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Get Your Grandchild a Rare Classic Book from Your
Own Childhood
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
Nov. 28, 2005 I wish I had kept all the books
from my childhood, because I would love to share many of them with my
grand kids. The good news is there is a growing Website where you can
search the world to find a copy of that book you treasured as a child
and buy it online for your grandchild. You may even find a classic
signed by the author. It could be the perfect gift for Christmas.
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BookFinder.com started as a class project in 1996
by founder Anirvan Chatterjee, then a student at the University of
California, Berkeley. In 1999, Chatterjee partnered with Charlie Hsu to
relaunch an unprecedented literary shopping engine. With over 100
million books available for sale, BookFinder.com has the largest
searchable book inventory available, online or off. The free web service
allows readers to comparison shop for new, used, rare, out-of-print, and
international books.
BookFinder.com (
http://www.bookfinder.com/ ) searches an inventory of thousands of
booksellers from around the world. Readers enter the book they want, and
can choose whether they want a new copy, a used or out-of-print copy, or
a collectible signed or first edition.
What makes a children's classic? It depends on the
reader. BookFinder.com researcher/librarian Wendy Shaw reminisces, "Like
many kids, I grew up interested in animals, especially horses." Her
favorite books include the horse novels My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
(1941) and Misty of Chincoteague by Newbery Award winner Marguerite
Henry (1947).
"Throughout childhood and into adulthood, I read
and re-read The Secret Garden and Little Women, as well as the Little
House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The characters now seem like old
friends."
BookFinder.com co-founder Hsu grew up reading
fantasy novels such as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and the Lord of the
Rings trilogy (1937-1955) and C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia
(1950-1956), soon to appear in movie theaters. "I've enjoyed seeing old
favorites on the screen, but watching the movies reignites my interest
in reading the books all over again."
Other favorites include Madeleine L'Engle's
time-travel adventure A Wrinkle in Time (1962) and its sequels, and
Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles (1964-1968). "These books were
filled with fantasy, adventure, and philosophy," adds Charlie. "They're
worth passing on."
Classic children's books can make great gifts for
children and adults alike, suggests BookFinder.com co-founder Chatterjee.
"Whether you're buying an out-of-print favorite for a grandchild, or
treating yourself to a bit of literary nostalgia, we can help you find
the books you need, at the lowest prices around."
Abebooks.com, the world's largest online
marketplace for new and used books, acquired BookFinder.com earlier this
month. The acquisition united two pioneering independent forces in
Internet bookselling. Both companies are privately owned and profitable.
Both companies were initially developed in 1996, support independent
booksellers and share the same mission of making online book buying
easy.
Berkeley-based BookFinder.com and its staff joined
the Abebooks family but operate independently, remain unchanged and
continue to be located in California. BookFinder.com now has access to
Abebooks' resources to fuel growth.
"Our goal is to help booklovers find and buy any
book from any bookseller anywhere, so the acquisition of BookFinder.com
makes perfect sense," said Hannes Blum, Abebooks president and CEO.
"Like us, BookFinder.com is dedicated to books and makes finding them
simple. Part of the site's success can be attributed to its integrity
and we are committed to maintaining BookFinder.com's unbiased
independence. Our focus will be to continue the BookFinder.com success
story."
BookFinder.com CEO Chatterjee said: "This is an
exciting opportunity for BookFinder.com to develop and grow. With access
to Abebooks' skills, resources and funding, we will be able to expand
and help many more book-buyers find and buy books. We have known
Abebooks for eight years and always enjoyed an excellent relationship,
so we are looking forward to working with the Abebooks team."
The acquisition comes with online retailing
enjoying unprecedented growth in used books. In September, the Book
Industry Study Group's report revealed the used book business was worth
$2.2 billion in sales last year with ecommerce sales enjoying growth of
38% from 2003 to 2004.
Based in Victoria, BC, Abebooks connects buyers
with sellers via its five websites. It is dedicated solely to books and
does not compete with its booksellers by also owning and selling books.
The purchase of BookFinder.com continues Abebooks' growth through
organic development and acquisition. In October 2004, Iberlibro.com, a
Spanish online marketplace for books, was bought to complement the
Abebooks sites for North America, Germany, France and UK.
About Abebooks.com
Abebooks.com is the worlds largest online
marketplace for books, with over 70 million new, used, rare, and
out-of-print titles listed for sale by more than 13,000 independent
booksellers from around the world. Abebooks has millions of customers
who collectively purchase around 20,000 books a day from its 5 global
websites (Abebooks.com, Abebooks.co.uk, Abebooks.de, Abebooks.fr and
Iberlibro.com). A true internet success story, Abebooks.com has been
selling books online since 1996, and is a private company based in
Victoria, BC Canada, with offices in Germany and Spain. Internet
Retailer magazine ranked Abebooks at No. 58 among North American online
retailers in June 2005.
Web site: http://www.bookfinder.com
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