530pp. Very thick, tall 8vo, d.w.; price-clipped. N.Y.; Basic Books, Inc., (1980). Very good+
Binding: Hardcover
Language: English
Price: $17.50
Item #166312
I flew to NY from CA a couple of weeks ago, and while walking 59th, happened upon Argosy... Amazing! I had very little wiggle room in my time between meetings, but I made sure I came back the next morning, also. I'm so impressed, and reading about the family history of the store impressed me even more. Thank you for having such a marvelous bastion of knowledge there in the city! I was truly impressed.
I thought you'd find this interesting: I learned of Argosy by reading a bit of "bad" publicity in the book "Used and Rare" by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone; no doubt you're familiar with it. (It was unfortunate that the authors had to grind their ax in print in what was an otherwise enjoyable book.) But I had never heard of Argosy before and my curiosity was piqued, so negative comments notwithstanding, I decided to pay a brief visit to the store. I reserved a book (long sought-after) ahead of time because I knew I'd be on an extremely tight schedule with several stops to make in just a few hours' time. Calling to reserve the book was a pleasant, very efficient experience, with a prompt return call to confirm availability. When I stopped in to purchase the book, the greeting (by one of the sisters, I'm not sure which) was extremely pleasant, the service so prompt and also she informed me of a signed letter by the subject I was interested in (unfortunately, I was unable to purchase the letter that day). I found the photo of Lawrence Olivier and Vivien Leigh as Caesar (or Antony?) and Cleopatra which hangs over the register very interesting-- had seen it before in a book. My only disappointment was that I was unable to actually spend time in the store-- it looked so inviting! But I will make it a point to spend time there on my next visit. So you see, even bad publicity can be very beneficial! Thank you for an enjoyable, if brief, experience!