Sunday, March 2, 2008

Books

Lynne alerted me to Kaz's post on a book called Finding Your Own Visual Language. It sounds a delicious book, but Amazon in US, Canada and UK don't have it and don't know when they'll get it; Amazon in Japan has it but they want to charge me NZ$50 for it.

Which leads me to one of my biggest complaints about life in New Zealand: books are so darned expensive.

Usually I try to support the local, independently-owned bookshop, Page and Blackmore, but some books are sold at considerably higher prices than at an Australian-owned (?) chain Whitcoulls just a few doors down. And it takes a lifetime to receive books from their distributors, far longer than if I order directly from Amazon.com. In any case, nobody take in the current record-high of New Zealand dollar into consideration. (Whereas even the petrol companies are forced to lower their prices from time to time.)

Though prices are more attractive in Amazon.com, converted to NZD and adding postage force me to be realistic about clicking on that "Purchase" button. But having lived in Japan, (where books are dirt-cheap) and the US, the inability to buy books readily definitely feels like an intellectual straight-jacket.

So I browse Amazon.com, Halcyonyarn.com, and many art book publishers' sites sighing and pining, but this is probably not all that bad considering the number of books I've already purchased and haven't gotten around to reading. Besides, I think this is part of why Kiwis are so incredibly creative and original.

Alright, in complaining about the cost of books, I am being a spoiled brat.

7 comments:

  1. have you tried thebookdepository.co.uk? Free postage even to us! I haven't looked yet...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Taueret, I had never heard of them, but I just popped around and put the title to search, and no luck there. The Japanese Amazon might be the only option for me. My birthday is coming so I could beg my mother; delivery is free inside Japan, so she can have a go at the projects, and then send the book to me, perhaps.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Members of Complex Weavers get the CW Journal three times a year. It is a cross between a magazine and a group newsletter. There is nothing glossy about it but each issue includes some interesting articles. It is the only place I can publish articles about weave structures and concepts, short of writing another book. I still write for Handwoven but they emphasize the project recipes. It isn't Madelyn's fault, but comes from her bosses.
    Bonnie Inouye

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi, Bonnie. I know of the CW Journal, but I've never seen one. Maybe that's where I go next.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Meg
    I got the book from Amazon uk and had to wait a few weeks for it. But it came sooner than I expected. Hope you find a copy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Is another book from Bonnie a possibility. This is to be encouraged.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kaz, mine is coming from either Japan (Amazon.co.jp is not as efficient as the one in the US) or Oz!! Can't wait.

    Dianne, yeah, sounds inviting, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete

I love comments. Thank you for taking the time to leave one. But do be sure to leave your real or blog name.