A Good Read, Pt. 2: Used Book Stores and Online Shopping

Part two in a series about where to find a good read in Shanghai
Part I, Fake Books and Bookstores
Part III, Libraries in Shanghai

I sometimes get accused of being cheap because and I hate paying full price for anything, especially books. As much as I want to support fine establishments like Garden Books, the trailblazing publishers, and the talented authors, 150RMB for a trashy mystery novel seems mysteriously high! So, today I’ll offer some online bookstores that deliver to China and introduce you to a fantastic used book and magazine store near People’s Square.

Online Bookstores (leave a comment if you know of others)
http://www.amazon.cn (Chinese site but with English titles)
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk (UK store offering free international shipping)
http://www.taobao.com (Chinese) – Where else can you find the complete Harry Potter in English for 50RMB? But be warned, books this cheap that aren’t used (二手书) are probably counterfeit. They read just as well, but you aren’t supporting the publisher or the author. Consult your own ethics.

The Used Bookstore on South Shanxi Road
Within the first 2 minutes of walking into this store, I knew I’d become a regular. The walls are lined with books. Back issue stacks of Time, the Economist, Esquire and Vogue grow like shrubs in the middle of this tiny little shop. Publications in German, French, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, but mostly English are literally falling out of the door. This is one of my favorite 25 square meters in Shanghai and its only one block from the Foreign Language Book Store. In fact, it is owned by SBT, the parent company of the FLBS, and all of FLBS’s back issue magazines, returned books, old editions, used and generally scratched-up non-mint condition products end up here, most of which are pretty cheap.

News magazines like Newsweek and The New Republic are on the left side while lifestyle mags (Cosmo, GQ) are on the right side, all in multiple languages. The back wall is lined with trashy paperbacks in English from the likes of Michael Crichton and Dan Brown, and the left side wall is dedicated to non-English titles. The right wall is mostly travel books and big hardback picture books about art, design, and architecture. The organization leaves something to be desired, but if you are willing to put in a little effort, you can find some gems.

The most expensive thing I found was a brand new (saran-wrap still intact) Bauhaus picture book for 200RMB. New magazines are list price, but if you are willing to wait a week when the next issue comes out, the old issue then drops to 5-9RMB. I am also guilty of spending half and hour sifting through the really old stack of National Geographics (9 RMB each) that date as far back as 1976. It gets a little dusty, but seeing Marlboro Man and Ford Pinto ads make it worth the mold you are inhaling.

The shopkeeper is super-nice but doesn’t speak a lick of English and be prepared to wiggle around other people though the narrow aisles. Open Everyday 900-1730.

“SBT Used Book and Magazine Store” - Look for the Red SBT sign next to Alldays
36 South Shanxi Road (between Fuzhou Rd. and Hankou Road)
actual Chinese name: 上海外文图书公司-图书门市部
山西南路36号（福州路和汉口路中间）
If you know of any other used book stores around town, leave a comment.