by looking at a picture of Katie Salidas; you wouldn't think she could scare the living daylights out of you with her words.

She looks like such a sweet, innocent, caring woman!

But when she starts writing about vampires, you won't be able to put her books down. You'll be too scared.

Katie is the author of the Immortalis Series, featuring Alyssa, a college girl who has to navigate the dark world to which she has recently moved. Lucky for her she has Lysander, a cool, aloof, handsome sire to help her along but that's no guarantee that she can be saved from a final death ...

Katie's books are available now. Click on one, check it out, and you'll want to read them all.

 

Big sale at Plaza Books

We're having a 25% off sale on ALL books in stock. This includes our first editions, signed first editions, Easton Press and Franklin Library books, Shelton First Editions and Library of America.

The 25% sale applies in store as well as on the Plaza Books website and it lasts until January 12, 2013.

If you order on the website, at checkout, use the code DEC to take advantage of the sale!

Vegas writer wows us with The Perfume Alibi

People don't usually think of Nevada, Las Vegas in particular, as the home of serious authors. There's so much else to focus on, the famous Las Vegas Strip, the casinos, the entertainment, Boulder Dam and Lake Tahoe, for example.

But a number of authors of fiction and non-fiction call Nevada home, and you can find their work at Plaza Books.

One emerging author we'd like to highlight here is Jeffrey Cruden, whose The Perfume Alibi, found its way into our shelves about a month ago.

To be honest, as a used bookstore that also specializes in rare, unique and antiquarian books, we don't usually handle newly-published work. However, we make an exception for Nevada authors. In Jeffrey Cruden's case, we were happy to do just that.

Here's our take on this must-read.

The Perfume Alibi has all the good stuff of the mystery genre with a lot of twists and turns, fast action, interesting characters, wry humor and a very confusing plot. This book is kind of like having a bit of Elmore Leonard, a tad or two of Lawrence Block, some Harlan Coben thrown into the mix with a dash of wry humor sprinkled on top.

You've got a dark and dreary night, a bored cop, a driver who is not just out of character for the kind of car he's driving but who is also a man with a deep concern about what's in the trunk of the fancy wheels; you have a couple of down-and-out character actors in training as hit men, a dead wife, a husband under suspicion, a nefarious brother and some cooked books -- and that's just for starters. Throw in a masterful remix of pulp fiction and you have a definite page turner.

So beware, if you begin reading, you won't want to stop.

Oz art by John R. Neill

After author Frank Baum lost contact with W.W. Denslow, who illustrated his first book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he turned to Philadelphia born artist John R. Neill (aka Jno. R. Neill) to bring Dorothy and her pals to life.

Neill also illustrated Oz titles penned by himself as well as for author Ruth Plumly Thompson, who kept Baum's work alive.

Here are a few of the awesome works of art that Neill did for Baum.

 

Visit our website to see more. (Note, as these are the cover art for books that are listed for sale, they will disappear from the page if (or when) the actual titles are sold.