Monday, July 30, 2007

Halifax bookstore


If you need a little more light, books are easy to cut through with a chainsaw.

"J.W. Doull's is a second-hand bookstore that is a dark and musty extravaganza of disorganization. Chaos theory originated here. Without doubt Mr.Doull has the most liberal immigration policy for used books this writer has ever seen. It is something out of Dickens.

The bookshelves stretch interminably upward, stuffed beyond all decency with all kinds of books. Shelves hang over doorways, or stand towering in the centre of rooms. There are books in boxes waiting to be stacked in the bursting shelves. Evidently they will wait a long time. There are paperbacks in stacks lining a stairway that leads inevitably to more books. 'Ah, The Complete History of Scotland in twenty-seven volumes, just what I need.' The proprietor has an untamed grey beard and a bookish look. It is as if he has become part of this parallel world, staid and learned and yet somehow, perpetually on the verge of total disorder. You will never find what you're looking for here, but you're sure to find something good." - Tim McGrenere, Christine Oreskovich and Kyle Shaw, The Slicker Guide to Halifax

Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 2007

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's awesome. i didn't realize at first that was a hole. the place reminds me of sunrise books in guelph though. similarly stacked.

randy sutherland said...

Yes, Sunrise is a neck stretcher.
This place in Halifax is worth a visit - tres funky.