Premier Online Specialty Bookstores
Some thoughts about on-line bookbuying
When you set out to find a book in new territory or
even when you know the subject well, but have fallen behind, it can
take a while to find pertinent new titles. If you care a lot and want
to know that you have the latest and most complete information
available, the challenge grows. There are people who know. They are
specialists. They see, handle and evaluate the latest titles every
day of their lives. Those are the kind of people whose websites are
shown on this page. The amazons of this world can sometimes help if
the subject area is narrow and the books in print categories are
succinct, but all too often titles are never given a subject
classification or the classification is so broad that you have to
wade through thousands of titles to find your gem. Come here first.
The emphasis here is on bookstores with a broad coverage in a narrow
area who have their entire stock listed online, searchable in
some way. Browser searchable means an item can be ferreted out of a
huge page by using the browser find command which is typically on the
Edit menu.The links on this page are purposely very selective.
Frequently the link on this page is to the search
engine page of the site mentioned. If you are new to working with
URLs and browsers you may want some tips on the
consequences of this.
Academic / Professional Books
- AAUP Books/Journals -
an assembled offering of 75,000 titles from over 70 university
presses
- BigWords - discounted
new and used college textbooks with free shipping!
- Blackwell's Online
Bookshop - a major library and academic supplier about to
expand
- Blake's
Books - a wide array of used books for scholars and readers in
all subjects
- Buteo Books - over
2,000 titles in ornithology and bird watching, CDs and more
- Castle
Bookshop - archaeology, local history, architecture, wales,
Celtic studies and linguistics.
- eCampus Books - college
texts
- Great Epic Books
- the great books of Africa & the Middle East, other fine
items of antiquarian interest
- Latin American
Bookstore - Carribean, Mexico, Central and Latin America,
Spain: 16th century->now
- BarristerBooks -
a huge selection of legal books in several dozen categories
- The Lawbook Exchange,
Ltd - contemporary and antiquarian law and legal history
- NHBS
Environment Bookstore - 50,000 titles - botany, ecological
science, geology, taxonomy, zoology
- Open Group -
over 20,000 business and management titles in 170+ categories
- P. Scott Brown -
stocks books in Chicano and Latino literature, as well as urban
studies
- Patricia Ledlie - birds,
plants, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects, invertebrates,
mammals, ecology
- Patricia
Price - 100,000 books in anthropology, sociology, natural
science, philosophy, theology
- Scholars
Bookshelf - 10,000 titles on history, fine arts, literature,
religion and philosophy.
- Stanford
Bookstore - business, professional, medical, psychology and
psychiatry books
- Textbookx - a source
for new and used discounted college textbooks, tens of thousands
of textbook and reference titles, textbook buybacks, too.
- TextTrader - a novel
BBS to allow students to resell their textbooks
- TotalCampus Books -
college texts
- Varsity Books - a
source for college textbooks and bestsellers from over 400,000
titles
- West Group - a array
of legal aides, books, CDs, education and training products
- Wessex Books -
85,000 literature, history and university press titles in the
humanities
- Xerxes Books - an
inventory of over 14,000 out-of-print scholarly books from the
16th to 20th centuries
-
Alternative Books
- Alternative
Books (Super)store - modest selection of books from small and
self-publishers
- Atomic Books -
Offbeat literature, banned books, and "literary finds for mutated
minds", WebCam
- Body-n-Mind -
books about nudity, naturism and sex as expressed in photography
books and videos
- Different
Drummer Books - gay & lesbian titles, women's studies,
spirituality, healing and health.
- A Different Light
Bookstore - an extensive collection of gay and lesbian
literature
- Essential Media
Counterculture Catalog - anarchy, beat, comix, drugs, erotica,
freaks, hip, punk, zines
- Forbidden
Books - art, comics, drugs, erotica, fetish, film, magazines,
music, occult, tattoo
- FS Book Company -
Marijuana, Mushroom, Psychedelic, Underground, Drug and Health
Books
- Gambler's
Bookstore - games, history, probability, psychology, software,
videos
- Hungry
Head Books - alternative, tattoo
art, ecology, gay and lesbian and privacy books.
- Jade Mountain -
4000+ books and products on the theme appropriate technology for
sustainable living
- Left Bank
Distribution - anarchist, radical & alternative books,
pamphlets, zines & more
- Midnight
Special Bookstore - (100,000 titles) a bookstore "presenting
books & ideas to change the world"
- Spy Store -
books and gear for personal security, self defense, surveillance,
detection - browser searchable
- Survival Books
- "a citizen's source for books, videos, and equipment" - huge
selection
Architecture / Building Trades Books
- Architecture
Bookstore - looks like a very young site, books are
listed
- BNI-Books.com -
Construction Books Superstore
- BookWorkz - You can
get the catalog by e-mail, but it isn't on-line yet
- Builder Books -
will be ready real soon now**
- Contractor's
Bookstore - will be ready real soon now**
- Form Zero
- architectural and related publications from domestic &
international publishers
- 0nline Builders
Book Source over 3,000 books on architecture, building,
construction, remodeling..
