Cracking the Code
Yesterday, on the Muni train, I noticed someone next to me reading The Da Vinci Code, which I keep hearing great things about. I've been waiting for it to appear in paperback. The copy I saw yesterday was in paperback. Finally!
So today I meander over to Crown Books and ask for a copy, and they tell me it's not out in paperback yet. "But I just saw a copy!" I protest. The salesperson informed me that the book is available in paperback overseas. It's just here that we have to pay through the nose (a painful process, believe me) for a hardback version. But if I really wanted the paperback, I could order it from Amazon.co.uk. That's right, you can't get it from Amazon.com, but you can get it from Amazon's Brit side of the pond.
That's just wrong.
Blog Tag: Opinion
Posted 9/18/2004 11:57:00 PM
L
On 9/19/2004 4:40 AM, 
Lisa said...
On 9/19/2004 11:03 AM, Terri said...
On 9/19/2004 11:53 AM, dkgoodman said...
On 9/19/2004 12:43 PM, Lisa said...
On 9/19/2004 1:00 PM, dkgoodman said...
On 9/19/2004 1:19 PM, Terri said...
On 9/19/2004 1:29 PM, dkgoodman said...
On 9/20/2004 12:26 AM, gemmak said...
On 9/20/2004 2:14 PM, magz said...
9 Comments:
Sounds like a job for Gemmak or Blackrat.. ask them to go shopping for you. :) Or just buy it from amazon.uk. I've been wanting to read it, too. Do they even have it at libraries? I'm afraid I am banned from the library. I had 3 books 3 months overdue. I wasn't even reading them..well, Brit was reading the golden retriever book, but aside from that...no. I was just too lazy to take them back. :)
What I've found is since a paperback these days is still a costly $7.00 or $8.00 bucks, if I use my Barnes and Noble or Borders discount cards on top of the already deeply discounted book (usually 30-40% by now)I can end up paying almost 50% off the hardcover price and enjoy reading it in bigger print. But, I read A LOT which makes it worthwhile to get the discount card. I think at Barnes and Noble the card is $20. and something dollars a year but it's very worthwhile to me. It doesn't include magazines but Borders discount card does. Fortunately I have both stores in a reasonable proximity. Or, used bookstores should have it by now and it is probably $8-$10.00 compared to the $7 or $8.00 paperback. Remember, paperbacks aren't $3.95 anymore. It's a decent book btw.
Also there's Amazon.com used books. I've used that often and pretty much paid a few dollars for the book and then and shipping. You could probably do it for less than $10.00. It works great and for a book that popular there will be 100's of used books listed. Usually you can pay through PayPal. Good luck
I ordered it from Amazon UK, and they took my credit card. I don't like hardbacks much. They're heavier, bulkier, not as portable, but especially they take up more room. I have bookshelves in almost every room of the house. I don't want to buy a bigger house because I started reading hardbacks. (The exception would be non-fiction, which I get in hardback, and books we have the author autograph, of which we have quite a few.)
How much did that cost in US $?
I don't know yet. :/ I'm afraid to look. But it's the principle of the thing. They need to learn that it's a smaller world, and you shouldn't treat people in one part of the world worse than you treat others. iTunes just got slammed for charging more in the UK for tunes than they charge people in other parts of Europe.
These days, if something is available somewhere, it's pretty much available everywhere. I love the internet. :)
You're right. Books take a lot of room. We too have bookcases in every room and I know if I could only live long enough to read every book I already have, even without ever buying another one, I'd have a pretty long life! I love books. You'e right about the weight but it's the darn print size that's beginning to get to me. I try not to buy fiction hard covers and keep an ongoing list of what I want to read when it comes out in soft cover (I prefer "soft cover" to paperback) but, yeah, so many books, so little time, and all that....Wonder how long it will take you to get the UK book and I'm curious to what the final cost will be. As I said, I've bought "used" books on Amazon and never had a problem but I've always been afraid to purchase the overseas books due to fear of shipping costs and length of time to ship. BUT, you'll have something no one else has here - well, except that other person on the train. You're right. The internet has made books so available. There's this too: http://www.booksfree.com/books_home_n.html
I couldn't do it as I like to OWN my books and I can't be on a scheduled reading program. There is also something like "found books." (unfortunately that's not the name and I thought I had it bookmarked but I can't find it) Anyway, you leave a book somewhere wiht this specific web site address in it. (the one I can't find) and when someone finds the book, they are to go to a web site and register where they found the book. Then, supposedly, they read it and leave it somewhere and the next person finds it, reads it and then that person records where they found it. Books have been known to travel the world this way. The "leavers" can then go online and track where they book they left is. I think the initial "leaver" registers the book on the site and is given a tracking number. I kept meaning to do it but, as I said, I can't even find the site address now. Glad you got your book. I'll be interested to hear if you like it.
I remember that web site, Terri. It seemed like a great concept, although I never tried it myself. If I remember correctly, it was like seven or eight years ago that I came across it, perhaps it was ahead of its time.
My problem is that I'm a fast reader. A very fast reader. I've read every book in the house. Being a fast reader has drawbacks. I run out of books to read. When I find an author I like, I go out and get all their books so I have something to read for the next couple weeks. At the movies, I laugh at subtitles before anyone else. It's embarrassing. And when I'm scrolling through the TV listing on the satellite receiver, my wife keeps telling me to slow down because she can't keep up. I'm cursed. :)
I'll let you know how it goes with Amazon UK. As I recall, the shipping was more than the book. I'm not going to make a habit of it but dammit they made me mad. (And it's so nice to have a paycheck again.)
Lol.....I'll happily invade a local bookstore to make the purchase but as the average paperback here is £7-8 I doubt you will want me too! I can't do the conversion right now but I know its more the $7!!!
hi fellow ravenous readers! the 'found' book place is bookfinders.com... i'm in.. and leave em around all over the place! some people get off on a big ole treaure hunt for em... some, like me, just go thru so damn many books and hate to just pitch them out.
I wish EYE had books i hadnt read yet... i been seekin hi and lo for lending libraries for e-books, i dont wanna buy them, just borrow! about once a month or so i take 2 or 3 beerboxes full of paperbacks to our local used bookstore to trade em for unread ones at a rate of about 5-1... my house is teeeeeny and i swore i'd quit savin every single cool book to give them to someone special...
it's danged hard to weed out yer faves... and i'm often suckered into a bookclub deal of 'buy 8 hardbacks for just $1.99!'... which is how i ended up with a bran new hard copy of Breaking the DaVinci Code, tho i havent even read The DaVinci Code yet!
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