The life cycle of books can be infinite: The Bookery

Books keep stories within their pages, but they are also a story on their own. Old books have been read by many eyes and touched by even more hands. They have been here and there; abandoned, worshiped or probably ignored, but oh boy, if they could talk…

For instance, second-hand bookstores are an old tradition (and business) that has been around in Mexico City since the beginning of the twentieth century, especially in the downtown area.

It started out as a practical way to give a second (or third, or fourth) chance to the publications, but it soon became a way of finding interesting editions of texts that were difficult to find and some people even turned into “rare edition hunters” because, well, collection items are always high on price ranks.

Anyway, this is not only about that. It is about finding alternatives other than just buying new books directly from any given store that usually has the same titles as other similar places.

Plus, the advantages of reusing books are plenty: A second-hand bookstore is ever changing in its repertoire. It is the ideal place to find texts that are no longer in print or that may be very specific or hard to find.

The sense of mystery and surprise always goes in hand. The owners nor the clients never know what is going to come in store, as the books arrive from different owners and in different conditions, to say the least.

And just as clothes, reusing is way better than making new batches. The ecological aspect plays a big role. Even if it is not a substitute for new productions (especially if it’s a brand new book) it can considerably reduce the out-of-control consumption.

Also, costs are considerably lower. You can find great material in older editions a lot cheaper than paying for the current publications. And if you’re lucky, you can sometimes find a true jewel for a great price.

After revisiting this, it is fair to say that it’s great that new generations are keeping the tradition on point. Just as @the_bookery, we believe that a book’s life cycle is infinite.

This second-hand bookstore is using current tools -like social networks and an online catalog- to diffuse this practice, which saves a lot of time of going through alleys and alleys of books where you never know what is going to pop out (although that has its magic too).

Make sure to follow their account to see what’s in store and you will most definitely find something that suits your interests at the same time that you collaborate with a conscious community that wishes to promote and foment culture and art through reading.