The Bay Area Free Book Exchange

I can't believe that today was my first visit to the Bay Area Free Book Exchange! It's been around for five years, and I've been local for longer than that. What a travesty! Thankfully I rectified the situation this morning.



The front of the building is endearingly straightforward, to the point of being clumsy, as if it were designed to resemble a '90s computer interface. The sign is readable from the road, as all shop banners should be. (Save the curly font for your stationery.)

Both inside and out, the BAFBE feels like a haphazard, underfunded library, which is roughly what it is. I wish I had brought a bag with me. When planning this excursion, I thought, "Oh, I'll just pick up a couple of novels." That seemed fair, since I donated two books. But I ended up leaving with this pile:



To be honest, I only stopped browsing because my arms started to ache. The most exciting finds were A History of Architecture and Evolutionary Ecology:



I also selected a marketing textbook, several Agatha Christie mysteries, and The Age of Innocence (with a horrible movie-related cover), among other things.

I don't feel at home in bookstores with lots of display tables full of glossy new releases. Give me the smells and textures of dilapidated literature. (And the prices, which in this case were nonexistent.) I would love a bottle of "In the Library" perfume: "a warm blend of English Novel*, Russian & Moroccan Leather Bindings, Worn Cloth and a hint of Wood Polish". Excuse me while I swoon.