- Prairie Avenue Bookshop -
10,000+ architecture, engineering, urban planning and landscape
architecture
- Reid & Wright - a
browser searchable catalog of 400 titles in architecture
- Triangle
Bookshop - the British based dealer has an architectural
catalog in Acrobat format to download
- Woodworkers Library -
blacksmithing, cabinetmaking, carving, carpentry, joinery, plans,
turning, veneering
Audio Books / Talking Tapes
- AudioBooks.com - a
large selection (15,000) of discounted titles, bestseller lists,
trade-in program
- AudioBookWorld -
a large selection of new and "Nice Priced" tapes, trade-ins
accepted, 10,000 rentals
- AudioBooks
Online - a modest selection of 1400 titles
- Audio Editions - 4,000
mysteries, adventures, inspirational, poetry, classic literature,
business, biography, self-help and titles for young people. Must
download catalog to view it.
- Books
on Cassette - biography, business, drama, fiction, humor,
non-fiction, self-help
- Books on Tape -
"World's largest selection" of 4,000 titles for purchase or for
rent
- Earful of Books - "The
largest (7,000+) and easiest-to-use audiobook store on the
Internet" (dead?)
- Hall Audiobook -
audiobooks on Literature, Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Religion
and Spirituality
- Internet Talking Bookshop
- this British company has over 2,600 titles
- Village StoryTapes -
rent or buy books on tape for commuting, 50% are by women
authors
-
- Alternative
Radio - one hour radio interviews of leading thinkers by David
Barsamian [more Chomsky]
- Big Sur
Tapes - hundreds of live recordings of talks given at Esalen
Institute, Jungian Institutes...
- New Dimensions -
past programs on Eastern thought, healing, nutrition, right
livelihood, wellness
- NPR Programming - huge
archive - transcripts and tapes of NPR programs via ( 888)
677-6397
- Pacifica Radio Archives
- huge collection of tapes of years of programming on Pacifica
stations
Children's Books
- Asia for Kids - selection
of hard-to-find books, videos, T-shirts covering over a dozen
countries
- Bilingual Books for
Kids - an annotated selection of ABC's, biographies, legends,
non-fiction, poetry
- BookRescue.com - used
books for children and more...
- Cherry Valley
Books - "guaranteed to tickle kids' imaginations, if we carry
it, we recommend it"
- Colorado Book Assoc -
animal stories that are entertaining,inspiring, amusing, and
thought-provoking
- Just for Kids -
over 50,000 "books for and about kids, all at a discount"
Computer / Technical Books
Computer Only
- California Computer
Books - a real and virtual bookstore with thousands of
computer titles
- Computer Book
Express - a deeply discounted source of thousands of computer
titles
- Computer Bookshops -
British computer books, CD-ROMs, and training videos
- FatBrain - the silicon
valley's most prominent computer bookstore (aka Computer
Literacy)
- Computer Manuals Online
Bookstore - another British supplier of computer books
- Copperfield's
Books - Canadian computer books from a database of over 8,000
computer related titles.
- Digital Guru Computer
Bookshops - source of computer books and self-study
materials
- Half-Price
Computer Books - a remainder house for almost 2000 computer
titles, free shipping!
- Hotline Books Pty Ltd
- an Australian supplier specializing in computer books and
software CDs
Technical
- Bookpool - Discount
bookstore (20-35%) for 1500 technical books and computer
books
- Brown Book Shop -
80,000 books for engineers, business professionals, computer
enthusiasts, scientists
- Business and Computer
Bookstore - Over 11,000 discounted computer titles online.
Used titles too!
- NTIS Bookstore - National
technical Information Service 3,000,000 titles in 375 subject
areas
- Opamp Technical Books
- a mix of business, computer, construction, electronics,
engineering, science
- Powell's Technical Books
- this satellite store of Powell's books in Portland is linked to
the same main catalog
- Quantum Books -
20,000 titles in a real technical bookstore at Kendall Square
adjacent to MIT
- Reiter's Scientific
Books - 60K computers, engineering, physics, math, chemistry,
philosophy, biology
- San Diego Technical Books,
Inc. - an international bookstore and distributor of technical
books
- Stanford
Bookstore - computer science, electronics, engineering, math
and science books
-
Fantasy / Science Fiction Books /
Mystery
- Chronicle
Bookshop - posts monthly catalogs of science fiction, fantasy,
horror and mystery books
- Cobblestone
Books - specializing in science fiction/fantasy, horror,
mystery, pulps
- FanaTech!
