THE CENTER DOESN’T HOLD

The letter from Dennis Weaver (March 10) about trying to obtain books at the chains reminded me of a bookstore owner I knew many years ago in Claremont. His shop was in the center of the village (I think it actually was “the center”) and bulged with books. He not only knew where every book was but also seemed to know about each of them. They weren’t simply merchandise. Those books were meaningful to him. Well, most of them. He had his opinions too.

He didn’t think much of the book chains, calling them “Top 40” stores. He reported that he had visited the then-proliferating chains. He asked the clerks if they had the “Gutenberg Bible” and they said, “I’ll check.”

RICHARD PORTER, BRENTWOOD