Book Worms (Vanity)

August 30, 2008 | This Just In

[This Just In]

Good evening. I am in search of a reliable online book store. I have visited Amazon, Borders, Abe, Biblio, and Alibris, but am not completely confident I'll receive the order in a timely manner due to the types of books (classic literature) I'm searching for. These books are needed for a college course, and so I am pressed for time.

Your suggestions are appreciated.

Sincerely, TJI

[Grizzled Bear]

You can try half.com

I’ve never bought from them but I’ve heard good things about them.

[George Smiley]

www.bestbookbuys.com

It'll redirect you, but if you want comparative availability and pricing, including used book sources, it can't be beat.

[rabscuttle385]

These books are needed for a college course, and so I am pressed for time.

If time is an issue, just buy them from your college's bookstore or the local student used bookstore. That's my perspective as a college student.

[This Just In]

Our campus bookstore does not carry the books. I have also visited out local library, used book store, as well as the new book store. We live in a rural area. Not a whole lot available in our part of the country.

[Slings and Arrows]

I have bought from Amazon for years, and vouch for them unreservedly.

[endthematrix]

Just curious. If the books needed are offered for sale, why would they ship later than any other?

[rabscuttle385]

Our campus bookstore does not carry the books. I have also visited out local library, used book store, as well as the new book store. We live in a rural area.

Try doing an ILL (interlibrary loan) through your school's library or through the library of the nearest public University to which you are entitled to circulation privileges. (I'm assuming that you are attending school in the same state as the one in which you otherwise permanently reside). ILLs are generally pretty zippy, at least here.

Also, check the Web site (www.lib.virginia.edu) of my school's library system. Some of our materials are available publicly through the Web. Also, if some of your materials are sufficiently old enough as to be public domain, you may be able to find them using a simple Google search.

Then, once you've got some immediate sources, go ahead and buy on Amazon if you need to do so.

[rabscuttle385]

I have bought from Amazon for years, and vouch for them unreservedly.

I second this comment.

Of course, I bought my textbooks in early August, and the turnaround time to my doorstep was two to three days, including a portion of a weekend.

We bought my sister's textbooks, and they have been out for a week or so, with an ETA of early next week...so Amazon can get a bit slow during peak textbook purchase times at the beginning of each semester.

[ConservativeMind]

Go Amazon, but be careful about any of the 2nd-hand resellers there. The mailing terms they use for “expedited” orders can take almost two weeks, and then you are allowed to file a complaint (which I had to do once).

Just buy direct from Amazon itself.

[This Just In]

That is a good question. These books are by Plato, Dante, Virgil, etc. You get the picture. The translations are not easily accessible (by my experience), and I believe this is due to the fact that we live in such a rural area. For instance, our local post masters never guarantee Express mail, although they'll happily take the money for the postage.

[This Just In]

I have had the same experience, although, I waited a whole lot longer.

These books are only available through 2nd-hand sellers, and the store do not have a high rating. I do not have the luxury of waiting to see whether or not they truly deliver.

[This Just In]

Overall, I have been satisfied with Amazons service. Unfortunately, the books that I am in need of are sold through other bookstores. Due to my experience, I won’t take a chance on this particular order.

[endthematrix]

I wish you the very best in locating what you need and in your studies!

[ConservativeMind]

Do Abe’s or Albris, then.

[Yehuda]

http://www.fetchbook.info/

It will lead you to many of the same dealers (including Amazon) but will sort them by price including shipping to your zip (and it’s an independent site).

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Free EBOOKS

Plato, 427? BC-347? BC
Wikipedia
Apology (English)
Apology, Crito, and Phaedo of Socrates (English)
Charmides (English)
Cratylus (English)
Critias (English)
Crito (English)
Euthydemus (English)
Euthyphro (English)
Euthyphro (English)
Faidoni
Platonin keskustelma Sokrateen viimeisistä hetkistä ja
sielun kuolemattomuudesta (Finnish)
Gorgias (English)
Ion (English)
Laches (English)
Laws (English)
Lysis (English)
Menexenus (English)
Meno (English)
Parmenides (English)
Phaedo (English)
Phaedrus (English)
Philebus (English)
Platons Gastmahl (German)
Protagoras (English)
The Republic (English)
The Republic (English)
Sophist (English)
Statesman (English)
Symposium (English)
Theaetetus (English)
Timaeus (English)
Plato, circa 427-347 BC. Spurious and doubtful works
Alcibiades I (English)
Alcibiades II (English)
Eryxias (English)
Lesser Hippias (English)

[LibFreeOrDie]

What are the titles? Have you checked the Internet to see if the texts are online?

http://www.bartleby.com has a few.

