Back on Thursday I decided to take a detour on the way to school and stop off at John W Doull Booksellers, a second hand bookstore on the corner of Barrington Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I stepped in and smelled books. I'm not entirely sure if that's a bad or good thing, but it was there. Posted around the store are floor plans of the store in the fashion of London Underground maps, and they are definitely necessary! JWD is two stories of bookshelves stacked floor to ceiling, dusty boxes backed with books, and piles teetering haphazardly. I sold the book I had brought for some pocket change, and began my search.I spent an hour literally digging through their collection. The most amazing thing I found was a "window" that was cut into a shelf! I can't post the picture because of copyright, but really, check it out! They seem to have glued large books in place to hold the shelves, as well as the sliced books. I stood an marveled for a good five minutes!
Unfortunately, they didn't have the two books I was looking for. One was Euclid's Elements, or some version of it. I was in the math section, on my way back downstairs, when I passed a room labeled "Travel". The shelves inside looked interesting, so I took a step forward. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, a mouse scurried across the floor and dived into a pile of books.
I have to say that did it for me. It's true that Doull has an amazing selection, and I know they are trying to go for the disaster-yet-organized look, but cleanliness has its values. I may go back if the need comes, but I will be sure to stomp very loudly before I peek into a room!
Picture of JWD Booksellers by Miss A, http://www.flickr.com/photos/miss_a/9994353/
