I ordered some travel books the other day after a trip to Barnes and Noble. So let’s get off topic for a minute to talk about ordering books. Here’s some comparison shopping:
| At B&N: | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Frommer’s Denver, Boulder & Colorado Springs Frommer’s National Parks of the American West Yellowstone Treasures TOTAL: |
$16.99 $21.99 $21.95 $60.93 (+$5.03 tax) |
$0.75 + $3.49 sh $0.75 + $3.49 sh $11.00 + $4.00 sh $23.48 |
So when I tell you about buying books online, don’t tell me I’m paying more in shipping than I am saving! As you can see here, on these three books I saved over $40 once you also consider the sales tax I pay at the brick-and-mortar store.
Now you’re asking, “Where do you buy online?” Well, I recommend you try half.com (an e-bay site) and alibris.com. Each of these sites allows you to search by book quality. If you only want new, unread books, they will sort those for you. If you just want cheap, you can find that too.
In the case of these books, I found Yellowstone Treasures direct from the publisher online. It seems that the third edition was just released, so the second edition (which B&N had) is available for half-off direct, brand new! And this book is amazing — the entire book is in full color. Photos, maps, history, details about each area of the park. Wow!!
The book includes many detailed walking tours, and driving details like I’ve never seen, pointing out items every couple of miles or so (with odometer readings so you won’t miss them!)