The Word Merchants : In Valley Bookstores, Lovers of Literature Are Bound to Browse Shelves for New, Used but Never Abused Publications

Mike Blatty loves books and bookstores. So, after being a book collector for 10 years, he and his wife, Sue, opened Charing Cross Books in Sherman Oaks a year ago.

“I love going to England and the book shops all around Charing Cross Road,” said Blatty, 35. “When I decided to open a shop, I wanted to give it a little flavor of England.”

His customers share his passion. Regulars come in once a week, maybe more. A sign in the window reads “Browsers Welcome” and, said Blatty, browsers and buyers tend to be equally divided.

According to Paul Hunt, co-owner of three bookstores in Burbank and author of Book Finder, a directory of used-book stores in Southern California, the region’s literary center is still the Westside.

“But I would say the Valley is becoming one of the ascendant areas,” he said. “The hub of culture used to be in Hollywood and the central areas, but I think more and more when you look, they’ve moved out to the suburbs.

‘Very Literate Area’

“There are a lot of people who read in the Valley. It’s a very literate area. And I think it’s going to grow in importance as an area where books are sold and people are writing.”

Hunt is also one of the organizers of the California Antiquarian Book Fair, held in the spring and fall in Glendale. He sees the rapid growth of the semiannual fair as a sign that interest in collecting books is increasing.

Indeed, some of the San Fernando Valley’s second-hand bookstores cater more to collectors of rare or antiquarian books than to the ordinary reader. Prices for these can reach thousands of dollars, although many are available in the $20-$50 price range. At the other end of the scale, used books for readers (who may or may not be collectors, too) can be found for under a dollar and up.

Used-book stores in the Valley start up, move or go out of business with surprising frequency, and it would be impossible to list all of them. Whether your pleasure is reading, collecting or both, the following sampling of shops offers plenty of places to browse. (Unless noted, shops do not accept credit cards, and you are advised to call ahead for an appointment to sell them books.)

Valley Book City, 5249 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood (818) 985-6911. Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. A sign on the front door bears a quote from H. W. Beecher: “Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?” This large general shop tempts the book lover with large sections of first editions, limited editions and signed literary works. Several shelves contain leather-bound books, whereas some of the more unusual signed and out-of-print books reside in glass cases. Specialties include art, cinema, photography and literature. Sections range from Nautical Construction to Dreams, from Philosophy of Death to Nixon. Stock in the 12-year-old shop consists of more than 100,000 hard-covers and 50,000 paperbacks. Shelves outside the store offer books for 15 cents to $2. National Geographics are available at 29 cents each.

A 20% discount is offered to first-time customers. A mailing list is kept for notification of sales; the next sale is due after the first of the year. A few chairs and stepladders are scattered around the store’s relatively wide aisles. Credit cards are accepted. “We don’t get that many customers from the neighborhood. People have to come out of their way to find us,” said employee Bob Johnson, who calls himself “Captain Bookman.”

Dutton’s Books/North Hollywood, 5146 Laurel Canyon Blvd., North Hollywood (818) 769-3866, (213) 877-9222. Open Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This family-owned general bookstore has been here since 1961 (other locations are in Burbank, Brentwood and, by mid-November, downtown Los Angeles in the Arco Plaza). About half the books are new, half used, with specialties in literature, history and the arts. Every inch of the store’s 3,600 square feet, including some of the floor itself, is filled with an extremely wide selection of books. Between the North Hollywood and Burbank shops and other stock, inventory includes 250,000 books. All new hard-cover fiction is discounted 20%, and selected new nonfiction books are also discounted. Rare and antiquarian books are not on view, but can be retrieved on request with one- to three-day notice.

Dutton’s has recently acquired the 10,000 books of the Will and Ariel Durant collection, heavily weighted toward history, philosophy and the history of ideas. An Oriental art library is another addition. Modern Library editions fill one closet. Other items are unusual greeting cards, audiocassettes, African masks and historical travel posters. A bargain rack sits out front. Special orders are taken, gift wrapping is free, a request list is kept, credit cards are accepted and someone is usually available to buy books. “We carry anything that is interesting and tied in with books and the human condition,” said owner Dave Dutton.

