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books

End of an Era

July 19, 2011 11:05:43.372

Borders is liquidating - all I can say is wow. I spent many a happy hour browsing there, but Amazon has replaced them for me. It's not about e-books (although that accelerated the trend) - it's really about two things:

  • Amazon's "shelf" is infinitely bigger, and includes things (independent publishers) that Borders never had
  • Amazon's recommendation engine is far, far better than scanning shelves or asking an employee

That latter point is what tipped me. At the store, I really only saw what they had in stock. At Amazon, I see things I never would have thought of, based on other books I've read or am looking at. Add in the instant gratification of an ebook download, and it's the deathknell of physical bookstores for me.

posted by James Robertson

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