OT: Quantum Books closing...

[Paul Lussier]

Hi all,

I stopped by Quantum Books in Kendall Sq., Cambridge this morning.
Some of you may remember they bought out SoftPro a couple years ago.
In discussion with the woman who was helping me this morning, I
learned that their lease is up next June and they won't be renewing.

Rent is increasing, customers are decreasing :(

Interestingly, she pointed the blame largely at Tim O'Reilly and not
at Amazon.  When I asked her why, she said she felt that Tim's
direction of pushing everything to web has resulted in O'Reilly as a
publisher going down hill.  She said a) they're not publishing as many
books as they used to, and b) the books they are publishing aren't of
the quality that O'Reilly made their name on.

She also mentioned that O'Reilly seems rather ambivalent with respect
to brick'n'mortar book stores, whereas publishers like APress, Addison
Wessely, etc. are doing a much better job.

I suppose the demise of the independant book seller, especially in the
technical space, is inevitable.  Though, should you feel the need to
support a local merchant, rather than a chain or on-line giant, I
highly recommend Quantum Books.  They're local, friendly, and provide
great support.  They have an on-line presence, will ship anywhere, and
deal with corporate accounts as well as individuals.

-- 
Seeya,
Paul