Bargain Books, 14426 Friar St. (one block south of Victory Boulevard, a half block east of Van Nuys Boulevard), Van Nuys (818) 782-2782. Open Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 200,000 books of this general used-book store are contained in two separate shops. The aisles are narrow, with floor-to-ceiling shelves. Books are also piled on the floor. Among the main shop’s specialties are technical books, such as those on math (1,000 of these), architecture, computers, optics and lasers; literature; history; military; children’s books, and cinema and music. The annex contains fiction, sports, psychology, child care, fitness and science fiction, among other categories, and paperbacks here are sold for half price. In all, 25% of Bargain Books’ stock is paperback. Most National Geographics sell for 50 cents each. Plastic book covers are also available for 25 cents to 50 cents.

Diane Sharrar and Bill Wirt, who are sister and brother, have owned the 29-year-old store for 13 years. “We don’t go a day without selling a cookbook,” said Sharrar. “Also popular are classics for school reading and nice art books people wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise.” Credit cards are accepted. There is a computerized request list. Books are purchased whenever the store is open, and the only things Sharrar and Wirt prefer not to see are old introductory textbooks.

Charing Cross Books, 13630 1/2 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks (818) 907-6459. Open Monday noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday “by chance.” About 5,000 books line the walls of this general used-book store, which just celebrated its first anniversary. The atmosphere is cozy, with lots of English touches. Specialties are literature, fiction and British editions, and include modern first editions, biography and signed books. At the front of the three-room shop are glass cases with rare and signed books, and a comfortable reading chair and lamp are in the back section. A letter from Helene Hanff (author of “84 Charing Cross Road”) is on display. The Blattys make frequent buying trips to the East Coast and London.

Free book search is available, and special orders for new books are usually filled in three days. Credit cards are accepted. Co-owner Sue Blatty offers French lessons at the store. Used French paperbacks are for sale, most for under $5. Free parking is available in back. A group of bargain books selling for $1 to $2 is left outside from closing time to about midnight. A sign asks customers to put their money--”it needn’t be to the exact penny”--into a mail slot. “People are very honest,” remarked Mike Blatty. “Someone once even left us a check for $22.”

The Iliad Bookshop, 4820 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood (818) 509-BOOK. Open Monday through Saturday noon to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 6 p.m. This store, carrying better used books in all categories, opened in September. Stock consists of about 10,000 select hard-covers arranged neatly in two spacious, high-ceilinged rooms. Specialties are literature and the arts, including a number of first editions at generally reasonable prices. Owner Dan Weinstein leaves a box of “less desirable” free books out front. On display is a late 18th-Century rare book from Austria. Weinstein, who has been in the book business eight years, plans to institute a book-search service soon. He buys books any time the store is open, although he avoids textbooks and paperbacks. There’s a sign-up sheet for projected poetry reading to be held at the shop.

“The world needs more bookstores,” said Weinstein. He named the store Iliad because it is next door to a video store called “Odyssey,” but, as it turned out, “90% of the people who go next door have no interest in books.”

Book Mart, 12152 Victory Blvd., next to the Valley Plaza, North Hollywood (818) 980-2241. Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This 11-year-old shop carries only paperbacks, about half of which are new. “This is not a used -book store,” insisted manager Anne Anthony. “We’re the only ‘recycle paperback bookstore’ in the U.S.” A sign on the wall explains that all previously owned books in the store are cleaned, sanitized, renewed and silicone-coated. Many books are publishers’ remainders or come from estates, and all are discounted 20% to 70%. The shop carries 10,000 titles, including 2,000 science-fiction books. The science-fiction section includes many hard-to-find, out-of-print and first-edition titles. Book Mart also sells discounted bingo supplies. Call ahead before bringing in books to sell, as certain categories are more in demand from time to time. The store pays 10% of the publisher’s price when buying books, which must be in near-new condition.

