While I'm visiting Toronto, it seems sensible to take advantage of the opportunity to check around for some of the books flagged for replacement as part of my New Year's resolution to catalogue my library. (Although I can't let myself get too carried away, I only have one piece of carry on luggage and a computer bag.)
The area around the University of Toronto used to be a haven for used book stores, and I'm pleased to discover that part of Toronto has managed to avoid the wave of construction that has rebuilt a lot of the downtown core since the start of the new millennium.
Here's the map for my expedition: starting at College and University*, I'll head west, turn north at about Bathurst, go a bit further west on Bloor, then jump on the subway and go someplace to get warm, it's a cold winter's day and the wind chill factor is taking the temperature down to about -15 C.
The Beguiling
My first stop on College isn't actually a used book store as such - I wanted to take a look at The Beguiling Books and Art, which is dedicated to the full range of graphic storytelling. It's been around since 1987, but I'm reasonably certain that this will be the first time that I've ever been through the door, I had a lot of brand loyalty towards The Silver Snail when I lived in Toronto.
The ambient music is some kind of forceful acid jazz as I walk through the door, which gives my visit an unexpected cinematic feel as I make my way around the store. It's a reasonably large space, split into two storefront areas and directly connected on the west side to Little Island Comics, aimed at comics for kids up to the age of 12. There's also a basement section dedicated to back issues of comics, which I don't take the time to visit.
Marvel and DC graphic novels are well represented on the shelves, but the balance is more toward independent or non-superhero content, and the Staff Picks/New and Notable displays at the front are completely indie in their offerings.
I'm a little tempted by a collection of H. P. Lovecraft comic adaptations, but it's a big book to haul back to Vancouver with me - see my previous comments regarding luggage - so I put it back on the shelf and head back out into the cold to start the hunt for books.
She Said Boom!
She Said Boom! is what I think of as the template for a used book-and-music store: narrow storefront space, some original plank flooring, books around the edges, vinyl in the middle. Like The Beguiling, they're also featuring an aggressive jazz soundtrack - is that the thing for bookstores right now?
It's not a large selection of science fiction and fantasy, just a couple of bookcases,** but I manage to find a couple of things from my replacement shopping list: an excellent trade paperback version of Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon, the first post-apocalyptic novel that I ever read; Nova, by Samuel R. Delaney, and Downbelow Station, by C. J. Cherryh, an excellent space opera which is long overdue for some kind of streaming service adaptation - it's not exactly Game of Thrones in space, but it has a lot of the same intensity.
The woman who is behind the counter vanishes at some point while I'm browsing, and is missing in action for close to ten minutes while I stand patiently at the till. I fight the urge to take my three books and just leave, that seems like the wrong approach to take, given that she's obviously decided to trust me.
In the fullness of time, she comes back up from the basement and coyly suggests that she needs to dry her hands before dealing with my purchases, which at least indicates that she washed them after whatever activity was taking place down there. I gingerly accept a bag and a receipt, and I'm off to the next destination on my list.
Balfour Books
I can tell that Balfour Books is a classic old-school bookstore just by the distinctive smell of old paper that wafts into my face as I walk through the door. However, to misquote Obi Wan Kenobi, this is not the book store I'm looking for - in fact, for most of my visit, I'm reasonably certain that they don't actually have any science fiction.
Eventually I do discover their SF section, cleverly concealed in a wire rack at floor level, and even though Balfour only seems to have about 50 science fiction paperbacks in stock, I don't leave empty handed. They've got a copy of The Deathworms of Kratos, second in the wonderfully bad Expendables series by Richard Avery that I originally received as a Christmas gift in 1979 - it's one of the books from my replacements list that I thought I'd have a lot of trouble locating, so I'm quite happy to have persevered in my search.
While I'm paying for my book, I notice that there's a Buck Rogers pop-up book on display behind the counter. Given that I own a classic Buck Rogers ray gun, I'm a bit interested, but it's a little too rich for my blood - I tap out well before single book purchases hit the $250 mark. Perhaps if I win the lottery...but not today.
I trudge away through the cold and snow, up to Bloor Street and Doug Miller Books.
Doug Miller Books
Doug Miller Books appears to be one of those bookstores where, like Raven Books near 29 Palms, you get the feeling that it's gotten away from them. The aisles are crammed with boxes that presumably hold books, and there's a second row of books shelved behind the front row - a classic response to limited shelf space, but not one that really lends itself to casual browsing.
As I ponder the selection, I'm surprised by the holes in the science fiction and fantasy section - no Harlan Ellison, no Philip K. Dick, no Ursula K. LeGuin. Perhaps behind the books I can see? Deciding that discretion is the better part of valour, I select a Gordon R. Dickson book, Naked to the Stars, and a just barely acceptable copy of Peregrine: Secundus, by Avram Davidson from the books that are actually visible. (Yes, Peregrine: Primus is on the list as well, but sadly, the copy I bought on Friday didn't survive an attempt to remove the price tag.)
As I head toward what is apparently the only the Lego book store counter in captivity with my meagre selection, I'm surprised to see another bookcase of science fiction paperbacks, not in any particular order (other than perhaps by colour or publisher, it’s that abstract), which, regardless of oddities of cataloguing, features quite a good selection of the books that I'm looking for, and, as per my choice at Balfour, books that I wasn't expecting to find easily.
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I quickly add The Tower of Zanid, by L. Sprague de Camp; Dancers in the Afterglow, an early Jack L. Chalker book; The Regiments of Night, by Brian N. Ball, not one of the better known names in the field, but it's a book that I've always liked; John W. Campbell's The Ultimate Weapon (I'd rather have an earlier printing, but beggars, choosers, etc.); The Thurb Revolution, the final book in the Anthony Villiers series, cleverly written by Alexei Panshin; and an early Neil Jones book, Doomsday on Ajiat, one of the Professor Jameson novels - this last selection isn't on my replacement list, but it's a good addition to the rest of the series that I already have.
And then, on my way back, I pass BMV Books on Bloor Street - and don't go in. It appears to have a large footprint and lots of stock, I can even see the Graphic Novels table through the window, but this point, I'm looking at about 20 books altogether that I need to cram into my carry-on, and it seems ill-advised to add anything else to that list - not to mention my fervent desire to take a break and warm up. Regardless, I'm pleased, it's been a much more rewarding day than my last attempt to start updating my library. Who knows, maybe at some point I'll actually start looking in Vancouver.
- Sid
* I've been away from Toronto for too long, that address sounds like it's made up, like the corner of Yonge and Restless, or Binthere and Dundas.
** I have a really simple yardstick for this - do I own more science fiction and fantasy books than the store has for sale? In this case, I have a huge lead.
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