I was in our local store recently, and poked around a little to see how much rail content there was in the store. This was not really to find something to buy (I usually mail order books from museum bookstores, to help with preservation), but just to see how much of railroads are left in the public's mind. If this store is an indication, not much. The sale and gift tables had a lot of Polar Express stuff, plus two or three generic coffee table sale books. The kids section had a good supply of Thomas stuff, and the magazine section had Model Railroader and Kalmbach's toy train publication, plus MR's annual and a get-started in modeling booklet. The craft and hobby section had a book or two on collecting Lionel. In the Transportation section, there were only three or four books, all thin, weak treatises on trains in general. These were difficult to find, being sandwiched between at least 40 different books each on pickup trucks and old tractors. I think that unless one works on the railroad or is an enthusiast, the average person today hardly knows that railroads still exist.

A month or so ago a new BN was opened locally. I stopped in to
look for an Railroad and Railfan magazine for the PA article.
No such luck. I too peeked at the train titles. Not much.
Funny as the CSX main runs a few feet behind the store.
Reminds me of the really good selection of RR magazine
titles that the old Albany-Rensselaer station once had. The
store in the new station is a sad joke.

Speaking of books, an editor where I have my day (night) job handed me a copy of "A Passion for Trains, The Photography of Richard Steinheimer" to review. In a word, awesome! I haven't seen it in local bookstores. but surely rail museums will make it available. If you haven't already, put it on your Santa Claus list. At the top.

Why so surprised at Mass Market book stores? Another visit to those places is another nail in the coffin of the independent owners. For other than best sellers I always seek out the dirty, musty questionable neighborhood independent seller. Especially useful are the independents that stock transportation titles but aren't primarily interested in them....the prices are nice when an unknowing seller wants to unload a "choo-choo" book!

Secondly we are interested in a hobby on the fringes.....take a look at B&N in the military history section, way better [but not great] selection that reflects the interest level.

I've been going to Barnes & Noble for years and their selection of books about trains has definitely decreased recently, save for the ubiquitous "$9.99 coffee table books" which are generally worthless to any serious railfan. It's even hard to find TRAINS magazine- some B&N stores carry it and some don'ts. Borders had a better selection of books last time I looked, but no TRAINS magazine.

Found a terrific book at B&N just by chance on one of their Christmas gift tables. PLAYING WITH TRAINS by Sam Posey the famous Grand Prix driver and contributor to MR. It is a fascinating biography that is completely Railroad related. It is the as good has Harold Raines's FLY FISHING THROUGH THE MID-LIFE CRISIS. All of us can find much of our lives retold by Mr. Posey. It is hard to put this book down before you finish it. Not much "rivet counting" but long on the emotional attachment that draws all of us to us to this advocation.

It is also available at Amazon.com

It really depends on the B&N. I live north of Seattle and the RR magazine and book selection stinks, but go to the store at University Village near the University of Washington and they not only carry US titles but they handle Back Track and several others from England.

Richard

At least here in Rochester, NY I have found the same situation. B&N has a skimpy RR selection while the other big-box bookseller Borders has a great deal more.

Be sure to check for a book called 100 Trains, 100 Years. Its got a fair amount of preservation related photographs in it. There are about 2 dozen shots by your's truley and another 3 dozen shots of Steamtown (and elsewhere) by Steamtown photographer Ken Ganz. Fellow RYPN'er Tim O'Malley put together the captioning for most if not all of the pictures shot by Ken and Myself.

The book is somewhat haphazardly arranged, with some odd subjects and other things I would have done differently, but overall its interesting reading if you're like shots of tourist outfits and museums like Steamtown, Strasburg and B&O and it usually goes for 14.99.

Dave Crosby

P.S. My shots are the best...

That's funny - B&N in Rosemont PA (short walk from the Paoli Local) carreis Trains, MR, R&R etc. to include Railway (UK).

For a really good RR book selection I suggest your local RR museum or RR-oriented hobby shop. They could use the business too. If they don't have what you want, they can order it.