Anthony believes paperbacks are treated like “the orphans of the publishing industry. But they shouldn’t be. They’re ideal for senior citizens, since they contain the same material a lot cheaper. Also, they can’t always hold heavy books comfortably.”

Dangerous Visions, 13563 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks (818) 986-6963. Open Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Monday. This shop sells new, used and out-of-print science fiction, fantasy, horror and mystery books. Children’s books in these genres are also available. Owner Lydia Marano also stocks some Latin American literature. The spacious store is carpeted and provides two padded reading chairs for customers.

All books are priced according to condition, edition and availability. Along the back wall are used paperbacks marked at half their original prices. About two-thirds of the books are used or rare, with a higher proportion of paper than hard-cover. Magazines and pulps are also stocked. Books are taken on consignment and bought in exchange for book credit. There is a free search service, and books can be special ordered (those not in the store’s field of specialty are ordered upon payment of a 50% deposit). Other items carried include small stained-glass hangings, wind chimes, cards, gargoyle sculptures and movie posters. A mailing list is kept to notify customers of autograph parties.

Scene of the Crime, 13636 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks (818) 981-CLUE. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mysteries are the specialty at this bookstore. It carries books that are new, used, out-of-print, first editions, imports, fiction, nonfiction, reference works and critiques. About 25,000 titles are stocked, with new and used interspersed on the shelves. Soft-covers, which account for half the inventory, sell for 50 cents and up. A first-edition Raymond Chandler goes for $1,000. The decor aims for a spooky look, with red carpet, red flocked wallpaper and lots of little skulls, chains, bats and so on scattered about. A chair is provided for browsing in comfort.

The shop also rents and sells videos, mainly mysteries, but also some classics, Westerns and adventures. A TV is set out to show videos. Magazines sell for $1 to $60. New magazines such as Armchair Detective and Mystery Scene sell for $2.50 to $6. Other related items include T-shirts and satin jackets with the shop’s logo, and Maltese Falcon statues for $35. Special orders are taken for books in any field, and there is a free search service. Credit cards are accepted. For invitations to the shop’s frequent book signings, ask to be placed on the mailing list. Signings are held at the Scene of the Crime Tea Room next door, which is otherwise not open to the public. A free catalogue is available. “Our customers are real mystery fans,” said Ruth Windfeldt, co-owner with her husband, Al.

The Book Castle, 200 N. Golden Mall, Burbank (818) 845-1563. Open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. At least 200,000 books are on the shelves of this former Woolworth’s, with twice that many stored in an organized basement stock room. Every possible category is represented, with a large fiction section. Back-issue magazines number 100,000, all easily accessible and priced at 50 cents and up. Many paperbacks and comics sell for 25 cents each. Rarer books are in glass cases. An adults-only section is in the rear. Free search service is available, credit cards are accepted and books are purchased nearly anytime the shop is open. Back-issue newspapers from 1890 are $10 each, and co-owner Paul Hunt says many people like to buy the issue for their birth date. A huge inventory of Life magazines is available. A catalogue department publishes listings for books on Western Americans, Soviet studies, foreign literature in English translation and famous women authors.

Book City of Burbank, 308 N. Golden Mall, Burbank (818) 848-441. Open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Under the same ownership as Hollywood’s Book City, this large general bookstore shares a combined stock of 650,000 books. Delivery service between the two stores takes less than a day. There is 9,000 square feet of floor space, and the inventory is particularly strong in art, with other specialties such as cinema, photography, cookbooks, literature, history, military, ships and the sea, and aviation. Books that date from 1607 to the present are sold, and the store is particularly strong in fiction from the last 25 years. A room full of paperbacks sells five for $2. A rack in the front of the store contains newer paperbacks selling for half their original price. A 49-cent table is outside the store. Romance paperbacks sell for 25 cents.

Th staff is knowledgeable, and a book buyer is always available. “We hate textbooks,” said manager Joe Dessau, “and we love illustrated books, leather books and anything in excellent condition.” There is a want list, credit cards are accepted, and plastic covers are on every hard-cover with a dust jacket. Said Dessau: “We have ‘residents’ in this bookstore. Retirees think of this as a home away from home. We’re sort of like family.”