Books - Star Wars, X-Files, Moe Howard and Men in Black
- Future Fantasy Bookstore - a
bookstore of science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries
- Grave Matters -
Sherlockiana, Golden Age mysteries, fiction, mysteries, mystery
magazines & pulps
- Nebula - books,
comics, and magazines devoted to the fantastic, the imaginative
and the weird
- Other Change of
Hobbit - a science fiction & fantasy bookstore
(Berkeley)
- Pandora's Books -
specializing in out-of-print science fiction, fantasy, horror, and
mystery
- Seaside Book &
Stamp - over 10,000 new and used science fiction and fantasy
titles
Genealogy Books
- Appleton's
Main Genealogy Page - offers news, books, CDs, and
software
- Frontier
Press Bookstore - genealogical and historical books for the
family, local, and social historian.
- Higginson Book
Company - publishers, printers, booksellers that specialize in
genealogy and history.
Health Books
- Athlete's
Bookstore - books on running, cycling, swimming, triathlon,
ultras, health and fitness
- DirectBooks USA -
has an online catalog of medical books
- Eleventh Step Books
- daily meditations, recovery, codependency, relationships,
self-esteem and self-help
- First Internet Medical
Bookstore - the search engine needs work, but the books are
here
- Healing Pages
Bookstore - herbals, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, natural
medicine, natural pet care
- HealthWorld
Online - books on health, wellness, spirituality and
alternative medicine (from Bodhi Tree)
- HelpUrSelf -
self-help on health, mental disorders, growth, abuse, careers,
grief and relationships
- Login Brother Book Co. -
50,000 titles in health, medicine, chiropractic, dentistry,
veterinary
- New
Atlantean Immunization Books - key titles only "an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of death"
- Sci Books - fringe
science, ESP, alternative medicine, and the microwave hearing
- Special Needs
Project - excellent source for books about disabilities in 40
diverse categories
Religious Books
- Bahai Booksource
International - featuring the sacred writings of the Baha'i
faith
- CBD Christian Book
distributors - a major supplier of Christian material
- Deseret
Book - more than 36,000 Mormon related books, cassettes,
videos, software
- Encouraging Words
Bookstore - discount Christian books, Bibles, music and
gifts
- International
Islamic Dawah Centre - has a large number of book, audio and
video tittles (12,000+)
- IslamicBookstore.com
- over 3,000 Islamic books, tapes, CDs, videos, software and
clothing
- JewishSource.com -
a gigantic array of books, jewelry, art, gifts, music, videos,
software, more
- Judaism.com -
at Pinskers you can browse in 30 categories when the applet search
engine starts working
- Online Islamic Bookstore
- books, audio tapes, software and CDs on Islam
- Vedams
Religious Books - from India on Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism,
Islam, Jainism, Christianity
- VedantaOnline - devoted
to Vedanta philosophy, the Yogas, Tantra, Hindu scriptures, Indian
cooking
- Wisdom
Books - over 3000 books, tapes, and videos relating to
Buddhism in 20+ categories
Spiritual / Metaphysical Books
- AAArt Books - 28,000
titles - New Age, spirituality, metaphysics, and personal
development
- Ananda
Books and Gifts - modest inventory of books in 20 categories,
aromatherapy, card sets, crystals
- Astrology et al
Bookstore - a few thousand titles
in astrology and metaphysics
- Bodhi Tree Books
- 60,000 titles, the premier New Age bookstore - search at
HealthWorld
Online
- East West Bookshop -
50,000 New Age and metaphysical books and music from this large
Palo Alto store
- Insight Metaphysical
Bookstore - over 40,000 items including books, tapes, CDs,
videos (dead?)
- Logos
Bucher - a bilingual site of
Mahamudra/Dzogchen teachings, life stories, Tibetan Buddhism,
etc.
- The
Magical Blend - 4,000 books as
well as various New Age gifts and products by e-mail.
- NewAgeBooks.com -
access to over 30,000 titles in hundreds of categories from this
NY based store.
- Steps in Time -
30,000 titles - self-help, 12-step programs, recovery, psychology,
New Age, metaphysics, will redo site at new loc
- Timeless
Books- (35,000) uses the search engine at the Advanced Book
Exchange to process orders
- Unlimited Thought
Bookstore - (40,000) books, tapes, CDs, mail orders,
video rentals
- Wisdom
Books- (3,000) said to be the
largest independent distributor of Buddhist books
- Lots
more stores - a larger and
more fully annotated version of the above list with other
resources
Travel / Nautical Books
- Adventurous
Traveler Bookstore - over 4000 titles by activity, by part, by
locale, by keyword
- Easy Going Travel Shop
- here you can search by product or by book for nearly 4000
diverse items
- Globe Corner
Bookstore - 6,000 titles in dozens of categories, maps,
outdoors, globes, language
- Nations! - lets
you browse books by country, has many guide books, maps and
accessories (800)546-8060
- Travel Bug
Bookstore (Vancouver) - 6,000 titles by geographic region plus
gear and links
- Traveler's Bookcase
(LA) - obscure armchair literature, and hard to find guidebooks
are our specialties.
