A number of recent posts have told Safranim to "buy it on Amazon." I ask you, please, support your Local Jewish Book Sellers.
Amazon is not a member of your community and gives nothing back to your community. Amazon has no institutional memory. Amazon can't get you all the books from the Jewish Publishing Houses that don't bother to use ISBNs. Your Local Jewish Book Seller should be viewed as a partner in your work with your synagogue, community or university community. Sometimes it might cost a little more to deal with them, but they are likely to be open to making arrangements for payment and may be willing to provide discounts if they are able (remember that Amazon's discounts are loss leaders meant to kill off the competition). Your Local Jewish Book Seller is a combination of muscle and brain. Unsupported they atrophy and die. If you don't have a Local Jewish Book Seller, support one in a nearby community. Find one and stick to them. If these are not enough for you try some of the on-line Jewish book sellers. I won't mention one above the other. They usually have a brick and mortar set up in the background that has a more complete stock than the offerings that appear on-line. Do I have a bias in this? Yes. I am a used and out of print book dealer. Do I have a horse in this race? No. I don't sell new books and I don't compete with Amazon in any meaningful way. If Amazon becomes the crutch that the Jewish community relies on to provide for its book needs we will be walking with a limp for a very long time. The Orthodox say, "ask your LOR." This traditional book seller advises, "ask your LJBS." Shabbat Shalom, Henry PS. As to those Jewish institutions with websites that link to Amazon and use Amazon's affiliate programs to make a few pennies on the dollar, for shame! Not to mention any names... Henry Hollander, Bookseller 843 Twenty-Fourth Avenue San Francisco, CA 94121 http://www.hollanderbooks.com 415-831-3228 fax 415-831-3226 Jewish books in all fields and languages. ========================================================================== HaSafran - The Electronic Forum of the Association of Jewish Libraries Submissions for HaSafran, send to: Hasafran at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listserver at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 at osu.edu AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org/