[joyce11111]

I have bought from Amazon for many years...Very fast shipping...I have bought many things for my house and kitchen, even food from Amazon.

I even sell used books at Amazon!

They are very trustworthy, and, have low prices.

[This Just In]

I briefly visited this site. I noticed The Military Book Club as well as the critical books on Obama. I take it this is a conservative site? Even if I can’t find what I’m searching for, I’m glad you provided me with the source. I am always looking for independent conservative book sites.

Thank you,
TJI

[This Just In]

I have Gutenburg as a source, although, we’d rather own the books. Easier to read and study.

I do appreciate your suggestion.

[George Smiley]

No, it's not political at all, AFAIK.

It's just, for books, the best comparative pricing and availability site I've found on the Web.

[LADYAK]

If you buy from half.com you need to pay for expedited...you can pay regular postage and expect to get the book in time with media.....just pay the 5.00 postage.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Why not use the EBOOK until your hard copy arrives?

[Smokin' Joe]

I have bought from Allibris and Amazon, both did well by me with timely deliveries.

If you are looking for classics have you tried Gutenberg.org? They may be available as free downloads.

[This Just In]

I may be forced to.

What I find annoying is the local college does not give you the book list until shortly before classes start. This way you are force to purchase the textbooks from their campus bookstore. The problem is they do not carry all of the books, and so we are forced to scramble, if we wish to actually purchase the material. For myself and other members of the family, we learn best when studying out of a book in hand.

[Allegra]

I hate it when I open a book and it's got worms in it.

I usually won't read it.

Unless it's very highly acclaimed or recommended by a trusted source.

But that's the only exception.

[latina4dubya]

we order classic literature from Amazon all of the time... if i want it in the most timely manner, i go to Amazon... even when i’ve bought used, i’ve had excellent, timely service... i will not use Barnes and Noble... they take forever... we use Amazon 2-3 times a month...

[This Just In]

Thank you (response to post #14). Best to you.

TJI

[This Just In]

The orders that you’ve placed through Amazon; were they direct, or through a 2nd-hand store?

I have ordered items through Amazon for many years, and have been satisfied, although, on one occasion I tried ordering material provided by Amazon through another distributor. We had to wait for that order for a very long time.

[This Just In]

You know, I have never encountered any highly acclaimed worms. Furthermore, I did not realized there are trusted sources out there that commonly recommend these highly acclaimed worms.

I can understand why you would only make exceptions for highly acclaimed worms. I would too. :^)

[This Just In]

The day grows very old, or young (depending on what part of the world you’re living on). I would like to express my thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. Your help has been a benefit to me.

Best Wishes & Good night,
TJI

[AZLiberty]

Don't forget Google Books. If the books are classic enough, they'll be available there free in PDF. They also have a link to World Cat Libraries (through the "Find this book in a library" link), so you can see if your local library has it.

[Misschuck]

My kids get their books from Amazon and have had no trouble. But they will get there quicker if you pay the postage and don’t do the free shipping choice.

[Paul Heinzman]

If you buy from Amazon, you will get your books exactly when they say you will get them, every time. It’s really kind of scary.

[Misschuck]

Go to Perseus online for a very good online library.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cache/perscoll_Greco-Roman.html

[Misschuck]

Actually all the books you want are available thru the Harvard classics, those little red(Latin) and green(Greek) books. They have dual language in them.

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/loeb/

[grey_whiskers]

Thanks, bookmarked.

Abe Books

Cheers!

[Daffynition]

All good suggestions so far, but I didn't see Powell's listed ...they are excellent too, if you need a hard copy. ;-) Good luck!

[Hyzenthlay]

I’m a college student myself, and I ordered my textbooks mostly through amazon.com and one reseller (I always make sure the reseller has a 95% or greater satisfaction rate, and that they’ve got 500+ ratings, so they’re really good and consistently so), they shipped wednesday or thursday, and I believe some of them arrived at my parents’ house on Saturday. I also ordered a couple programming manuals through Borders’, which actually had competitive pricing on those books, and they promised that if I had them delivered to the store they’d be there within a week, and that if I had them delivered directly to my house they’d be there in even less time. So, ordering online worked fine for me... just order your books ASAP.

[Hyzenthlay]

Oh, I forgot to mention, I ordered them on Tuesday, so they all shipped within 48 hours. Though, they’ll ship even faster if you pay a little extra for faster shipping. And, I saved something like $150-$180 over bookstore prices by buying them online or through Borders.