- Wide World Books
and Maps - browsable and searchable titles for dozens of
points worldwide
- World Traveler
Books - guidebooks, travel literature and maps for
destinations worldwide 800-326-0781
-
- Armchair
Sailor Seabooks - over 35,000 sea books, charts, software,
videos, flags, instruments
- Boating Books - 2,000
titles in boat design, building, navigation, cruising, fishing,
canoeing, racing
- Nautical Mind -
Canadian based marine bookseller and chart agent. 3,000+ books,
charts videos, software
Special Interest
- AeroplaneBooks.com
- a list of over 7,000 new and used aviation books. They email you
the list.
- Autopedia
Books - links for auto books and manuals
- Bob Johnson's Auto
Literature - repair and owner manuals for most U.S. cars,
trucks and motorcycles
- Brew your
own wine - an online source for books and supplies for home
wine making
- Cal-Gold Books - over
4000 titles related to prospecting, geology and treasure
hunting
- D & J
Hobby - hobby books and posters for modelers and craftspeople
via e-mail ordering
- Gail's
Romance Catalog - a nice complement to the romance novel
selection found at the BookNook
- Garden Book - a
collection of 2500 books on gardening in 32 categories
- Martial Arts
Bookstore - books from many disciplines, browser searchable by
author, title, technique
- Ms.
Information - a substantial list of books on antiques and
collectibles both new and used
- Music Books
Plus - an impressive store with online listings in several
dozen areas.
- Oak Knoll Books - Books
About Books, encompasses over 12,000 antiquarian and new
titles
- Photo-Eye Books &
Prints - a large collection (7,000+) of photography books of
all types
- Timeless
Books - over 35,000 titles in Canadiana, history, literature
and modern first editions.
- Trafford Publishing - a
Canadian on-demand publisher - O.J. Simpson books, forestry
manuals, et al.
- War Room
Bookshop - history books on WWII especially items written by
military and political figures\
- William
Byrd Aviation Bookstore - civil and commercial aviation,
helicopter, submarines, naval history
Other People's Lists
- CIBON
Specialty Bookstore Directory - ABA annotated list of
specialty bookstores
- Yahoo
- Companies - Books - mix of lightly annotated bookstores and
publishers by specialty
- Nerd
World - mixed set of lists that include book titles and
bookstores by subject area
- Overbooked
- the specialty bookstore list by category
- NAN - Booksellers -
antiquarian bookstores in the Netherlands, specialty list
- Asian
Studies Online Bookshops - a lightly annotated alphabetic list
for Asia and Australia
- Members of
American Bookselleres Assn - database lookup
- CLWG:
Children's Literature Web Guide - not a bookstore, but a
children's book resource site
- Science
Fiction Bookstores - a mix of online bookstores and science
fiction bookstores lightly annotated
-
Browser tips
The full address of a site as you enter it into the browser to
access it is called the URL and the beginning part of the URL after
the http:// but before the next / is called the domain name.
example URL:
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~acqdiv/acq/venacc.html
example Domain name for this URL: washington.edu
The domain name in a URL is much less likely to change over time
than the part after it. So if the full URL fails to function, then
you can frequently still access useful information by chopping
material off the right end of the URL. In this example you could chop
back to:
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~acqdiv/acq/ and if this still
doesn't do you could try
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~acqdiv/ and out of desparation
you could even try
http://weber.u.washington.edu/
Note that after each chop the last character is a slash.
If the creator of the website neglects to put a link on each page
that will return you to home and you want to see what the home page
looks like to get an overview of the whole site, you can start
chopping.
Feedback
If you know of other specialty bookstores or links of the caliber
listed here with large on-line databases where the entire inventory
is listed on-line, drop us a line. e-mail to: info@shoppingagents.net
[top] [home]
Any trademarks mentioned on these pages are
the property of the respective trademark owners.
Disclaimer: Caveat Lector. These
ideas are for informational purposes only and constitute neither
an endorsement nor a recommendation. We assume no responsibility
with regard to the selection, performance, or use of any products
or vendors. All understandings, agreements, or warranties, if any,
take place directly between the vendors and the prospective
buyers. We make no warranties as to the completeness or accuracy
of this information.In fact, we guarantee that there will be
errors on this page and other connected with it.
Copyright 2002, shoppingagents.net. All
rights reserved.