Gotta love used bookstores!

[Turbo]

I love used bookstores; love 'em to death. At home, I go to Chamblin Bookmine, which has over 3.4 million books between its two stores and three warehouses. No, really. And yet it still feels like a typical small used bookstore. One of the best parts for me is that they have multiple copies of pretty much every Trek book ever written; the new ones are in such demand that they're some of the few books the store even has to order new.

The one negative is the relative lack of Doctor Who books; at one point they had a large selection of New Adventures, but I assume they were sold to Chamblin all at once and not replaced; they quickly dwindled to nothing. For awhile they didn't have any before people started trading in the Tenth Doctor books.

I'm currently doing a semester in Brisbane, and I was much happier with the Doctor Who selection at a little used bookstore in Mount Gravatt. Especially when I found this little gem:



I don't usually go for the Target novelizations, but this was a exception considering how rare it's supposed to be (and definitely IS in the States). And it was only $3!

What finds have you hauled in at used bookstores?

 

[DWF]

I bought all the Target novels when they first came and the Pinnacle ones before that, they're great at letting you at least read the stories you can't see anymore.

 

[Stevil2001]

I was once chuffed to find The Infinity Doctors in a Half-Price in Lawrence, Kansas for $15-- more than cover price, but less than the cheapest one on Bookfinder.

 

[Turbo]

I bought all the Target novels when they first came and the Pinnacle ones before that, they're great at letting you at least read the stories you can't see anymore.

I love the James Blish Trek novelizations, so I'm not sure why I never got into the Target novelizations. Possibly because the stories exist on audio? This novelization is pretty good though.

I was once chuffed to find The Infinity Doctors in a Half-Price in Lawrence, Kansas for $15-- more than cover price, but less than the cheapest one on Bookfinder.

That is a great find! That's one that I really want to read.

 

[23skidoo]

I don't usually go for the Target novelizations, but this was a exception considering how rare it's supposed to be (and definitely IS in the States). And it was only $3!

That's definitely a find, considering I'm seeing that particular one listed on ABE.com north of $100 a lot of the time (I have a copy too that I was fortunate enough to find new back in the day).

Most of my finds have been of the novelisation variety, with my favorite being the Armada mid-60s paperback of "Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks" (later republished by Target as Doctor Who and the Daleks). Plus I have about 2/3 of the Doctor Who Annuals, all found at used bookstores.

Sometimes I have to pass, though. A few months ago a local bookstore had the ultra-rare Virgin novel Lungbarrow. It was in pretty rough shape and they were asking $75 for it. I like DW but not that much! (Someone evidently did because I went back a few days later and it was gone.)

Enjoy those bookstores while you can. In many areas they're becoming endangered species.

Alex

 

[Tom]

I have a box of about 50 of them i bought in the 80's. Not sure if any are rare or not (got a bunch of hard covers too). If anyone is looking for a certain title let me know i may or may not have it.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Those Target novelizations were everywhere during the '80s. I own about half the line myself from shopping in various bookstores in St. Louis. In fact, the last couple of novelizations I bought was about ten years ago at my local comic book shop, and I think they were selling them at $1 USD at the time (they were used, but in very good condition).

 

[Mitty]

I've got a heap of the Target Novelisations. I'm really annoyed that I'm missing "The Stones of Blood".

 

[OmahaStar]

I've got a heap of the Target Novelisations. I'm really annoyed that I'm missing "The Stones of Blood".

Do you eBay? I see 10 auctions going on right now on ebay.com.au for the Stones of Blood novelization, with one as cheap as two dollars with 3 dollars shipping.

 

[Turbo]

I've got a heap of the Target Novelisations. I'm really annoyed that I'm missing "The Stones of Blood".

Do you eBay?

"eBay" is not a verb!

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

"eBay" is not a verb!

But it can be verbed.

 

[23skidoo]

One thing worth noting for folks who are really having trouble tracking down certain Targets is the fact AudioGO (formerly BBC Audio) has put out several dozen audio book readings of the Targets by various Doctor Who actors. These are verbatim, unabridged readings (and by verbatim I mean they even read the "Changing faces of Doctor Who" boilerplate that was featured in some of the earlier books). It's not the same as actually reading the books by any means, but if there's a particular one that's very hard to come by - such the John Peel novelisations of The Daleks Master Plan - it's an option. (And although these things aren't cheap - here in Canada they cost about $35 in the major bookstores - in some cases that might still be the less expensive option.)

They haven't done the ultra-rare Wheel in Space yet (maybe they can't find a copy themselves!) but they did just come out with the also-rare Fury from the Deep a few weeks ago, read by Patrick Troughton's son.

The only exception is that to be a bit different they commissioned a new novelisation for Stones of Blood instead of having the original book by Terrance Dicks read; the new one is written by the original writer David Fisher. From what I hear though that's just a one-off.

Alex