Book Collecting and Bookstores

Always in favour of libraries, except that increasingly they seem to not be in the business of "books" anymore. Seems egregious to me that a library would throw away a book that it took the time to acquire and catalog. But space and money are not infinite for such things. And libraries do the best they can. Where education in school stops, the library begins.

So where one demands continuity and loves a subject, to the best of ones ability - time, space and finance-wise, one collects http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_collecting

I am lucky to live in Boston Metro and can take the MBTA to http://www.brattlebookshop.com/
You may have seen Ken Gloss on Antiques Roadshow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiques_Roadshow
I used to work nextdoor to Brattle Books, but at that time the book bug had not bitten me.

And there are, of course, places worldwide.

London http://www.visitlondon.com/attractions/shopping/book-shops

Japan http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia24/en/travel/index.html
Kanda, Jimbocho, Yasikuni Ave.(and interestingly enough even if you are not fluent in Japanese Japan has some of the best technical and picture books in the world).

Moscow http://www.waytorussia.net/Moscow/Shopping/Books.html