Joan Perkal Books/Collectors’ Gallery, 12262 Ventura Blvd., Studio City (818) 763-1971. Open Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Joan Perkal Books is in a corner of a Collectors’ Gallery that offers the wares of about eight dealers. Her specialties are children’s, illustrated, cinema and general antiquarian stock, including a number of antique miniatures, books on the circus, cookery and Western Americana. Many of the 1,000 books are out of print. The rest of the Collectors’ Gallery carries dolls, stuffed animals, paper ephemera, advertising items, miniatures, games, movie memorabilia and other collectors’ items. Credit cards are accepted.

Bookaneer, 6755 Tampa Ave., Reseda (818) 881-6808. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This 14-year-old clean, bright store carries 75% paperbacks, most of which sell for half price, 15% men’s magazines (all bagged and taped), fiction magazines and comics, and about 10% hard-cover. The last are mostly science fiction and popular reading. In all, stock consists of about 150,000 titles. Several sets of encyclopedias are available for $100 to $300. There’s a request list, and books are bought or traded anytime. A bonus card is given with each $1 purchase; 12 cards equals $1 off on a purchase.

R.G.I. Book Co., 204 N. Maclay Ave., San Fernando (818) 365-1312. Open Monday through Saturday noon to 5:30 p.m., but hours may vary, so call ahead. This is a three-part store: a new and used general bookstore containing books on all subjects; a specialized bookstore with several hundred titles on horses, farm animals, pets and Western art, and a wholesaler, distributor and publisher of Western art and horse books. Books in the specialized field may be ordered from anywhere in the world. Horseman’s News and Horsetrader are carried, as well as how-to horse and pet videos. The store buys Western novels and science fiction.

Theodore Front Musical Literature Inc., 16122 Cohasset St., Van Nuys (818) 994-1902. Open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday noon to 5 p.m. The specialty is new and used books on music from around the world, music scores, out-of-print and rare items. Also carried are some classical records, and new compact discs and videocassettes. The store also does mail order, and customers can request to be on a mailing list to receive fall and spring catalogues. Special orders are taken, and there is a search service. Credit cards are accepted.

Bookie Joint, 7246 Reseda Blvd., Reseda (818) 343-1055. Open Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This 13-year-old general bookstore contains a large stock, including such specialties as science-fiction pulps, modern first editions, children’s books, fashion, literature, mysteries, art books, and rare and antiquarian books. Half are hard-cover, half paperback. The shop carries 50,000 magazines from the early 1900s through the 1960s, including many Lifes and Looks. It will search for books, accept credit cards and take phone orders. A discount is given to senior citizens, teachers and quantity buyers.

Sam’s Book Co., 9514 Reseda Blvd., Northridge (818) 349-9136. Open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A small general bookstore, Sam’s stocks a little of everything, primarily hard-covers. Categories include technical, children’s, gift books, cookbooks, literature and some new books. Paperbacks are half price. Front-of-store bargains include paperbacks and children’s books at three for $1. Book search and special orders are available.

Best Seller Book Shop, 130 N. Golden Mall, Burbank (818) 955-8243. Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. 9 p.m. This new store stocks 100,000 paperbacks, as well as postcards, pamphlets, ephemera and paper collectibles of all kinds. Mass-market paperbacks sell for half the original price, with a $1 minimum except for children’s books and Westerns. A section of paperbacks is priced at three for $1. There is a wall of science fiction, and new best-selling paperbacks are 10% off. A request list is available, and special orders are taken. Credit cards are accepted, and books are purchased anytime.

The Book Stop, 9073 1/2 Woodman Ave., Arleta (818) 892-6035. Open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (except Christmas Day). At least 70,000 books, 75% of which are paperback, are stocked in this 16-year-old general bookstore. A quarter of the stock is new, and both new and used paperbacks are discounted. Also carried are 10,000 comics selling for an average price of 50 cents each, magazines and adult novels. A free book search is provided.

