A local wise man said, “a book is the gate of knowledge.” I can say, I agree with that statement because I can learn something new, basically from a book, or actually, an e-book or a journal or an article from a blogging platform.
I love to read, but I’m not a big fan of physical books. Instead of carrying hundreds of sheets of paper, I found reading the digital alternatives through my gadget is more convenience.
Unfortunately, I have a partner that will not agree with my belief of the convenience of reading an e-book. She’s a big fan of the smell and weight and feel of a physical book. She told me that there is a special connection when she can hold a book in her hand and later she can put it on the shelf.
Because of that, she and I, we have specific schedules to visit her favorite retailer bookstores located in Matraman, East Jakarta. She bought lots of book variants from fiction -such as novel- to non-fiction -such as self-improvement, autobiography, etc.
At that time, I still haven’t changed my mind. I’m still not a big fan of physical books. I saw the price, and I think it’s just too pricey compared to the e-books’ price or even the subscription fee on the blogging platform. It makes ‘the gate of the knowledge’ is a little bit harder to be accessed by everyone.
Until a few weeks ago, my partner and I found a place in South Jakarta called Blok M Square. Perhaps you will only see a regular shopping mall from the outside, but when you step into the basement area, you will see dozens of book stores that sell thousands used books.
From thousands of used books, I found one exciting book that talked about ‘copywriting,’ and I asked the bookseller about the price.
Me: “How much is this?”
Bookseller: “This only IDR 20.000.”
I was shocked. I have seen the price of that book on big retailer bookstores in Jakarta; it costs IDR 75.000. Wow, I found a treasure.
I know this is a used bookstore, so maybe I couldn’t find a book in perfect condition. But there’s one thing that I really notice about; first, if the books are this cheap, I think everyone can access the gate to the knowledge more inexpensive and more accessible and in a legal way.
I mean, these used book stores give us the solution when we find that the price of a book that we need or we wanted on a big retailer store is just too high. Instead of buying the cheaper pirated books -as a lot of people did in Indonesia- try to find it on the used book stores, I guarantee you’ll find it or at least you can ask the sellers to call you once they got the book. I’m pretty sure you’ll find the book you need because that’s what my partner and I did lately.
And I think, discovering the used book stores might help so many people that are struggling to find a cheaper alternative for the legal physical books. And being a Google Local Guide is an effective way to make this kind of place getting better exposure by the public.
I have made a list on Google Maps for my next destination in finding another used book stores and best places for book lovers; I hope it would help others and I can find a new story in it. Wish me luck!