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| MIKE'S WORLD OF BOOKS - THROUGH THE MICROSCOPE For the last three consecutive years (2001-2003), Mike's World of Books, at 150 James St. S. (across from Augusta Street) in Hamilton, Ontario, has won the award for �Best Used Book Store� by VIEW magazine, a weekly news publication focusing on arts, entertainment and, to a lesser degree, politics. There are numerous valid reasons why Mike's was chosen, not the least of which is its customer-oriented modus operandi. On this unseasonably mild afternoon of the New Year (Jan. 3/04), I spoke with Paola Mancini, a teacher in Hamilton's east end, who co-owns the store with her husband, Ratko Knezich. Originally a franchised operation, now entering its 21st year in existence, this location (formerly on Bold Street) is the only remaining outlet. Although Paola cited a lack of parking spaces in the immediate vicinity as a deterrent for potential new customers, she also pointed out that it is on a major bus route and easily accessible to pedestrians as well. Although the bulk of the stock is comprised of well-preserved books purchased for resale from individuals, they are contemplating the addition of various arts and crafts. In fact, I noticed a children's book (The Amazingly Incredible Tie Book) that included a set of watercolour paints, with instructions and suggestions for decorating men's ties. Along with board books, water-immersible books, and palm-size pop-up books, there is also a limited selection of audio books (recorded on cassette tapes). The store is clean and fairly well-organized, with a wide selection of subject material, ranging from historic to contemporary, and not restricted to the English language. From a practical and relevant standpoint, titles that caught my eye were You Can Do Something about AIDS, Why Don't You Have Kids? (subtitled Living a Full Life Without Parenthood), and Parting Company - How to Survive the Loss of a Job and Find Another Successfully. Speaking of parenthood, I was interested in a couple of books entitled Teaching Your Children Values and Teaching Your Children Responsibilities, as well as Teen Trends, a national bestseller, not surprisingly, considering the seriously escalating problem of teen violence and the apparent abdication of parental responsibility that may or not be linked to this tragic phenomenon. While the largest section appears to consist of fairly current paperbacks (mystery/thriller/romance), which are generally sold at half the original selling price, there are also numerous hard-cover books by well-known authors such as Anne Rice. When I enquired about the most expensive item in the store, Paola directed me to an illustrated encyclopedic collection (1896-97) entitled, History of the World�s Best Literature, edited by Charles Dudley Warner, which is valued at approximately $1,400 (U.S.). Although my research cited the collection at 30 volumes, there were apparently 15 additional volumes published at some point. Although I ran out of time to explore the psychology and women's book sections, I did spend a fascinating half-hour browsing through the music section, which included biographies on Tina Turner, Simon and Garfunkel, Dolly Parton, Alanis Morissette, Andrew Lloyd Webster, Rogers & Hammerstein, as well as the notorious Michael Jackson and unforgettable Elvis Presley (His Life from A to Z). There is also a history of American Bandstand as well as the National Ballet, but I chose to buy The Art and Times of the Guitar - an Illustrated History. This section also includes assorted sheet music, among which I spotted a Royal Conservatory of Music Exam Book (Grade VII) for pianoforte and The Dance Encyclopedia, so the performing arts are amply-covered, much to my delight. Mike's World of Books formerly had a website location on the Internet, but at some point it was abandoned. Ms. Mancini hinted that she and her husband are contemplating its revival, simply as a marketing tool. She does not advocate restricting one's reading of literature to the Web, much preferring the physical portability of a book, but concedes that any reading at all is better than none. When I broached the topic of Ray Bradbury's classic novel, Fahrenheit 451 (the temperature at which paper burns), and queried her opinion on whether today's society is in danger of finding itself in the same situation, i.e. all books being banned in favour of "legislated" knowledge, via some sort of "Big Brother" broadcast (an Orwellian concept), she expressed her doubts (not to mention being slightly horrified). Let's hope she's right. |
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