Autobooks, Etc., 3524 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank (213) 849-1294, (818) 845-0707. Open Tuesday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The inventory here is 75% new, 25% used and includes more than 2,000 titles of books and back-issue magazines on cars, trucks, aircraft, auto racing and models. The shop caters to the automotive specialist. Related merchandise such as T-shirts and posters are also for sale. Credit cards are accepted, special orders are taken and books are bought anytime.

Automotive Book Stop, 1508-A W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank (818) 845-1202. Open Tuesday through Friday noon to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This shop carries a large stock of used automotive-repair manuals, out-of-print motoring books, back issues of car magazines, racing books and motoring memorabilia. It offers mail order, special orders and a search service.

Jack Garvin’s Book, Rock and Fossil Shop, 321 N. Golden Mall, Burbank (818) 848-2132. Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Half of this unusual store is devoted to the sale of rocks, minerals and fossils. Hundreds of specimens are on display and cost $1 to $1,000. The rest of the shop contains used, out-of-print and rare books on geology, mineralogy, paleontology and gemology. Also available are magazines, trade journals and government periodicals on these topics. Along the entire left wall is a collection of used general books. There’s a request list and credit cards are accepted.

Magnolia Park Books, 3508 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank (818) 843-1567. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. About 10,000 to 20,000 used books, both hard- and soft-cover, and magazines are stocked in this general bookstore. Paperbacks sell for half their original price and, when returned, customers receive credit toward the next purchase. Books are purchased anytime.

Movie World, 212 N. Golden Mall (next to Book Castle), Burbank (818) 845-1563. Open daily 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Everything relating to cinema, television, radio and the theater is carried, including books, magazines, old TV Guides, lobby cards, comics, records, animation celluloids and memorabilia. In stock are thousands of movie posters, 8-by-10 black-and-white stills of movie stars, an autograph collection numbering at least 30,000, as well as fan magazines priced from 50 cents up. Credit cards are accepted, and items are purchased anytime.

A & M Book Cellars, 19801 Vanowen, Suite I, Canoga Park (818) 716-6259. Open Thursday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during daylight-saving time (11 to 6 p.m. standard time). This shop carries 90% paperbacks, which sell for half their original price. A section of about 4,000 hard-back and soft-cover books is priced at 15 books for $2. Comics and some science-fiction and mystery magazines are also offered. A free search service is available. Books may be brought in anytime; most are taken in trade rather than purchased. Many recent books make this a store for readers rather than collectors. The owner is particularly knowledgeable about science fiction.

Anything Goes Book Shop, 21725 Sherman Way, Canoga Park (818) 884-0371. Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This general used-book store carries 60,000 to 70,000 volumes. Paperbacks constitute 70% of the stock, mostly selling for half price. Two thousand antique books and some magazines are also available. There’s a request list and a search service, and books may be traded anytime. Call ahead to sell books for cash.

Malter Galleries, 16661 Ventura Blvd., Suite 518, Encino (818) 784-7772. Open Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday by appointment. This combination book/coin and artifact store specializes in books about numismatics, archeology, and rare and unusual collectibles. About 500-600 books are on display at a time, as well as maps, rare coins, rare documents; Greek, Roman and Egyptian artifacts, ancient seals and a few magazines and paperbacks related to the field. A search service is provided.

Dutton’s Books/Burbank, 3806 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank (818) 840-8003, (213) 849-1440. Open Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This is a congenial new- and used-book store with 1,800 square feet and access to 250,000 books (combined with Dutton’s North Hollywood location). Specialties are literature, the arts and history, but stock includes a range of categories, particularly in the humanities. New fiction is discounted, special orders are taken, a request list is kept and credit cards are accepted.

Briggs Books, 8913-8917 Reseda Blvd., Northridge (818) 349-3642. Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This 12-year-old, two-location general bookstore is reducing its inventory so that, according to owner Sam Briggs, when the 8917 store closes in June, only the “better” books will be left. More than 50,000 books and records are on sale for $1 or less. The collection is strong in art, Americana, naval and military, automotive manuals, children’s illustrated, natural history and cookbook categories. There are 100,000 books.