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Books Unlimited
www.booksunlimited.co.uk
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Books Unlimited is the work of the Guardian Newspaper
group and as a result many of the articles and reviews
are pulled from both The Guardian and The Observer.
But don't hold this against the site; the book reviews
are thoughtful and well written and there's a good
selection of excellent background features and
interviews with authors. The Pass Notes could prove
handy if you don't fancy having to work your way
through books such as Gormanghast, the top ten lists
also make interesting reading. And if you're feeling
suitably erudite you could contribute to the online
chat areas which discuss a variety of authors.
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Good Book Guide
www.good-book-guide.com
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This online book magazine is a comprehensive and
impressive guide to books and authors. The content
includes interviews with top authors and the latest
news on who's writing what and what books are expected
out when. Every week a handful of books across
different genres are selected as recommended reading
and you can also search the archive of book reviews,
some of which include online extracts from the books.
The Author's Choice section of the site makes
compulsive reading, here authors pick out their own
favourite books and explain why they love them so
much.
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Atlantic Unbound
www.theatlantic.com/books
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You'll find weighty and learned reviews of the latest
books at Atlantic Unbound; the online version of the
high-brow US arts magazine. So you'd better make sure
you've read more than the latest Maeve Binchy and
Jeffrey Archer novels if you plan to take part in any
of the literary discussion forums on the site. You'll
find interviews with authors, book excerpts and
thought provoking features on the site, which covers
poetry as well as books. Just don't expect to see a
review of the latest Jackie Collins'
blockbuster.
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The New York Review of Books
www.nyrev.com
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The complete 1963 first edition of this authoritative
literary journal is now online, complete with the
original illustrations and advertisements - make sure
you visit that area of the New York Review of Books
site. This journal treats books very seriously and has
introduced lots of influential writers to an
unsuspecting world. You can search the archive of book
reviews, author interviews and features - the
information stored there goes back to 1995.
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Penguin Online
www.penguin.co.uk
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You can't buy books online from the Penguin site but
it's still well worth a visit to get more information
on Penguin books and authors. Every author gets their
own biography, along with an extract from their latest
book. You should also peruse Penguin's online
magazine, snappily titled read.me, which includes news
on the latest Penguin titles, special offers and
chooses a book and author of the month. And if you're
so inspired by the website that you fancy working at
Penguin just click on the Jobs button.
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International Book Collectors' Association
www.rarebooks.org
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This site is a treasure trove of information for
anybody who collects books. You'll find all the
resources you need to dig out those elusive rare tomes
including links to literary search engines, a rare
book classified ads section, a directory of rare book
dealers and a guide to valuing your books. There are
also plenty of useful background articles covering
topics such as who are the most collectible authors
and how to identify first editions. It's fascinating
stuff and could be the start of a whole new
hobby.
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Barnes & Noble
www.barnesandnoble.com
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Barnes & Noble is a huge bookstore in the US but
it's yet to make it big in the UK. However its Web
site is still well worth a visit. There's an enormous
selection of books here including specialist books
such as academic tomes and there's a special Out of
Print section for those rare books. Barnes & Noble
also sell a good selection of Collector's Editions and
signed books.
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Salon Books
www.salon.com/books
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Salon's literature coverage is a prime example of
something the Americans do extremely well: produce
intelligent, insightful essay writing, without lapsing
into the crusty tones of many of their British
counterparts. The quality of the site speaks for
itself, with its spacious layout and easily navigable
menus. No complaints can be lodged where the content
is concerned either. It is updated daily and
approaches the literary from a variety of different
angles: lengthy reviews that rarely outstay their
welcome, in-depth interviews with authors both young
and old, polemics and opinion pieces from columnists
of the calibre of Camille Paglia, amongst
others.
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London Review of Books
www.lrb.co.uk
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It's not just the US that takes the literary high
ground - if you want the UK version of Atlantic
Unbound or the New York Review of Books then check out
the online version of the political/literary magazine
the London Review of Books. The magazine was founded
in 1979 and is published twice a month and it
specialises in long essay-like articles from
distinguished authors such as Alan Bennett. Many of
these articles are available to read online along with
an archive of book reviews and reader's letters.
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Dusty Books
www.dustybooks.co.uk
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If you just can't find the book you're after in the
conventional online book stores and think it might be
out of print then you should check out the range of
second-hand books at the Dusty Books site. Dredge
through the online catalogue or send off an email and
ask them to dig out a specific book for you.
Dusty Books is a member of the International Book
Dealers Association so you know you're dealing with a
reputable company.
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The Title Page
www.titlepage.com
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If you're looking for something a little unusual in
the book line then check out this site and you'll find
lots of signed first editions for sale. The authors
represented include big names such as Isabel Allende
and Michael Crichton, and the site also boasts online
interviews with many popular authors. The only
drawback is that the site is based in the US and so
prices are in dollars, however Title Page will ship to
the UK. The condition of the books is well described
so you know exactly what you're getting.
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Waterstones
www.waterstones.co.uk
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Somewhat surprisingly you'll find the prices are very
competitive at Waterstones online store - some
bestsellers were selling for half the RRP. This site
looks great and has some nice touches - for example if
you register and tell Waterstones what authors and
type of books you like, they'll email out regular book
recommendations to you. You can even create your own
personal online library of the books you love or would
like as gifts.
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Alphabetstreet
www.alphabetstreet.co.uk
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Not only does this site sell books but it also
dabbles in CDs, DVDs and video games. The book prices
are very competitive - you're looking at 50 per cent
off the top ten list. Even better, delivery is free to
any address in the UK. Books are reviewed by
Alphabetstreet customers so you can check out the word
on the street before you commit. An interesting
feature of the site lets you match your mood to books;
if you're feeling a bit weepy then Alphabetstreet will
recommend a few good love stories or for the really
depressed, a Shakespearian tragedy.
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WH Smith Online
books.whsmithonline.co.uk
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Unafraid of eating into its conventional sales WH
Smith has gone straight in and whacked off up to 50
per cent on the RRP of some of the books it's selling
online. As well as flogging books, you can also buy
magazines, audio CDs, videos and computer games here.
If you're not sure what you want to read then check
out the Top Seller charts or the Read of the Week
recommendation. Orders are sent out within 24-hours if
the book is in stock.
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BOL
www.uk.bol.com
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BOL stocks a whopping 1.5 million titles and has new
reading recommendations every day if you're a real
bookworm. You can browse the huge collection by
subject or if it's a gift you're after head straight
for the Gift Ideas section. Each book is well
described and BOL also gets some big name authors in
for online interviews. Most books are dispatched
within 24 or 48 hours and you typically save around 30
per cent off the retail price.
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BOOKS
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