Of Books and Buggy Whips

In between the wails of tea-party induced hysteria on today's New York Times website, I found this charming local piece about that guy who sell books on the street about twenty blocks from my apartment. The main point of the story is to tell you that the Barnes and Noble by Lincoln Center is closing down in January. The author and street-seller pontificate about the demise of literature and social awareness, while never mentioning the words "Kindle" or "iPad" (though there is a reference to "ecstacy" of the Apple Store across the street).

Twenty-five years ago, my dad took a second job working for a friend who owned a small, mom-and-pop VHS rental store on Staten Island. He'd drive a truck to construction sites around New York City in the evenings and rent out videos to the third-shift workers. Eventually, his friend's store went out of business, and my dad lost the extra income he was using to pay for four kids' Catholic-school education.

Why did the store fail? One word: Blockbuster.

So you will forgive me if Blockbuster's impending bankruptcy does not fill me with sadness about the state of the economy or the college-students who are going to lose their part-time jobs. And while I have no personal animus for the employees at B&N who are being shunted to obsolescence by Amazon.com, the simple fact is that the world has changed. I still enjoy browsing in bookstores, including the one on Columbus Ave., but I know I'm a freak. Normal people prefer to get their books online, for less money, and in an electronic format that won't end up taking up space in their tiny Manhattan apartments.

Sorry.